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| - I wanted to end 2012 on a high note. In reality I ended 2012 on a high summit.
My original plan was to spend my ultimate hike of 2012 climbing up Frenchman Mountain. As the weekdays turned into the weekend, I thought that I could use just a bit more warming up before I returned to Frenchman Mountain. Lone Mountain would be my ultimate hike of 2012.
I have always been enchanted by Lone Mountain's setting on the Valley floor right off the 215. This is one exit where nature dominates. Whenever I drove on the 215, I had been curious about this mountain that stands to the east of it between Lone Mountain and Alexander Roads. After doing my research, I was confident that A) this would be an awesome hike and B) Lone Mountain deserved to be a hiking listing on Yelp.
The best way to describe Lone Mountain is visualizing an oval with the long sides being vertical. The oval would be surrounded by Alexander Road to the south, Jensen Street to the east, the 215 to the north, and Vegas Vista Street to the west. Between the roadways is a trail circumventing it with some homes sprinkled in. The top left of the oval (northwest) would be the Vegas Vista trailhead parking lot with the hiking trail to the top of the summit. On the right side of the oval is Lone Mountain Park.
I am a worrier when it comes to leaving my car in isolation. Especially when I am climbing up a mountain. Regardless that the closest parking facility is where Vegas Vista dead ends, I added extra miles to the hike parking at Lone Mountain Park. This gave me the perception that the people walking their dogs, spending time with their kids at the playground, and picnicking (maybe I should write a review on Lone Mountain Park) were extra eyes. The extra time that I spent walking on the perimeter trail halfway around around Lone Mountain provided me with nice pictures, an introduction to Lone Mountain, and anticipation. On the walk back to my car, I hiked the other segment of the perimeter trail. I enjoyed looking up at where I just hiked, and seeing more of Lone Mountain. Prior to walking on the perimeter trail, I was unaware that Lone Mountain has trails leading to caves. I would not notice this if I just got back in my car. Sundown is the best time for an extended walk around Lone Mountain on the perimeter trail.
The best way to describe the hike on Lone Mountain is that it is two hikes. Hike one took me on an east ascent to the lower summit. There is a bench (with graffiti) to sit back end enjoy the view. On the right will be hike two, which is up the south accent to the higher summit. If I was really up to it, I could of walked higher and reached a third summit.
Lone Mountain is no joke. I am so happy that I brought along a hiking pole. It literally saved me from some falls. My hiking philosophy is that three legs are better than a broken leg. Throughout the trail, there are steep inclines with loose rock and gravel. In some spots, the rocky steps require a hiking pole. For the record, there are spots on Lone Mountain without a barrier to prevent a fall. If the weather was warm, I certainly would of brought along water. Vegetation is relatively nonexistent on Lone Mountain. On warm days dehydration is another concern.
The view from the top of Lone Mountain is so worth the hike. I came to the realization that the views from the shorter summit is just as good as the higher summit. The only flaw was that I could not see the south valley. Most likely if I kept climbing to the highest point, I would look down on all of the valley below. What I saw was breathtaking views of the Strip, downtown, and the north valley.
I give Lone Mountain 4 stars. Thanks to Lone Mountain, I ended 2012 on a high note.
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