Rainbow Spring Road (Summary Page)

{Click on an image to enlarge, then use the back button to return to this page} This page last updated on 10/21/2017

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(Ref. A)

Directions: To reach Lovell Canyon Road from the Stratosphere on the Las Vegas Strip, take the I-15 to Blue Diamond Road (SR-160 aka Pahrump Highway). Head west on SR-160 for 24 miles, passing the turn to Red Rock Canyon, passing Cottonwood Valley, and passing Mountain Springs. About 3 miles west of Mountain Spring Summit, watch for a highway signs and a right turn onto Lovell Canyon Road. Lovell Canyon road is a paved road that dead-ends at the Torino Ranch, about 11 miles out. After exiting SR-160, drive north on Lovell Canyon Road for 1 mile to an unsigned dirt road on the right; this 3.1 mile dirt road is US Forest Service Road 45537F (Rainbow Spring Road). It passes Bootleg Springs turn off and ends at Rainbow Spring (Ref. A). Area Description: Located running east off Lovell Canyon Road, Rainbow Spring Road is a 3.1 mile long unmaintained back-country road about a mile north of Highway NV-160 on the west side of the Spring Mountains that runs along the southern boundary of the Spring Mountain Wilderness Area that provides access to Rainbow Spring, Bootleg Spring, and the back side of the Wilson Cliffs in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. At an elevation of 4,825 feet, it starts in Mojave Desert Scrub vegetation, but quickly climbs into the Pinyon-Juniper Woodland. At about 2.83 miles out, the road passes a short spur road to Bootleg Spring. Continuing on for another 0.3 miles, the road ends at a narrow spot in the canyon. At 5,500 feet elevation, this is the trailhead for the short hike to Rainbow Spring. This soft gravel dirt road is suitable for high-clearance vehicles, but may require 4WD in some of the upper portions. (Ref. B) 10/12/2017 Trip Notes: Today Harvey Smith, Bob Croke, Jim Herring and I attempted to reach Rainbow Springs and the ridges of the Wilson Cliffs east of the spring. Having not been here for fours years, I got confused and mistakenly thought the access road was the first right off Lovell Canyon Road. Wrong. Unfortunately, some mapping services erroneously refer to this road as Rainbow Spring road. This ungraded dirt road was very rough and narrow. When we reached the end of the road we parked and hiked about 1.3 miles around the surrounding area looking for the two springs (Ref. B). Even though we did find two areas that were reminiscent of springs (Fig. 02), neither were what we were looking for. While hiking around we came across one of the largest agave roasting pits I have ever seen (Figs. 03 & 03a) After hiking around for nearly two hours, we finally returned to the truck, had a picnic lunch and then began driving back to the highway. On the return trip we stopped at the "World Famous" Mountain Springs Saloon and a refreshing cold beer. Click here to learn more about this saloon ... Mountain Springs Saloon. After doing some additional research when I got home, I realized that we should have taken the 2nd turn off Lovell Canyon Road, US Forest Service Road 45537F (Rainbow Spring Road), about a mile in from the highway. (Fig. 02)

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Hiking Notes: The elevation at the start of US Forest Service Road 45537F (Rainbow Spring Road) is 4,825 feet. The trailhead elevation at Rainbow Spring Rd. and the metal post-and-pipe fence, just below the spring, is 5,496 feet. This metal obstruction was installed in February 2015. It serves to keep out motorized vehicles (which are illegal in wilderness areas) while still allowing horses to access the trail. A few hundred feet beyond the fence, the elevation of the Rainbow Spring is 5,558 feet. About .17 mile due east from the spring there is an Agave Roasting Pit. About .03 tenths of a mile beyond the roasting pit is the start of a use-trail. From here, depending upon what route you take, it is about 1.3 to 1.5 miles to the ridge line overlooking Cottonwood Valley. The elevation gain is roughly between 450 to 650 feet depending upon the route and where you reach the ridge line.

06/26/2013 Trip Notes:  Today we decided to drive to the Rainbow Spring, located on the western side of the Spring Mountain Range. While the temperatures back in Henderson reached a high of 108-degrees, with gusty winds.  and and an elevation of around 6,700 feet, the highest temperature we experienced during this hike was 80-degrees.  Even though our only goal was to reach the spring, we followed the use-trail that eventually took us up to the top of the ridge overlooking First Creek Canyon and Spring Mountain State Park in Cottonwood Valley, slightly north of the park’s hiking route to Sandstone Creek Canyon. At a stop about half-way up Rainbow Spring Road to capture a shot of a rabbit and a deer (missed both), I took the picture in (Fig. 01) of the Potosi mountain range to the south. Just shy of three miles up this loose gravel road, some boulders prevented us from traveling any further. After a short walk of only a few hundred feet, we began to encounter a fair amount of water running rather swiftly down the road (Figs. 03 & 04). Following this water stream for several hundred feet brought us to a quite large, lush meadow (Fig. 05), with a very old barbed wire fence (Figs. 05 & 07) running through the middle of it. Walking through the meadows tall grasses, we encountered several wildflowers (Figs. 06-08) being fed by the abundant water coming from the springs. The more we walked up this meadow, the wetter it became (Fig. 09). Once our feet started sinking several inches into the water soaked ground, we turned out of the meadow, never reaching the actual spring, and continued to hike up the road which led us to a very well defined use-trail. Following this trail (Fig. 10) we headed in a north easterly direction for approximately nearly an hour. After dozens of switchbacks that led us across three small mountain areas, we reached the end of the trail, the edge of a 6,750 foot ridge-line overlooking First Creek Canyon (Fig. 11). Continued below ….

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Because we arrived here so early in the morning, most of our pictures were taken while looking into the morning sun. As a result, none of these pictures accurately display the color and depth of what we were looking at. Staring down at the floor of Cottonwood Valley, more than a 2,700 feet below us, the views were absolutely breathtaking. Almost spellbound, we hiked up and down the ridge-line (Fig. 23) for more than an hour and a half, soaking in all the views we could absorb (Figs. 12 thru 18). Having not seen a single flowering or blooming plant on the hike to the ridge, I was amazed at not only seeing considerable vegetation, but several blooming cactus and wildflowers (Figs. 19 thru 22). I even chased a butterfly for about 10 minutes until I finally captured a picture (Fig. 20). Beautiful weather, a relatively easy hike, superb views and good company, it was a great day. See note at the bottom of this post.

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(Fig. 23) Because today was my friend Harvey Smith’s birthday, I dedicate this hike to him for sharing it with me. I just wanted to provide you with another happy birthday wish and let you know that you are not alone. Should you ever need someone to lean on, I will be here for you. In this world, where everything seems uncertain, only one thing is definite. You'll always be my friend, beyond words, beyond time and beyond distance. Looking forward to many more years of fun and friendship. I hope this day was special and will provide lasting memories for many years to come. Cheers!                   Back to ... [Lovell Canyon Road & Spring Mountains - Summary Page]