Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Nevada / Southern Nevada

Hidden Forest Cabin and Hayford Peak

Desert National Wildlife Refuge, Sheep Range (north of Las Vegas)

The Desert National Wildlife Refuge spreads across the desert ranges north of Las Vegas. In the Sheep Range, a trail climbs a sandy canyon to a historic log cabin among ponderosa pines, a place the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service calls Hidden Forest.

The FWS describes it as a six-mile hike to the cabin, and Birdandhike suggests a night or two there as an overnight, with an optional climb of Hayford Peak, which HikeArizona calls the high point of the Sheep Range.

The hike

The FWS says the trailhead is at Deadman Canyon, about 16 miles north of the Corn Creek Visitor Center. Birdandhike’s directions follow Alamo Road north 14.5 miles from Corn Creek Road, then Hidden Forest Road east 3.8 miles to a parking area at about 5,834 feet. The FWS says roads beyond Corn Creek need a high-clearance vehicle, with four-wheel drive suggested, and that flat tires are the most common problem.

The route starts as an old road walking up a wash. Steve Eckert, in an April 2010 Climber.org trip report, notes the road has been impassable to vehicles for some time and the footing turns loose higher up, especially from about 6,700 feet. Birdandhike warns that sandy washes are more tiring than they look.

The canyon climbs into pines to the Hidden Forest Cabin at about 7,944 feet, roughly 5.2 to 5.7 miles from the trailhead by Birdandhike’s figures. Wiregrass Spring is about 0.15 mile past the cabin. The FWS says the spring is one of the few water sources visitors may use, and that all water must be purified. Eckert found the spring “barely dripping” in April 2010 and dry the year before, and his party carried its own water, cooling some in a snowbank near the cabin.

Beyond the cabin, the route to Hayford Peak goes off-trail. Birdandhike puts the summit at about 9,900 feet and the round trip at about 15 miles; HikeArizona lists 15.6 miles and about 4,130 feet of climbing. Birdandhike describes cliffs to bypass on the north side of the southwest ridge and dense mountain mahogany on the south side, and advises staying off the ridges if thunderstorms threaten.

Birdandhike also asks hikers to keep their distance from bighorn sheep near the spring. The refuge’s other springs and guzzlers are for wildlife and emergencies only, according to the FWS.

For a higher, forested overnight in the Spring Mountains across the valley, see the North Loop Trail to Charleston Peak.

Tips

Camping

The FWS says backcountry camping is allowed on the refuge, and lists backpacking as an activity; Desert Pass Campground on Mormon Well Road has six free, first-come primitive sites for those who drive in. HikeArizona says camping is allowed along the Hidden Forest trail, especially near the cabin, and that hikers may sleep inside the cabin. The refuge’s rules say campfires are prohibited in the backcountry, including at Hidden Forest Cabin, though backpacking stoves are allowed; campfires are permitted in established areas when conditions allow, with your own firewood, and 2026 Stage 1 restrictions limited them to Desert Pass Campground’s fire rings. Camp at least 100 yards from springs and guzzlers, and stay no more than 14 consecutive days in any 28-day period. Pets must be leashed at all times. Vehicles must stay on designated roads, and off-highway vehicles are prohibited.

Inside Intel: HikeArizona’s DixieFlyer points to the area around Hidden Forest Cabin as the place to camp, with the cabin itself an option, and Birdandhike suggests spending a night or two at the cabin to make the trip an overnight backpack.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Boiling Wiregrass Spring water at the cabin:

The refuge says all spring water must be purified, and campfires aren't an option here, so a dependable stove does the cooking. See which camp stoves testers trust.

Read the full guide →

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.