Macks Peak Summit Route Exploration | Lee Canyon | Spring Mountains, Nevada

Macks Peak Summit Route Exploration | Lee Canyon | Spring Mountains, Nevada | Visit https://lasvegasareatrails.com/macks-... | Scope out the tricky final summit approach and nail down the approach route from Macks Canyon Upper Group Camp.

The Macks Peak final summit approach is along a narrow exposed 45-degree ledge with a loose rock surface. In this exploration fellow climbers John and Gregg accomplish the short 25-minute trek to the summit along that ledge as I film their traverse across the most exposed stretch. Upon their return, they describe their experience on that approach and on the summit. In this video you can see them navigating loose rock, steep incline and frequent rock fall. And this is the easiest approach to Macks Peak’s well-guarded summit!
Getting to the final summit approach is itself a challenge. There are a few potential approach ridges, all unmarked. On the way I turned off from Macks Canyon Road and Trail too soon and ended up taking a very steep loose rock approach ridge. AAAARRRRRGGGGGH! On the return trip I located a beautiful, gradual approach ridge that will save a lot of time and energy for climbers. This video shows how to find this best route to Macks Peak’s final summit approach.

Beginning at the intersection of Macks Canyon Road and Lee Canyon Road in Lee Canyon, head up Macks Canyon Road to Macks Canyon Upper Group Camp. Macks Canyon Road is lined with camping spots, many with spectacular views up into the Spring Mountains and down into the Hwy 95 valley and Sheep Range. These spots are “first come first served”. There is no charge. You can stay up to two weeks in one of these beautiful camping spots. There are no services…primitive camping, fire ring provided, many spots with room for trailers and RVs, leave them as you found them. The 4-mile unpaved Macks Canyon Road is a little rough in places, and today was closed off at the 2-mile point due to flooding.

There’s a lower and upper group camp at the upper end of Macks Canyon Road. Groupings of nice camping spots.

After walking through the Upper Group Camp, the old Macks Canyon Road continues. Keep an eye on the ridges splitting off to your right. One of these ridges will lead you up to Macks Peak final summit approach. It’s just a matter of locating the best approach ridge. Continue on Macks Canyon Road through the line of vehicle barrier boulders about 1000ft past the upper group camp. Take a right turn into a gully past the second ridge that splits off to the right from Macks Canyon Road.

Continue up that gully until you reach the v-shaped conjunction of two descending gullies. Begin ascending the ridgeline between where the two gullies join. That beautiful ridgeline ascends on a gradual slope through a beautiful, pine-forested area carpeted with grass and wildflowers, at times weaving through sculptured limestone pillars.

The ridge “T”s off at another ridge that will take you to the Eastern base of Macks Peak, whose limestone cliffs are visible. Take a right and continue upward toward Macks Peak. As you reach the base of the peak, round the right (South) side where a faint trail will appear. Continue upward as the trail rapidly ascends, eventually switchbacking to the Northern base of Macks Peak. As you reach the limestone cliffs, you’ll see a ramp ascending the peak. Don’t take this first ramp. It ends in about 100 feet. Instead, pass the first ramp and continue along the Northern base of Macks Peak for about 25 yards to a second ascent ramp, a bit wider, becoming increasingly forested as it rises. This is the summit ascent ramp.

The summit ascent ramp is narrow, lined with loose rock and fallen trees and exposure to a cliff on the left (East) side of the ramp. The loose rock is easily dislodged on the ramp’s 45-55-degree incline, inviting me to name it “The Bowling Alley”! As you begin to ascend the ramp you are only about 20 minutes from Macks Peak summit, only about 5-800 vertical feet above.

On this day, John and Gregg continued on to the summit while I filmed them working out the complicated route up the ramp, then recorded their war stories as they described what it was like to ascend the ramp and stand on Macks Peak summit!

Carefully watch the return descent to Macks Canyon Road. It follows the best ascent/descent route. I did not film the ascent route I actually took on this day which was frighteningly steep up an eternally long loose rock slope. This was my reward for turning off Macks Canyon Road too early during the approach trip!