Orange Trail P2P v Wash - 6/3/25

Mummy Mountain from Lower Transition Life Zone

Entering the Upper Sonoran Life Zone

Hiking down through the Canyon

Cool in the Sun

There are a network of trails below the Deer Creek Road on the north end. Many of them are frequented by horse riders. All of them are travelled by wildlife such as burros, deer, elk and lizards! Most of them end or pass by a spring and/or the very large section of this area's major drainage called Deer Creek Canyon. One of these trails is the old Deer Creek Loop. If you hiked this area a few years ago, you might would have seen small old wooden signs indicating "Deer Creek Loop" if you could decipher the words. These signs have all but disappeared. However, the trails remain in good condition. The old Deer Creek Loop can now be referred to as the Orange Trail. You will see stick trail signs with an orange sticker on them. Today, we chose two if these connecting trails that allow hikers to start on Deer Creek Road and end on Lee Canyon Road.

Woodland Trail in the Transition Life Zone

Old Junipers and Shade

Beautiful Woodlands

Exiting the Woodlands (Clouds at 9:18am)

We left one car at the trailhead on Lee Canyon Road across from the Blue Tree road then drove up to the Orange Trail trailhead on Deer Creek Road across from 7 Mile Canyon Road. Dropping down the left side of the loop, we entered a luscious wooded trail in the Transition life zone that follows this canyon wash down. As the canyon narrowed, the trail was easy to descend. About halfway down to the ridges' foothills, the trail jogs up to the left. This takes hikers over the neighboring ridge and down into the next wash. Following that, the trail continues downward in this wash until it comes within sight of the original canyon and enters the Upper Sonoran life zone.

Orange Trail Junction with Middle Deer Creek Canyon Trail

Surprise!

Jackrabbit Junction (an unusually rounded hill)

Down toward SR 95 and the Las Vegas Wash

We took a break under one of the last large shade-giving trees and soon after, we came to the junction of our side of the Orange Trail and the Orange Trail that runs across the foothills in a northwest / southeast direction. Heading to the northwest, we "turned" left and started hiking with Jackrabbit Junction in our view. This is an unusually rounded large hill near where I saw several jackrabbits around the first time I explored this area. We passed a trail on the right which is a shortcut over to the same trail further than where we came from. Continuing straight, our trail took us down, up, down, up, etc. over the small ridges of the Spring Mountains foothills. The last couple of undulations were the most challenging.

The Orange Trail or Middle Deer Creek Canyon Trail

One of a few hills to climb Over

Up and down on the Middle Deer Creek Canyon Trail

Photos showing how rapid rainclouds develop.

Finally, we came to the king of undulations! It was Lee Canyon! So, we descended to its wash and climbed steeply up the other side to our car. It was a wonderful morning while we watched the storm clouds gathering rapidly over the higher elevations.

Stats: 6.5 miles; +500' gain; -2100' loss; 3.5 hours

Finally reaching our descent into Lee Canyon

... And, our ascent out!

See! I told you we wouldn't get rained on! ... Not this time!

Kyle Escarpment / Eagle's Nest Loop - 5/31/25

Mt. Charleston golf cart path below Kyle Canyon Escarpment

Golf cart path with blooming Cliffrose

Sun breaking through clouds in Kyle Canyon

Rita breaking through the brush on the cart Path

Once in a while, family comes to town. And, this weekend, it was Rita's, fantastically in condition, family that includes a couple of military members. They can out-hike us any time! The two hikes that we did with the four of them (Rita, Ana, David, and Carlos) were so much fun. On the second hike, we started at the Upper Eagle's Nest Trailhead and did a 7 mile hike that included the Kyle Canyon Escarpment and half of the Eagle's Nest Loop. We threw in a little fun bushwhacking through the rabbitbrush, too, due to the overgrown old golf cart path beneath the Retreat on Charleston Peak. (This is a hotel in the foothills of the Spring Mountains.) Our hike began from the first pullout on the right coming up Deer Creek Road (SR 158).

