Overview

Lone Mountain is a steep, isolated, rocky crag located in the northwest part of Las Vegas just inside the Interstate-215 Beltway. The summit stands some 600 feet above the surrounding desert and homes, giving great views of the city and the surrounding mountains.

There are several routes up Lone Mountain. The Northwest Route is fairly steep, but it is short (0.51 miles) and takes only about 30 minutes if you stop to enjoy the scenery along the way. Lone Mountain is good place for a quick get-away or after-work hike; and as one guy on the trail with his dogs said, it beats an afternoon workout on a treadmill.

Link to route map or elevation profile.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...this is a fairly safe hike, but there are places where you could stumble off the mountain and roll all the way to the bottom. The west face of the summit is nearly vertical, so don't fall off that side. There is a fair bit of loose gravel on the use-trail, and some of the bedrock is dirty and slick, although most of the footing is secure.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Although this hike is short, be sure to bring what you need of the 10 Essentials.

Getting to the Trailhead

Lone Mountain is located in the northwest part of urban Las Vegas, just inside the Western Beltway (Highway I-215) between Lone Mountain and Alexander roads. From town, drive north on Highway 95 or Highway 215 to the northwest part of town.

From Highway 95, exit and drive west on Craig Road. Choose any main road and turn left (south), and drive south to Alexander Road (which should be the next main road and runs along the south side of Lone Mountain). Turn right onto Alexander Road and drive west to Vegas Vista, which runs between the mountain and the beltway. Turn right onto Vegas Vista and drive north.

From Highway 215, exit the beltway and drive east on Lone Mountain Road, which runs along the north side of the mountain. To get to the trailhead, you have to circumnavigate the mountain: drive east on Lone Mountain to Jensen Road and turn right; drive south on Jensen to Alexander and turn right, drive west on Alexander to Vegas Vista and turn right. Turn right onto Vegas Vista and drive north.

On Vegas Vista, drive north along the base of the mountain for 0.4 miles to the end of the pavement and park in the dirt to the right (Table 1, Site 0870). Park here; this is the trailhead.

Alternatively, drive to Lone Mtn Park (Site 1270), which is located on the southeast side of the mountain, and park here.

The Hike

From the west-side trailhead (Table 2, Waypoint 00), the route runs between cement parking barriers (April 2011) heading northeast towards a use-trail that can be seen climbing the hillside in the distance. Following foot trails and dirt roads, the route climbs onto the lower flank of the mountain (Wpt. 01), then starts steeply up the hillside running southeast. The use-trail is well defined and easy to follow, but there is a bit of loose gravel on the steep parts. The route actually starts as an ATV trail, but it is a foot trail from the base of the steep hillside on up.

The vegetation at the base of the mountain is typical of Mojave Desert Scrub, with creosote bush, white bursage, Mojave yucca, Nevada ephedra, and desert almond. On the hillside, the desert almond drops out of the mix, but California barrel cactus, and several species of buckwheat and other plants (all of which are low-growing) join the mix.

The use-trail runs up to the top of the steep part (Wpt. 02), then levels out a bit and approaches the crest of the ridge. There is a concrete bench on the crest (Wpt. 03) that makes a nice place to sit, relax, and enjoy the view of the city. For people who can't or don't want to climb all the way to the summit, just getting to this point would be a nice hike and good place to stop. At this point, routes from the north join the main route.

Watch for fossils in this area. I saw lots of chert, which frequently is associated with fossils, but the only fossils I found (corals) were south of the summit.

On the crest of the ridge, the use-trail turns south and runs up the ridgeline. A single, obvious, use-trail starts up the rocky ridge, but higher up there is a bit of multiple trailing. However, all trails lead the same way -- up the ridge.

The steep ridge gives way to a flat area with nice views at the base of another steep section (Wpt. 06), then continues steeply to the summit (Wpt. 07). View from the summit include a complete 360-degree panorama of the city and surrounding mountains; even the summit of Mt. Charleston peaks over the ridge to the west.

While not a wilderness experience, the grand views from all along the ridgeline make the hike worth the effort. The strip and downtown buildings are off to the southeast. Chances are that you can even see your neighborhood from the summit. To the north, are the Sheep Range and Las Vegas Range on the Desert National Wildlife Range, to the east are the Mormon, Muddy, Sunrise, and Black mountains. To the south are the South McCullough Range and peaks along the Red Rock Escarpment. To the west, the La Madre Range towers above the city.

When ready, return to the trailhead by following the use-trail back down the mountain.