The Sisters

Overview

The Sisters is an impressive mountain consisting of 3 peaks that lies to the north of Mt. Charleston in the Spring Mountains of southern Nevada. At 10,197 feet, the Middle Sister is the highest.

Although the North Sister is probably the most striking of the three Sisters, it is the lowest and lies a bit further north along the massif and away from the other two Sisters, and is therefore infrequently visited.

There is a small, but impressive, grove of ancient Bristlecone Pines in the saddle (and on the approach) between Middle and South Sister.

The Sisters are easily noticed along the north side of Lee Canyon Road while traveling toward the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort at Mt. Charleston.

Climbing The Sisters is a straightforward half-day endeavor and is discussed in more detail in the route section.

*You might also check out cp0915's fledgling outdoor site (www.backcountry-explorer.com), which provides access to trip reports, beta, photos and other stuff covering hiking, scrambling, climbing and canyoneering around Las Vegas. My new hiking and scrambling guidebook, Rambles & Scrambles: The Definitive Guide to Peakbagging Around Las Vegas, is now available.

 

Getting There

Take Highway 95 north from Las Vegas to the Lee Canyon Road turn-off. The turn-off is about 45 minutes drive from downtown Las Vegas, depending on traffic and road conditions, and there is obvious signage for Lee Canyon and the ski resort. Don't confuse the Lee Canyon turn-off with the Kyle Canyon turn-off though. Kyle Canyon Road is the first turn-off along Highway 95 that takes you to the Mt. Charleston area. Lee Canyon Road is about 10 minutes later. Anyway, turn left (west) onto Lee Canyon Road from Highway 95 and keep driving. It's 19 miles to the ski resort and The Sisters, although visible from far down the road, first come nicely into view on the right side of the road at around 15 miles. The various mountain accesses are discussed in the route section of this page.

Red Tape

There really isn't any red tape. No permits are required to climb the mountain.

When to Climb

The Sisters can be climbed year-round. In the winter, there is snow. In the summer, there is not. The in-between months have varying degrees of either snow coming or snow going.

The snow first starts to fall around the middle of October and tends to linger until June on northern exposures.

Camping

Backcountry camping is allowed without a permit, although wood fires are not. There are many developed campgrounds in the Mt. Charleston area. I'm not here to advertise them. They are generally walk-in and are all easily stumbled across.

Mountain Conditions

You can contact the Kyle Canyon Visitor's Center at 702-872-5486 to obtain current conditions for the Spring Mountains. Be sure and use the number I provided. I recently found a number for the Visitor's Center on the internet, called it, and got an escort service instead.

External Links

• USFS website
  Toiyabe National Forest
  

Maps

 

Summit Portraits

     

Images

View The Sisters Image Gallery - 44 Images