Overview

The Pack Rat Trail is a loop trail (1.4 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 beneath the cliffs that can be seen across the canyon, drops steeply, and returns to the visitor center. Of course, as a loop, hikers can walk the trail in the other direction.

The area is quite scenic with grand views up and down the canyon, a little bit of shade, and benches conveniently placed to encourage visitors to stop, sit and smell the roses, and listen to the birds and the breeze rippling across the landscape. In addition, high under the cliffs, the trail passes rare plants, a Cold War Heroes exhibit, and an enormous packrat midden.

Link to map.

Presented here are photos of hiking the Packrat Trail in the clockwise direction. For a detailed description of the hike, including GPS coordinates and interesting details about packrats and their curious habits, see Packrat Trail -- Counter Clockwise. Because the Packrat Trail is quite steep, some people with bad knees prefer to hike in this direction.

Briefly, however, the trail starts behind the Visitor Center and descends into Kyle Wash. When the trail reaches the wash, hikers turn downstream on the unmarked trail in the wash and pass through an area without tall trees. Just before reaching tall trees, this trail exits the wash to the right and picks up the paved portion of the Packrat Trail. The trail follows the paved trail rather steeply to the cliffs high on the hillside. The trail passes an historical exhibit (Silent Heroes of the Cold War) and bends to the right passing through a shady alcove in the towering cliffs where hikers can learn about the curious and useful sanitary habits of packrats. The trail continuous west under the cliffs until looping back down (steeply) to Kyle wash and back to the trailhead at the Visitor Center.