The Raintree hike takes you to what is thought to be a 3,000 year old Bristlecone tree and is a nice moderately strenuous trek at high altitude. We did this with a couple of friends and we all remarked about the higher altitude making us short of breath, but this was mostly in the beginning of the hike. We either acclimated or stopped noticing towards the end of the hike to the Bristlecone tree. Some of us had recently lost weight and that was apparent with how much easier hiking was on this day.
We started at the Deer Creek Trail Head and returned to the same place, but you can actually finish at the Trail Canyon Trail Head if you had two cars. The hike is about 2.7 miles one way and you gain about 1500 feet, so it's a pretty good, moderate hike, but the altitude may push it it into strenuous territory for some. If you continue on for about 1/3 mile after the raintree, you will get to Mummy Springs, although we did not do that this time. Next time we will definitely go to Mummy Springs, most likely in the spring because you can see all kinds of wild flowers early in the year. You may also see deer and other animals watering at the spring if you sit very quiet in the early morning.
On the Raintree hike, there are great views of other mountain ranges and you can see the Mummy's toe from the raintree stopping point (see picture below). We enjoyed some apples at the top and descended pretty quickly after. Being pressed for time, we did a lot of running down the trail and the altitude was surprisingly not too challenging running down. We finished the hike in about 2 and 1/2 hours and would say it was enjoyable for sure and a great way to get a break from the Las Vegas heat.
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| Mummy's Toe is in the background towards the end of the hike |
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| The group with the ancient Bristlecone Tree |
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| Sign where you turn around or head to another trail |
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| Mummy's Toe |
