Started out at Trail Canyon, once you get to the ridge line, you go off towards your left onto the North Loop Trail that takes you to Mt. Charleston Peak. You will pass Cave Springs, as well as Burn Tree, which is the«trail head» for Mummy Mtn. Lee Peak is often overlooked as an actual peak and I don’t know if BLM even recognizes it. With the closure of the South Loop and Griffith Peak due to the Carpenter 1 fire last year, you have to be a little creative and explore different peaks. This hike is all trail, until you reach the actual«turn off» to get to the peak. Along the way you will pass different vegetation and terrain, lots of quaking aspen, bottlebrush pine, bristlecone trees, lots of wildflowers and great views of the surrounding valley and into the canyon. Trail Canyon is a steep 2 miles with a lot of elevation gain, once you get passed that, the trail was moderately easy for me, once you hit around 10,000 feet, you will be passing through some areas where there is some steep drop offs, and if you have a fear of heights like me, it may test your anxiety level. We did this hike last weekend, July, during monsoon season. The weather was perfect until we hit around 10,500 feet. The black clouds started rolling in fast and before you know it, we were being pelted with hail. We should have turned back, but we were so close to the peak we decided to keep going. Once you hit the turnoff to the peak, which is a very hard to find cairn(I wasn’t able to take a pic because it was raining and hailing) the steep scree slope to the top of Lee Peak will take you about 300 feet up. The view from the top was amazing, but the thunder started and then we saw lighting, so decided to bolt down(no pun intended). I only posted photos for Lee Peak for the actual peak. The trail that takes you there is North Loop and I’ve already posted pics for Charleston Peak, North Loop, Mummy Mtn, so I’m double posting pics. Quick Stats: 12 miles RT Moderate to Strenuous(depending on your ability) Mostly all trail with a scree slope at the end Out and back trail Trekking poles helpful but not needed *during monsoon season, make sure you are well prepared, rain jacket and gloves. 3 Liters of water, snacks.
