Raintree via North Loop

I loved this hike. really beautiful and peaceful. The hard part for me was the elevation and lack of gloves and gps. I wanted to hike up to fletcher peak also but I couldn’t see the trail to it.
There are no signs or markers on the trail that I saw, but the trail is easy to follow none the less. I started at about 6am just as the sun was rising. It was so cold my finger tips were blue and I couldn’t let go of my trekking poles lmao, checked on my weather app and it said it was 30° outside, so dress accordingly.
All in all, this was a kick ass hike and the view was spectacular the entire time

I hiked this in July in the afternoon when the strip was 105 °F, but Mt Charleston was about 80 °F so it was a comforting escape from the heat and noise of the city. I did the hike to the Rain Tree and then to Mummy Spring. I was with my dog and stopped every once in a while for water and pictures and it took me about two hours to get to the Rain Tree (kiosk says 3 hours). The trail has activity which is always good to see, but by no means crowded. It was maintained well and was very clean. It is one of the best hikes I have done in the Las Vegas Area.
If you are going to the Rain Tree, you might as well tack on the extra ²⁄₃ mile round trip to see Mummy Spring. When you get to the 3,000 year old tree, take the trail to the right at the junction. It felt like the terrain and ecology was very different from the rest of the hike on the way to Mummy Spring, and the payoff at the spring is amazing. I looked up into a canyon of lush green life. I even saw some new flowers and spiky plants that I haven’t seen before. The trail continues on to some switchbacks but fades into random rock scrambling, so you can just head back once you see the spring.
Overall, the hike was great and I am a little sore today, it was pretty much all moderate+ uphill the whole way to the rain tree. I brought 8L of water for me and the pup, and I drank about 3L and the pup 1.5L. Going to Mummy spring and back was about 4.5 hours total with pictures and water breaks.

This is a great hike to test your endurance in higher altitudes. Definitely one of the better hikes to start out with if you are not used to hiking up in Mt. Charleston. It’s a well maintained trail with lots of switchbacks (not too steep, but enough to get your heart pumping). You will pass by vegetation throughout the entire hike, desert flowers, pine trees, and TONS of bristlecone trees. The hike leads up to the fabled 3000 year old Raintree, and there is a few dead trees that have been turned into «benches» where you can take a rest and eat your snacks. On the way up, there are great views of Kyle Canyon and the surrounding peaks in Charleston. If you make it to Raintree, make sure you take the short hike to Mummy Spring (it’s just 0.3 miles) and check out the spring and the different terrain in that area.
Quick stats:
6 miles roundtrip
Out and back trail
Elevation gain: 1700 feet
3 – 4 hours total time finish
Hiking poles not needed, but they are helpful
Be prepared! Bring a jacket (even in the summer) I did this hike Memorial Day 2010 and we got caught in a major snow snowstorm, lost the trail it snowed so hard, thankfully we had GPS.

An awesome 6-​mile roundtrip hike up to what they claim is the oldest living thing in Nevada (aside from Paul Anka): the Raintree, a ginormous, gnarly old bristlecone pine tree that supposedly dates back to the days of the Roman Empire (how they know this I am unsure… but it’s a badass tree, either way).
On the way, you pass through tons of amazing, gnarly, twisted, bizarre-​looking bristlecone pines. The beautiful striations on their bark might inspire you to take an artsy nude photo or two curled up amongst the branches… but be warned: an unnamed hiker did this, and a fire ant crawled up her ass!
You’ll also come to an amazing plateau overlooking the entire Vegas valley. This plateau also has a grove of trees, and a cool shelter rigged up out of fallen branches… and would be an AWESOME spot for an overnight campout/​drum circle, if anyone wants to party :-)
Once you make it up to the Raintree, you can also hike over to Mummy Springs (about another half-​mile or so), and check out the springs and waterfall. Good times!