Pine Nut
The Rocky Gorge loop from Sawmill: drop through the pinyon to the Gravel Pit trailhead, wind up a wash and a small rocky gorge, and climb home on Pinyon Pine.
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Right now at the trailhead
Get the GPS file
Scan with a friend's phone, or tap below. Then open it in your ride app.
- iPhone: tap Download, open it from the Downloads bar, then Share → Trailforks, Strava or Garmin.
- Android: tap Download, then open the file and pick your app.
- Garmin: or drag it into Garmin Connect → Courses → Import on a computer.
https://bsqrd-designs.com/dirt/pine-nut/
Getting there
Park at Sawmill Trailhead (upper lot)
NV-156 Lee Canyon Rd, about 12.9 mi from US-95, Sawmill Picnic Area / Trailhead
- Free day use, vault toilets, no potable water. The site is open all year, but the trails hold snow in winter.
- Start and finish are the same spot. Follow the cue sheet and the arrows on the map.
Cue sheet
| 0.0 | Streetpavement | 0.1 mi |
| 0.1 | Dirt roaddirt road via Pinyon Pine / Blue Tree junction | 0.8 mi |
| 0.9 | Blue Tree Runsingletrack | 2.6 mi |
| 3.5 | Forest Trail 832dirt road via Gravel Pit Trailhead | 0.3 mi |
| 3.8 | Rocky Gorgesingletrack via Rocky gorge · Rocky Gorge meets Pinyon Pine | 4.0 mi |
| 7.8 | No Mads Traildirt road | 0.3 mi |
| 8.0 | Pinyon Pinesingletrack | 1.7 mi |
| 9.8 | Dirt roaddirt road | 0.7 mi |
| 10.4 | Back at Sawmill Trailhead (upper lot) |
Know before you go
- The first 3.5 miles drop about 1,000 ft on Blue Tree to the Gravel Pit trailhead next to Lee Canyon Road. Rocky Gorge then dips another 300 ft into a wash before climbing ridgelines back up, and the last 2.5 miles on Pinyon Pine climb about 600 ft to Sawmill. About 1,850 ft of climbing in all.
- The roughest of the Lee Canyon loops: sandy and rocky wash bottoms, a short narrow gorge, and a few steep, eroded pitches, mixed with good ridgeline singletrack. Roughly a quarter of the miles are old dirt roads.
- Signage is poor and the tread is faint in spots, with cairns at some turns, so load the GPX. OSM calls the outbound leg 'Blue Tree Run'. On the ground it is part of the Blue Tree and Rocky Gorge loops, both open to bikes. Stay off Mud Springs, which is hiking and horses only.
- At 6,200 to 7,500 ft this sits lower and warmer than Sawmill's other loops. Rideable roughly May through October, often from April into November. Avoid the washes after summer storms. No water at Sawmill.
Ride smart
- Water: plan on about 1.5 L for this ride. There's none on the trail.
- Signal is spotty. Tell someone your route and your time back.
- Emergency: call 911 and say "Pine Nut ride, parked at Sawmill Trailhead (upper lot), Mt Charleston Trails", plus the coordinates from Locate me.
- Wildlife: give horses, burros and anything with horns room, and never feed them.
- Stay on trail. Desert crust and mountain soil take decades to heal.
Report a problem or share a photo
Washout, closure, new fence or a missing sign? Got a great shot of a junction? Send it. It goes straight to Ryan; photos he approves show up on this page with your credit.
Trail photos
End ride?
Turn calls, the timer and your recording stop when the ride ends.