Overview

Lovell Canyon Trail is a fairly easy partial-loop trail in the pinyon-juniper forest at the head of Lovell Canyon, a little visited area south of Griffith Peak and Harris Mountain. Much of the trail runs through forested lands providing plenty of shade for desert hikers, but parts run out into old burn areas, and while warmer, provide grand views up and down Lovell Canyon.

This trail was recently built by the U.S. Forest Service. I commend the engineers for laying out a nice trail, and I especially commend the crews who worked so hard making a nice trail for the rest of us. The signs are not finished, but the trail is easy to follow.

Link to Area Map, Hiking Map South, or Hiking Map North.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the mountains, this trail is pretty safe and without unusual hazards. The trail is not very strenuous, making it a nice way to hike at higher elevations with few oxygen deficit issues.

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 short, it is remote, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials. This hike runs near Private Property and into the La Madre Wilderness Area, so please pay particular attention to taking care of the land.

Getting to the Trailhead

This hike is located in Lovell Canyon up in the Spring Mountains, about 1-1/4 hours west of Las Vegas.

From town, drive out Highway 160 towards Pahrump. About three miles past Mountain Spring Summit, turn right onto Lovell Canyon Road. Drive north 11 miles to Lovell Summit Road. Turn left and drive 0.4 miles to Lovell Canyon Trailhead. Click the links for details and GPS coordinates.

The Hike

From the trailhead (Table 1, Waypoint 01), the trail runs up across the hillside to the northwest at a fair grade. The trail switchbacks up the hillside, then runs out to a low saddle on a ridgeline (Wpt. 02). Fortunately, this was about the steepest section of the trail.

The trail overlooks the Torino Ranch, then continues northward more or less following the contour. At about 1.59 miles out, the trail forks (Wpt. 03) at the beginning of the loop. Continuing to the right, the trail runs north, winding in and out of every little side canyon staying more or less on the contour.

The trail runs close to private property (Wpt. 04), and three signs remind hikers to respect the rights of the land owner. The trail continues north, eventually running down to the edge of Lovell Canyon Wash.

The trail turns southwest at a rocky promontory to run up a side wash, passing a trail junction (Wpt. 05) marked with an enormous cairn and a 4x4 post with a paper sign attached. The sign indicates that the Schaefer Spring Trail continues west, but it seems that the trail to the north is the end of the Schaefer Spring "Loop" Trail.

Continuing southwest and up the side canyon, the trail quickly reaches another trail junction (Wpt. 06). The junction is marked with another enormous cairn and another 4x4 post with a paper sign. This sign indicates that the Schaefer Spring Trail turns north, but it seems that the sign should indicate that this is the other end of the Schaefer Spring "Loop" Trail. Heading out on this loop adds about 1.61 miles to the hike.

Continuing southwest, the trail climbs onto a low saddle with another trail junction (Wpt. 07). The main trail continues down to the south (left), while the other trail runs up to the northwest (right) -- another trail for another day!

The main trail runs more or less south, staying on the contour while winding in and out of several side canyons. This part of the trail is back in the trees, so there is plenty of shade.

The trail eventually winds around to run northeast and reaches the first fork (Wpt. 03) encountered on the way north, closing the loop. The trail then runs south back to the ridge (Wpt. 02) overlooking the ranch and down to the trailhead (Wpt. 01).