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| - At Mary Jane stress and negatively falls. And so does a waterfall. In the summer when the desert feels like an oven, I escape to the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area to alleviate stress and negatively. There were two times in the last couple of years that I hiked Mary Jane Falls.
Mary Jane Falls is at the very northwest end of Kyle Canyon, a couple of miles after Kyle Canyon Road concludes at the Mount Charleston Lodge. Before Kyle Canyon Road concludes at the lodge, after the fire house (the only traffic signal in Kyle Canyon), there is a fork junction where keeping straight leads into Echo Road. You want to stay on Echo Road where the The Mary Jane Falls parking lot is to the left.
Before I ever stepped foot in Mary Jane Falls, I had envisioned it as an isolated trail that overlooks a waterfall. My good hiking friend had fed me this eye candy of exploring Mary Jane Falls and seeing frozen waterfalls. In reality, Mary Jane Falls is a very popular trail where several nature lovers share in the experience of spending time in the company of a waterfall. On the weekends, it gets so crowded that the rocky and dirt parking lot fills up. Fortunately, I will share in my experience of parking at Cathedral Rock then using the Echo Trail with a wash as an extended Mary Jane Falls Trail hike.
The hike itself is moderate. Easy would be the Acustus Trail and strenuous the Charleston Peak via North Loop Trail. This is an out and back hike that is a continuous climb on a 1.6 mile walk with an approximately 1,100 foot elevation gain. This is a similar elevation change to the Stratosphere Tower that is 1,149 feet tall. At the Mary Jane trailhead the elevation is 7,817 feet and at the falls it is 8,890 feet high. The upshot is that the air is thinner. Some hikers might run into a problem with the thinner air. The upshot also is that the trail winds through a forest featuring alpine and pine trees. Inside this forest the uphill trail has two characteristics. The leading stretch of the trail is relatively straight. The second part of the trail turns to the right climbing up several switchbacks to the base of a limestone cliff that it ultimately parallels at the higher elevation to Mary Jane Falls.
From my observation, the main problem were hikers adjusting to the high elevation. I witnessed a few hikers running out of breath and one that became lightheaded . What helped me to get through the top was sufficient water and breaks. There are plenty of logs and rocks to sit down in the solitude of a forest. Of course previous weekend hiking also helps. Further up the trail where the terrain is steep and stone steps intermittently lead the path, there are slippery spots interspersed with loose gravel. There are spots with a drop off hazard. The switchbacks, in my opinion prevent a fatal fall. And speaking of switchbacks, far too many people cut them to the point that the trail is slightly damaged.
On my two hikes here, it was crowded. There were so many hikers on the trail that at times it felt like I was on a Disney Land cue snaking around a Frontier Land attraction.
The Both times I hiked here in the summer, the falls were a trickle. A beautiful trickle dripping from a colossal limestone facing leading to a cave to the left of the fall. In the shadow of the trickling waterfall I set my timer for 30 minutes, and took a Relax With Nature half hour in the shadow of a waterfall.
After the hike, I retraced my steps to the trailhead then on an extended walk to the Cathedral Rock trailhead. From the parking lot exit near the water tank, I hiked onto the wash that parallels Echo Road. At the Echo Trailhead, it becomes the Echo Trail. I followed it uphill through the forest. At the intersection I turned left to finish the trail. If I made a right Little Falls is a short distance.
Being the fountain of youth that Mary Jane Falls I left feeling younger. Mary Jane Falls is evidence that age Falls with stress and negatively.
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