Wading through Rabbitbrush - All Smiles

Cliffrose on the old cart Path

Passing an old retention pond Basin

Climbing up to the Escarpment

We dove down the hill on an old dirt road from the pullout. This brought us down to Mom's Place (an old abandoned store) on Kyle Canyon Road. We went through the gate located just up the road from there and dropped down into Kyle Canyon on the now closed Mt. Charleston Alpine Resort (9-hole) Golf Club golf cart path. https://www.google.com/search?q=golf+course+at+Mt.+Charleston&oq=golf+course+at+Mt.+Charleston&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIICAEQABgWGB4yDQgCEAAYhgMYgAQYigUyDQgDEAAYhgMYgAQYigUyDQgEEAAYhgMYgAQYigUyBwgFEAAY7wUyCggGEAAYgAQYogQyBwgHEAAY7wXSAQoxOTQwOGowajE1qAIIsAIB8QWxC6P_zIqebA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#vhid=6JhO_X2Ui6VRVM&vssid=l

Views up Kyle Canyon and The Retreat on Charleston Peak

Climbing the Escarpment Trail to the west End

A fun photo Break

Sun breaking through clouds on Charleston Peak

The golf cart path has not been maintained from the bottom of this hill back to the Visitor Center. It is in even worse shape than the last time I was there. Rabbitbrush has taken over! Rita's family got a taste of one of Kay's bushwhacking forays but we made it over to the Visitor Center trails still smiling! Following the Escarpment Trail signs, we climbed the steep hill up to the top of the escarpment ... no easy task! Taking in the views, we walked along the trail at the top of the escarpment from the west end to the east end. By this time, we knew that the cliffrose was in full bloom and the flowers decorated every corner of the Visitor Center  / Kyle Canyon area. Coming down off the east end, we followed the trail to the cart path again and took a left.

Cliffrose on top of the Escarpment

South side of Kyle Canyon from the top of the Escarpment

Hiking down off the east End

Carlos finds the crash site of 1955

Just up the hill, there are public binoculars you can use to find the crash site of a 1955 top secret military aircraft. This crash is memorialized at a display just behind the Visitor Center below. From there, we continued along the cart path and found our way down and over to the beginning of the Acastus Trail. We chose to crossover into the gravel Kyle Canyon Wash. The contruction workers had bulldozed the wash from top to bottom during the time they were rebuilding Kyle Canyon Road after Hurricane Hillary. https://www.google.com/search?q=hurricane+hillary+damage+at+mt.+charleston&oq=Hurricane+Hillary+damage+at+Mt.+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCQgBECEYChigATIGCAAQRRg5MgkIARAhGAoYoAEyCQgCECEYChigATIJCAMQIRgKGKABMgkIBBAhGAoYoAEyCQgFECEYChigATIHCAYQIRirAjIHCAcQIRirAjIHCAgQIRirAjIHCAkQIRiPAtIBCjE0MzU1ajBqMTWoAgiwAgHxBfawEww3M3jU8QX2sBMMNzN41A&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Black Girdle Lizard, Golf course Ruins, Alcove in the escarpment Rock, 
Prickly Poppy, Golf course Ruins, Anemometer

Cart path under rock Overhang

David and "the fam" hiking down the Path

Carlos getting a Workout

We hiked up the wash until we came to where we needed to cross SR 157. (Someone has built a cairn in the wash there.) We crossed the road and passing the gate to the left, we climbed to the top of a plateau area where there are two anemometers. Passing the weather instruments, we came to the Eagle's Nest Loop trail and turned right. We hiked the lower half of the loop and came to the spur trail that leads down to Deer Creek Road near where we were parked. (There is a "Trail" sign at the obscured junction.) A really fun day, thanks to Rita's visiting family! I hope I didn't scare them away and decide to return someday!

Stats: 6.8 miles; 1150' gain; 4.25 hours

David, Rita, Carlos and Ana at the Anemometers

The first Anemometer

Lower side of the Eagle's Nest Loop