deborah wall/special to viewHikers travel through an avalanche chute lined by young aspen trees along the Cathedral Rock trail, located in the Kyle Canyon area of the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area.
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This summer, everyone I know is worrying about the high cost of gasoline and getting a profit on investments. A hike to Cathedral Rock will address both concerns; for investing less than one tank of gas and an hour of driving, one-way, you'll reap a rich profit of pleasure.
Cathedral Rock trail is located in the Kyle Canyon area of the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. The trail's pleasures include forests, wildflowers, crossing an open avalanche chute and emerging atop the monolith to rest and enjoy breathtaking views of Kyle Canyon and beyond. There also is a side trip to a seasonal waterfall.
You have a choice of two trailheads. The first you will come to is the free parking area located on your right near the public restrooms. The second is a few hundred yards farther up the road in a fee area. It's at the entrance of the picnic area and doesn't open until 8 a.m.
Assuming you will be arriving early and embarking from the free parking area, head up the wooden stairs and go left.
The trail immediately makes a steady ascent through a forest of ponderosa pines and white fir.
The hike is a moderate one with an elevation gain of 1,000 feet, spread out fairly evenly over its one-way distance of 1.4 miles. Older children will be able to handle this hike, but all hikers must keep in mind that once they arrive on top, there are severe drop-offs in all directions. Be extremely careful, as people have lost their lives by falling here.
The trailhead is located at about 7,600 feet, more than 5,000 feet higher than the valley, so don't be surprised if the thinner air affects your endurance. On the up-side, though, temperatures could be 25 degrees cooler -- pretty nice for a location so conveniently close.
Along most of the trail, you will find loose rock underfoot, so I would recommend wearing hiking boots rather than sneakers or athletic shoes. Boot soles are usually thicker and have deeper treads, which are less likely to slip on loose rock.
After about a five-minute walk from the trailhead, the path descends out of the forested area and into Maize Canyon. You will stay straight to continue your ascent. To the left is the trail coming up from the alternative starting point.
Here you will notice the landscape has changed dramatically; you will be surrounded by young aspen trees. This is because this area is a major avalanche chute in winter, and aspen trees are among the few plants to survive the havoc. Two weeks ago, I found plenty of wildflowers still blooming in this sun-spattered, open wood. Look for lupine, paintbrush, thistle and penstemon.
After you cross to the other side of the chute and continue your ascent on the south side of the canyon, keep an eye out for a spur trail on your left.
This short spur trail is only about 100 yards long and is well worth the effort, for it ends at a series of three seasonal waterfalls. In spring, they can pour-off quite spectacularly, but in summer, it is sometimes only a mere trickle, except after storms. Trickle or torrent, it's a pleasant place to take a break.
Back on the main trail, continue up through the avalanche chute, which takes you around to the back side of Cathedral Rock.
Just before the trail reaches a saddle, you will come to a fork. Stay right and continue down a small dip and you will hear the water flowing from a small creek that is on your right.
Continue on and then start up a series of switchbacks. You will notice some netting on the hillsides here, an attempt to rehabilitate the area and stop erosion.
The trail brings you up to the west side of the monolith and then swings around to the north and to the overlook.
In the upper reaches of the hike, you probably will come across a few chipmunks. These are most likely the Palmer's chipmunks, a unique species to the Spring Mountains and found where ponderosa trees are dominant, which is about 8,000 feet in elevation.
A close cousin, the Panamint chipmunk is found over a wider area of the Spring Mountains. Most of us wouldn't notice the difference between the two unless they were standing side by side; then you might notice the Palmer's is a tad bit larger than the Panamint, and brighter in color. Never feed the chipmunks or any other wildlife.
The trail travels through fossil-bearing limestone. There aren't any vertebrate fossils in the formation, but you might find brachiopods, crinoids and horn corals.
Once on top, you will have excellent bird's-eye views down into Kyle Canyon and the surrounding area.
Below lies Mt. Charleston Lodge and the private homes that were built in this glorious setting. Looking down Kyle Canyon Road to the east, you will have far-reaching views of the Sheep Mountains.
To the northeast is Mount Charleston Peak, 11,918 feet tall, the highest peak in the Spring Mountains. If you're young and ambitious, it may inspire you to bigger adventure on its slope.
Or if you're middle-aged and out of breath, it may inspire you to rest on the laurels of a morning well spent.
Deborah Wall is the author of "Great Hikes, A Cerca Country Guide," published by Stephens Press. She can be reached at Deborah@hikingthewest.com.
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