Having ridden nearly most of the canyon on the east side of Mt. Charleston, I still had yet to hit the western side. Heading up the mountain, you’ll also run across another high desert trailhead around the 4,000’ elevation marker which I didn’t have time to explore.
Driving straight up will put you in the mountain village of Mt. Charleston which looks like a piece of the Colorado Rockies.
Driving around to the backside of the mountain, the road will end at Mt. Charleston ski area and the upper Bristlecone trailhead.
But Bristlecone is done in a counterclockwise loop for bikes and clockwise loop for hikers.
With the lower trailhead starting at 8,500’, no one really minds the gentle double track climb due to the lack of air you’ll be sucking.
The climb is rewarding with some great views
At the 3 mile point, you’ll see a sign for the Bonanza trail which climbs into the wilderness area.
In another 0.25 mi, the road cut ends and turns to singletrack.
And the technical fun begins
The trail peaks out at 9,400’ at 3.5 miles.
From here it’s a short but enjoyable descent,
With great views,
Wild flowers,
And more technical fun down into the trees.
The trail ends at the upper trailhead where you descend the road back to the start.
The Bristlecone loop is a short 6.4 miles, but the altitude will definitely give you a workout. If you didn’t get enough in one loop, a second loop can be done. Expect to see a large number of hikers hiking up from the upper trailhead to the Rocky Ridge overlook. So manage your speed, use a bear bell, and stopping to briefly talk to hikers goes a long way in keeping the trail open to bikes.
The final brewery stop for the weekend was Chicago Brewing Company. Don’t let the name mislead you, this is a genuine Vegas based brewery.
As rated by Beer Advocate magazine, this is the best brewery in town and delivers.
Samplers come out 9 at a time on a two-tier lazy susan.
I would have ordered nearly a pint of anything they serve and the food was great too.
A great three days of riding in Vegas above 6,500'.
