A hiker makes his way up the rocky wash on the way to Big Falls, located in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area.Deborah wall/Special to View
Advertisement
Now that our hot weather has finally set in for the summer, hikers will want to head to higher ground. For a quick, but lofty getaway, the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area fits the bill. One good hike, and not too well known, will take you to Big Falls, a seasonal waterfall located in the Kyle Canyon area.
The route will be about 2 miles round-trip and has an elevation gain of about 1,000 feet. It's a moderately strenuous hike because the second half involves snaking your way up a rocky and boulder-filled wash. I wouldn't advise taking children along because of one short, yet unavoidable area where you need to walk along a slippery scree slope with high drop-offs.
Keep in mind that with a starting elevation of about 7,900 feet, it will likely seem more strenuous to those who are just coming up from Las Vegas, more than a mile below.
From the trailhead, follow the signed trail as if you were going to Mary Jane Falls. Immediately, you will find yourself within a vigorous forest of ponderosa pines and white fir, interspersed with aspens and mountain mahogany. After about one-half mile, the well-worn Mary Jane Falls trail narrows and heads off to the right into the pine trees, where it will continue its journey up the switchbacks.
For this hike, though, you will go straight, on an abandoned gravel road. Follow this for about 100 yards, then take the obvious left turn to the west. The trail will narrow as it continues and brings you over a couple of small washes then arrives at the right, or north side of the major drainage of this area. This canyon will be the one you will follow upstream until you arrive at Big Falls. There aren't many wildflowers showing any color right now, but there is some desert paintbrush in bloom.
In this area, look carefully at the conifers surrounding you and you will notice a few bristlecone pines. Some of them along the trail are only about 6 feet tall, but they're close to 1,000 years old. You can recognize them by their branches, which have needles arranged in a pattern that resembles a bottle brush. Some bristlecones in California have been scientifically estimated to be nearly 5,000 years old and are the oldest trees in the world and perhaps oldest of all living things.
Follow the path until it drops into the drainage itself. From here, just start heading up the canyon. There are many boulder-choked areas and small logjams that you'll have to maneuver around, but nothing very demanding until you get to the one large obstacle of the hike.
Here, you will find an area where the canyon becomes very narrow and all easy progress is blocked by a massive, 15-foot-high boulder wedged between the canyon walls.
You have two choices to get up and around this. If you have climbing skills, you can go directly up on the left side of the boulder using the upended logs that have been placed there to aid you. The other option is backtracking about 20 yards and heading up the faint trail on the southeast side. Although there also is a clearly visible path on the northwest side, I wouldn't recommend it, as it is more strenuous, has more cliff exposure and is harder to negotiate safely.
After your ascent, drop back into the wash and continue upstream. Depending on recent rainfall, the rest of your route might be along a small stream, which disappears underground and resurfaces from time to time. You can easily skirt the water to the right.
Continue up the canyon until all progress is blocked and you have arrived at Big Falls.
The water flow depends on snowmelt and recent rain, so the amount can change significantly from visit to visit.
I estimate the pour-off to be more than 100 feet high. Even after the fairly dry period when I visited two weeks ago, there was still a good flow from the last of the winter snow still melting on the north-facing slopes.
There also is a substantial pile of snow in the shady area at the base of the pour-off, ideal for making a few snowballs.
Two caveats about this hike. Although we are used to seeing plenty of graffiti on bridges, highways and buildings around Las Vegas, it is heartbreaking to come across it in our wilderness areas. The falls area has been tagged.
Also, don't attempt this hike when thunderstorms threaten, or after a heavy rain, as this is the main drainage of the area and flash flooding may occur.
Deborah Wall is the author of "Great Hikes, A Cerca Country Guide," published by Stephens Press. She can be reached at Deborabus@aol.com.
Archived Editions| Advertising | Contact The Staff
