Whenever I’m in Las Vegas I always try to sneak away and do some hiking in the Mt.Charleston area. With Mt.Charleston at 11,918’ and Mt.Mummy at 11,528’ it can be 100 degrees in Vegas and 60 up there. This trip I wanted to hike to Mt.Mummy from the East side. The West approach from KyleCanyon is more popular while the east side is steeper and shorter with a 3rd class gully and some route finding challenges.
So after leaving OrangeCounty at 6:00 A.M. I started hiking from North Loop Trail Head at 11:00 A.M. The North Loop trail is very popular and easy to follow. About 2.5 miles you reach the intersection of the North Loop trail and Mummy Springs trail marked by a 3000 year old bristlecone pine tree called The Raintree.(As you are hiking before you get to the Raintree the trail will start to lose elevation. Look to your left and you will see a slight use trail to FletcherPeak at 10,319’)
From the Raintree there is a nice view of the Mummy’s toes. Mummy Springs is about 10 minutes from the intersection located in a wide avalanche gully. You need to hike about 70’ above the trail to get to the springs. Continue following the trail as it switchbacks up the gully. Eventually the use trail ends and you will need to follow ducks and follow faint trails up this steep and slippery gully climbing at a rate of 2000’ in a mile. If you lose the trail tend to drift to the right and you will usually find a route. At last you will reach a ridgeline with views to the West of Mt. Charleston and GriffithPeak. Go right or North and follow a use trail staying below the summit cliffs for about .5 miles being careful not to go up the first gully you see but the second gully. Head up this gully staying to the left and staying out of the scree. Near the top you will reach a flat area with large blocks blocking your way. Climb over these blocks and continue up the gully. (I had turned to the right at these blocks and ran into some difficult climbing. When I found a rap sling I figured I was going the wrong way.)
At a broad ledge go north traversing the ledges and climb over a small slot. From the slot follow the use trail to a scree slope to your left which leads to the broad summit with the register at the south end.
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