Overview

The Escarpment Trail is a loop trail (3.6 miles total) behind the Spring Mountains (Mount Charleston) Visitor Center. The trail descends gradually into Kyle Canyon Wash, goes out across the bottom of the wash, climbs steeply to run above the band of cliffs visible across the canyon, drops steadily, and returns to the visitor center.

The area is quite scenic with grand views up and down the canyon. A little bit of shade and benches encourage hikers to stop, sit and smell the roses, and listen to the birds.

Presented here are photos of the hike in the clockwise direction. For details of the hike (including trailhead information and GPS coordinates), see Escarpment Trail (counter clockwise), which runs the same loop in the opposite direction.

Link to map.

The Hike

Behind the Visitor Center, on the south side of the amphitheater, the hike begins at the Kunav Huveep Trailhead sign-post (Table 1, Waypoint 01), the trail heads south on a red-gravel trail towards the edge of a canyon. A bench (Wpt. 02) at the edge of the canyon provides a nice place to stop, look over the area, and study the route ahead, which is a bit of a maze (inaccurate published maps add to the confusion).

From the bench (Wpt. 02), hikers can see that the trail bends right and descend into the canyon bottom. in the bottom, this hike turns left down the wash, which is not actually signed as a trail. The wash is followed down through an area previously cleared of vegetation. When hikers get near the tall trees on the right (Wpt. 16), the route exits the wash and connects with a paved trail, which is clearly visible from the bench. On the paved trail, the Packrat Trail, hikers climb steeply towards the base of the cliffs above until reaching a junction with the Escarpment Trail (Wpt. 15), on the left.

Turning left, the Escarpment Trail is easy to follow as it climbs around the west end of the escarpment cliffs to gain the higher ground above.

Now running west with great views of the surrounding mountains, the Escarpment Trail runs across the top of the cliffs until the descending around the west end of the cliffs. The Escarpment Trail wraps back around under the cliffs and reconnects with the Packrat Trail. Following the paved and gravel trails back through the maze to the Visitor Center is fairly easy on the way back out. Just keep an eye on the trail that leads back up the side of the cliff to the bench (Wpt. 02) by the Visitor Center.