North Loop Trail reopens on Mount Charleston
If you’ve been using the Carpenter 1 Fire as your excuse for not climbing Mount Charleston, tough luck.
The North Loop Trail to Charleston Peak is open again, roughly a month after lightning sparked the blaze that scorched almost 28,000 acres.
The U.S. Forest Service made the announcement Friday but made it clear that hikers who reach the top will have to go back the way they came.
The South Loop to the peak, most of which crosses directly through the burned area, remains closed for the foreseeable future. Earlier this week, firefighters were still using helicopters to drop water on smoking areas inside the fire’s perimeter.
Other trails in and around the burned area also remain closed, including the Cathedral Rock, Echo, Griffith Peak and Little Falls trails and the Lovell Canyon Trail System.
The message from the Forest Service: “Stay out of the black!”
Hazards from the fire include unstable ground, loose rocks, downed logs and falling limbs from fire-damaged trees, not to mention hefty fines and possible jail time. Anyone caught violating the fire closure order is subject to a misdemeanor charge that carries up to 6 months in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Those looking to lend a hand with the post-fire recovery will get their chance Aug. 17 and 24, when forest workers will host a pair of seed-collection events.
Volunteers will fan out in Joshua tree groves near Mount Charleston to collect ripened seed pods from the iconic Mojave Desert plant. The seeds will be shipped to a Forest Service facility where they will be cleaned and tested for seed germination viability .
For more information, call 702-515-5408.
Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.
