Bird Spring Range High Point & Bird Peak

Overview

The Bird Spring Range is a rarely visited range lying SW of the Las Vegas metro area. It runs North-South starting from Blue Diamond Road (HWY 160) all the way down to Goodsprings, NV. Limestone is the main rock formation here.

The Bird Spring Range High Point offers superb views of Las Vegas. This would be a great place to hike up and watch a Full Moon rise over the city and the city lights come on at night. Mt. Charleston and the Spring Range is gorgeous from here as well, especially when the peaks are snow capped. Just to the west is Mt. Potosi. To the south and west are great views of many other desert peaks in the region.

Lying just south of the High Point is Bird Peak, which shows up on some topographic maps as “Bird.” This is a nice short hike along the ridge line about a mile south of the high point. I posted these two mountains together instead of separately since they is not much elevation difference and since they are along the same ridgeline.

To give you an idea how rarely these are climbed, the High Point's register was last signed on May Day, 2005. Bird Peak's register had not been signed since 1999.

Getting There

High Clearance Vehicle Needed

From Las Vegas Drive South along I-15 and take Blue Diamond Road (exit 33) towards Pahrump (west). Set your odometer to “0” here. Drive for 16.2 miles and turn left on a dirt road heading south here. (This is just pass a “passing lane” sign.)

After 19.4 miles you’ll pass over Cotton Wood Pass. Continue south. After 23.9 miles turn left onto a dirt road heading right towards the Bird Spring Range. After 25.6 miles you will hit a fork in the road. Take the right fork. Continue driving through a wide wash until you hit 26.3 miles. There is another fork here, which marks the parking location.

Alternatively, if you are driving from the south you can take I-15 to exit 12 at Jean, NV. Set your odometer to “0.” Drive East on HWY 161 (Sandy Valley Rd) towards Goodsprings. Drive for 5.5 miles and turn right onto Good Springs Bypass (also called Gravel Haul rate). Follow this road for 1.9 miles and then turn right. Drive another 1.3 miles along this road and then turn right heading North on a dirt road. The Bird Spring Range will be on your right (east). Drive for another 3.0 miles and then turn right (east) on a dirt road that heading straight towards the Bird Spring Range. Drive for another 1.7 miles to a fork, take the right fork. Continue another 0.7 miles to another fork. This is where you park.

Note: the road goes up the left fork here up the ridge for a ways, but it is not smart to drive up here as it is very rough and steep.

Red Tape

None.

Camping

This lies on BLM land. Camping would not be a problem in this remote area.

The Hike

The hike starts heading East up the ridge along a trail, which is the road fading from the parking spot. This road turns into a trail that leads you all the way to the summit of the Bird Spring High Point. It is about a ¾ hike with just over 800 feet of elevation gain.
You can continue south along the ridge to Bird Peak which is another ¾ of a mile south along the ridge.

Here are the details of this route.

Weather

Summit Shots

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Images

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