Overview

This is a strenuous, 5-mile hike that starts at the Bonanza Trailhead above Cold Creek, climbs many switchbacks to the crest of the Spring Mountains, then heads south along the crest to the summit. Most of the trail is forested with bristlecone pines, so there is plenty of shade. There are great views to the east and the west from many places along this scenic trail.

Link to map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, this is a short trail to a high-elevation place, so take it easy if you've just come up from the desert. This trail probably is a bit much for young children. There are some nice rocky overlooks on the ridgeline, but watch you step near the edge. The access road is rough and requires a high-clearance vehicle, but not 4-wheel drive.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, this is a long hike, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials.

Trail Guide
Getting to the Trailhead

This hike is located above Cold Creek in the Spring Mountains, about 2 hours northwest of Las Vegas.

From town, drive north on Highway 95 to Cold Creek Road (Table 1, Site 341). Turn left onto Cold Creek Road, drive west past the prisons, and continue to the end of the road (Site 259). The pavement ends on the far edge of Cold Creek town, but a dirt road continues past town (snow is not plowed during winter). The access road is rough and degraded, and now requires a high-clearance vehicle, but not 4-wheel drive, to drive to the trailhead. Park here; this is the trailhead.

The Hike

From the trailhead (Table 2, Waypoint 1), the trail runs south around the south side of an open area (sometimes a grassy meadow). When the trail enters the trees, it becomes clearly marked and is easy to follow. The problem here is that there is an old Boy Scout Camp on the north side of the open area, and you could get confused and walk west up the old road past the camp rather than hike south and up the trail.

After the trail enters the forest, it makes a big loop and curves around towards the north. The trail then steepens and starts switchbacking up the side of a ridge. The trail eventually gains the top of the ridge and follows it westward before cutting south across the slopes to the Bonanza Saddle. Most of the 4 miles to the saddle is done on switchbacks, perhaps 80 of them, but they generally run at an easy grade. There are two steep, but relatively short sections of the trail lower down, but after you get to where the bend of a switchback touches the burn area north of the trail (Wpt. 2), the going is pretty easy for the rest of the way to Bonanza Saddle (Wpt. 3).

From Bonanza Saddle (Wpt. 3), the trail runs south along the west side of the ridge towards the summit. However, there is no trail to the summit, there is no obvious place to leave the trail and head for the summit, and you could even hike past the summit and start down the other side of the mountain before realizing that you had gone too far.

Finding the cutoff point (Wpt. 4), however, is easy. All the way from the trailhead, every switchback leads uphill. The trail runs uphill and down, but all of the switchbacks head uphill. Close to the cutoff, the trail passes below a long band of 15- to 20-ft-high limestone cliffs to the east.

From the highpoint on the trail, walk east 10 yards onto the saddle, then follow the ridgeline south for about 0.25 miles to the summit (Wpt. 5). The summit is marked with a cairn and a register.

To get back to the trailhead, retrace your steps down the ridge to the trail, then follow the trail back to the parking area. Be sure to enjoy the views on the way down.