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The Summit

This is a rough broad dirt road, starting from a solitary I15 exit in the Las Vegas vicinity, leading into a dry treeless mountain complex, named the Mormon Mountains. Joshua Trees give the area a special appearance.

1.(00.0m,2000ft) START-END SOUTH: I15 exit 100 2.(03.6m,2070ft)road turns away from direction of I15 3.(11.0m,3190ft)jct with Hackberry Spring Rd 4.(14.7m,3737ft)TOP 5.(20.3m,3260ft)jct with Horse Spring Rd 6.(26.1m,3000ft) START-END NORTH: road reaches low point at turnoff to Toquop Gap Reservoir

Approaches

From South. At exit 100 the Old Spanish Trail is still on the south side of I15. At this exit a single paved road parallels I15 in the eastern direction for a couple of miles. The single sharp turn of the day happens as the road veers away from I15, in the direction of an obvious super broad gap in the Mormon Mountains. Any hope that this will be a civilized ride on a paved road is destroyed immediately after this turn, where the surface turns into the generic coarse gravel with stones up to 2 inches in diameter, attempting to hide a washboard surface beneath. The scenery is great on this ride, given the right time of the year. The road surface is deplorable year round,

With ever so slight turns the road traverses a dense Joshua Tree forest. When the road crosses a power line, it becomes evident that a road also follows under these masts. This may make for an alternate, smoother approach on the lower section. The main access to the Mormon Mountain wilderness on this side is via Hackberry  Rd, which meets up with the profile well below the summit in the middle of the cactus splendor.

At the summit of The Summit, there are no obvious hiking routes following the ridge line in either direction. To the west the more interesting higher summits are quite a distance away. And on the east side, it looks like cliffs would soon be encountered by the hiker.

From North. (described downwards). The first impression from the top is much bleaker than on the other side, partially because of the almost complete absence of Joshua Trees on this side. However descending a ways, the Mormon Mountains to the west show another interesting, rough assemblage of cliff surfaces, and to the east, the view opens up all the way to the Beaver Dam Mountains in Utah, through a gap breached by an ever so temporary wash. There is another access road into the wilderness, signed as the Horse Spring Rd. Signs next to the road refer to the road in the profile as Rainbow Pass Rd. but the only name found on my maps is the curious designation "The Summit".