Overview

For people driving across the Mormon Well Road hoping to hike up Sawmill Canyon, this little peak is a consolation prize for those who get a late start or just find too many interesting things to stop and see along the road. The route starts up the Sawmill Canyon Trail, but after about 1.35 miles it cuts off to climb the rocky summit of the first little peak along the trail. The summit is airy and standing on the summit require 4th class scrambling, but the views are great and far better than just turning around on the Sawmill Canyon Trail when you run out of daylight.

Link to a map or elevation profile.

For general information on camping, regulations, other issues, and the natural history of the Wildlife Refuge, see the Desert National Wildlife Range -- Area Overview page.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ... this is a safe hike until you leave the trail. Hiking up the hillside is steep with lots of blackbrush, banana yucca and prickly pear cactus (all of which will stab your legs and feet), and the actual summit requires a tiny bit of class-4 scrambling.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, even though this hike is fairly short, it is remote, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials.

This is a wildlife refuge, so pay extra attention to respecting the land. Please, don't bother the bighorn sheep.

Trail Guide
Getting to the Trailhead

This hike is located on the Desert National Wildlife Range, 2 or more hours north of town.

From town, drive out to the Desert National Wildlife Range. From Corn Creek Field Station (Table 1, Site 106), continue east to a T-intersection about 70 yards beyond the parking area (Site 731). Turn right onto Mormon Well Road (mile 0.0) and drive south. After about 0.3 miles, the road bends to the left and starts heading east and up towards the mountains. Continue on the main road past Gass Peak Road (mile 4.4) and Mormon Pass Campground (mile 25.5, Site 648). Continue past the campground for another 5.2 miles (mile 30.7) to a dirt road on the left (Site 1000). Turn here, or continue another 0.2 miles (mile 30.9) to Sawmill Wash Road (Site 1001). Either way, drive west and up into Sawmill Canyon for about 0.4 miles to a gate.

When driving up Sawmill Wash Road, the canyon forks about 50 yards before the end of the road, and you can see gates up both canyons. The trailhead is in the left (southern) canyon. Park here; this is the trailhead (Site 1002).

Alternatively, for a longer highway and shorter dirt road approach, drive west on I-15 to Highway 93. Drive north on Hwy 93 for 42.7 miles to a dirt road on the left (Site 649). Watch for powerlines crossing the highway to a power substation. If you miss the turn, turn around at Coyote Springs (Hwy 168) and go back 2.2 miles. Turn west and drive up the dirt road for about 10.8 miles to Sawmill Wash Road (Site 1001). Turn right and drive up the wash as described above.

When passing Corn Creek Field Station, be sure to stop and sign the visitor register. Use a false name if you worry about the government tracking your movements, but they need all the visitor-use statistics they can get to argue for more funding.

The Hike

From the trailhead (Table 2, Waypoint 1), the trail runs west-southwest up the wash, passes the gate, and almost immediately climbs out of the wash onto an old road.

This area is in the transition zone between the Mojave Desert Scrub habitat type and the Pinyon-Juniper Woodland habitat type (Upper Sonoran Life Zone). Common species include Joshua Tree, Banana Yucca, and Blackbrush from lower down, and Single-leaf Pinyon, Utah Juniper, and Mormon tea from higher up.

The route follows the old road for 1.35 miles to a high point on the road (Wpt. 2) below the prominent peaklet on the north side of the road. Turn north to climb the ridge, then follow the cactus and tree covered ridge westward to the rocky limestone summit (Wpt. 3). While this peak is just a consolation prize, the views are grand, especially back to the east with the Arrow Canyon Range and the Mormon Mountains in the distance. The summit blocks are a bit loose, so be careful up there.

When ready to head down, follow the route you came up, or cut more directly back to the old road, then head downhill to the trailhead.

End of text.

From the peak, the late afternoon view to the west is washed out in the setting sun, but Hayford Peak looms on the horizon as the highest point in the Sheep Range. To the east, the Mormon Mts., Moapa Peak, and the Arrow Canyon Range can be seen in the distance (view east).