Hike offers a different view of Mount Charleston peaks

Adding a little Lovell Canyon to your get-outdoors routine makes hiking hearts happy.

The start of Lovell Canyon Trail is intimidating — straight uphill for about the first 15 minutes.

But hikers soon are rewarded with sweeping mountain views and time well spent in the shaded solitude of a forest of pinyon pines and juniper trees.

Reaching the trailhead takes a little more than an hour for most Southern Nevadans. Motorists will turn right after spotting a well-marked highway sign for Lovell Canyon Road about 3 miles past Mountain Springs summit along state Route 160, heading in the direction of Pahrump.

Lovell Canyon Road is an 11-mile paved scenic and meandering stretch that takes day trippers to a parking lot near Lovell Canyon’s trailhead. Turning left at the end of the paved road onto the unpaved Lovell Summit Road and traveling about another quarter-mile will get hikers to a parking lot close to the marked trailhead.

Another option is walking up the short remaining distance to avoid driving on a short dirt road segment.

Lovell Canyon Trail and Loop is referred to as a partial loop or lollipop because the hike combines an out-and-back segment with a loop, a shape that somewhat resembles a lollipop on a map.

About 1.6 miles from the trailhead, a wooden sign on the Lovell Canyon Trail alerts hikers to follow arrows to get onto the clockwise or counterclockwise loop portion circling Handy Peak (either direction works). Combined, the day’s trek will add up to about 5.6 miles.

That total could be lengthened and made more challenging with optional trails that branch out from the loop.

An early morning start is best for Lovell Canyon, given Southern Nevada’s scorching summer temperatures.

Bring plenty of water and snacks because of the trail’s length. Lovell Canyon Trail and Loop’s elevation of about 5,000 feet translates into temperatures that will be cooler by 10 to 15 degrees, but that still means 90 degrees when it’s 103 in the Las Vegas Valley.

New peak perspective

Overall, this moderately challenging U.S. Forest Service-managed trail is full of slight ascents and descents in the dense pinyon-juniper forest. The trail is narrow in parts with scant margin for error, so paying attention to your footing is a must in this remote area.

If you need a break from crowds in the more northern Mount Charleston area of the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, Lovell Canyon is a terrific hiking alternative that allows for time in the company of the backsides of peaks familiar to frequent visitors of Mount Charleston’s Kyle Canyon.

After Lovell Canyon Trail’s initial steep climb, hikers reach a high point overlooking the sprawling Torino Ranch, which is private property.

Looking past the ranch and up the canyon, hikers are afforded nonstop gorgeous vistas that during many scenic points of the hike include the south face of prominent Griffith Peak.

Griffith Peak’s north side is more commonly seen by Southern Nevadans from Kyle Canyon Road (state Route 157). Harris Mountain is another peak visible to visitors of the Mount Charleston area on one side and from the Lovell Canyon Trail and Loop on the other. Getting to know both of these familiar peaks from different perspectives is one of the best parts of hiking in Lovell Canyon.

When hikers aren’t staring up-canyon at the high peaks and saddle between them, they are winding their way through mostly shaded pinyon-juniper forest that also includes everything from Mojave mound and prickly pear cactus to manzanita, Gambel’s oak and mahogany.

Manageable ups and downs are characteristic of much of this part of the trail. Wildflowers include globe mallow in orange, penstemon in red and desert marigolds in yellow, among many others. Possible bird sightings include everything from spotted towhees and Northern flickers to red-tailed hawks and white-throated swifts.

Quiet beauty

About 1.6 miles into the day’s hike, a wooden sign marks the start of the loop portion of the trail. We opted for the clockwise direction by heading to the left, and we were again rewarded with some shade and pretty sights as we began circling Handy Peak.

There are other loops and trails listed on the signs, so make sure to follow the arrows for Lovell Canyon Loop.

Past the loop’s halfway point, the trail descends toward Lovell Canyon’s main wash, which can be dotted with seasonal wildflowers and includes remnants of wildfire-ravaged trees.

By this point, Griffith and Harris peaks are even closer, making the path’s scenery more stunning. Hikers will continue leaning into the circular path around Handy Peak and probably notice some interesting rocky outcrops.

Bear to the right if traveling clockwise on the loop and planning to stick with the day’s 5.6-mile distance, ignoring trail signs offering optional add-ons branching out from the loop.

You will want to travel down-canyon and toward the marked junction of the Lovell Canyon Loop and Lovell Canyon Trail.

Once past the junction and off the loop, the Lovell Canyon Trail should look familiar because you are reversing course on the 1.6-mile portion of the adventure started earlier in the day. Juniper berries and pine nuts, food for forest critters, are found along the way back to the parking lot through pinyon pines and juniper trees.

At the end of the day’s challenging and scenic trek, as you find yourself on the trail’s steepest descent, your knees could be scolding you. Still, you might already be plotting a return to Lovell Canyon because of its irresistible beauty and forested quiet.