Bonanza Trail

Mt. Charleston Wilderness, Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest (Lee Canyon to Cold Creek)

The Bonanza Trail runs north along the crest of the Spring Mountains from Lee Canyon to the Bonanza Trailhead above Cold Creek, passing below McFarland and Bonanza Peaks. Birdandhike, whose guide is the most detailed source found, puts it at about 16 miles one way with one historic spring along the way.

Like the North Loop Trail, it lies in the Mt. Charleston Wilderness, but it sees far fewer published trip reports.

The hike

Birdandhike describes the trail northbound from the Bristlecone trailheads at the end of Lee Canyon Road, at about 8,670 feet. Hikers climb the Upper Bristlecone Trail (2.37 miles) or the Lower Bristlecone Trail (2.93 miles) to the Bonanza Trail junction. The Upper Bristlecone Trail is closed under a Forest Service storm-damage order, and Secret Las Vegas reported in June 2026 that the Lower Bristlecone was only partly open, so the start needs checking.

From the junction, the trail climbs 0.76 mile to a saddle on the crest at about 9,756 feet, then follows the ridge 3 miles to the McFarland Peak junction. Birdandhike notes a dry campsite on the ridgeline south of McFarland. The trail then descends to the Great Northwest Gully, about 8,650 feet, and climbs to Wood Spring at roughly 9,040 feet, about 8.9 miles from the start by Birdandhike’s table.

Wood Spring is the trail’s only water source, and Birdandhike says it now can’t be counted on. It once flowed reliably in spring but has been drying, and the rusting spring box makes collecting water harder.

North of the spring, the trail climbs about 2.25 miles to the Bonanza Peak junction at 10,230 feet. A half-mile round-trip side trip reaches Bonanza Peak, at 10,397 feet the high point of the route. The trail then drops past Bonanza Saddle and descends 4.6 miles to the Bonanza Trailhead at about 7,500 feet. SummitPost, describing an off-trail side route north from the crest toward Willow Peak, says that ridgeline is mostly treeless from an earlier fire.

Birdandhike warns that phone apps such as AllTrails still show an old route rerouted more than a decade ago, and that some rocky spots could be hazardous if you slip.

Without a car shuttle, the north end makes an out-and-back overnight. HikeArizona lists Bonanza Peak at 10.4 miles round trip with about 3,300 feet of gain from the Bonanza Trailhead and rates it a 5 out of 5 for difficulty. Wood Spring is about 6.85 miles from that trailhead, by Birdandhike’s segment distances.

Tips

Carry all your water. Don’t plan on Wood Spring outside of spring, if at all.
Use a high-clearance vehicle for the north end. Birdandhike says the dirt road past Cold Creek is sometimes rough and isn’t plowed in winter.
Ignore the old route in phone apps. Follow the trail and current maps.
Stay on the trail. Birdandhike asks hikers not to cut switchbacks.
Check the Bristlecone trails first. Storm repairs have kept the Lee Canyon start partly closed.

Camping

There are no designated campsites. The BLM’s Mt. Charleston Wilderness fact sheet sets a 12-person group limit and a 14-day stay limit and prohibits campfires; bring a stove. The Forest Service’s year-round fire order also bans fires within a mile of upper Lee Canyon and the Cold Creek community, except for portable gas, jellied-petroleum, or pressurized-liquid stoves. HikeArizona says no permit is needed. Birdandhike mentions that the former Boy Scout camp at Camp Bonanza is still used for group camping.

Inside Intel: Birdandhike points to campsites a few yards west of Wood Spring on the nearby ridgeline, a couple more up the left fork across the gully from the spring, and a dry camp on the ridgeline south of McFarland Peak. No camper trip reports describing these sites were found.

Trail facts

Distance: About 16 miles one way (Birdandhike); about 6.85 miles each way from Bonanza Trailhead to Wood Spring
Route type: Point to point, or out and back from the north end
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation: About 7,500 to 10,230 feet on the trail; Bonanza Peak 10,397 feet (side trip)
Campsites: Dispersed; near Wood Spring and south of McFarland Peak (Birdandhike)
Water: Wood Spring only, unreliable; carry all water
Permits: None (HikeArizona)
Rules: Groups of 12, 14-day limit, no campfires (BLM)
Trailheads: Upper or Lower Bristlecone (Lee Canyon, south); Bonanza Trailhead (end of the dirt road past Cold Creek, north)
Contact: Spring Mountains NRA, 702-872-5486
Last verified: October 11, 2026

The Lowdown

Dinner on a dry Spring Mountains ridge:

Wood Spring can't be counted on, so every meal on the Bonanza Trail is cooked with water you carried in. See which backpacking meals testers keep coming back to.

See what testers chose →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.