

Water pipe at the cabin [more photos] Note: The climate is changing, and springs all over southern Nevada are drying up. In the early 2010s, the springbox at Wiregrass Spring went dry. Beginning in 2016, the water pipe at Hidden Forest Cabin, which originates at the spring, has become unreliable. After heavy rains during the 2016-17 winter, water flow rates at the cabin returned to normal. Since then, flow rates have ebbed and flowed, but after the wet winter of 2018-19, water barely flows. Apparently the flow fluctuates daily too: "We stayed the night, and while we were there, the rate changed quite a bit. Came to a stop at one point, steady stream at another, but most of the time it was a slow trickle." June 11, 2020. Peggy writes: Wiregrass Spring at Hidden Forest Cabin was flowing at about 1 liter per minute. September 6, 2020, DV writes: flow rate for spring is about 1 liter per minute. Hikers: Please send updates about flow rates.



Trailhead parking (view NE towards trail) Overview This moderately strenuous hike follows an old road up a canyon into the mountains to a hidden ponderosa pine forest. The Hidden Forest starts at the first ponderosa pines (3.7 miles out), and continues to the crest of the mountains. The road ends at an old game warden cabin (5.6 miles out). This is a good place to camp, sit beneath the pines, enjoy to coolness, and listen to the wind and the birds. Water is available at the cabin, so this is a good backpacking destination, but it is a popular place and can can be crowded on weekends. For general information on camping, regulations, other issues, and the natural history of the Wildlife Refuge, see the Desert National Wildlife Refuge -- Area Overview page. Link to map or elevation profile.



Trailhead sign (view NE) Watch Out Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert... this is a safe hike. Hiking in loose gravel is tiring, more tiring than might be expected, so don't overestimate the speed at which you will be able to hike up the canyon. Depending on recent weather conditions, a 2WD-HC vehicle should make it to the trailhead, but call the refuge manager if you have questions. Large numbers of birds use the water at the cabin, so while camping, stay far enough away from the water to let the birds drink.



Start of Hidden Forest Trail (view NE) While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, this hike is long, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials. This is a wildlife refuge, so pay extra attention to respecting the land. Please, don't bother the bighorn sheep. They have a hard enough time making a living in these desert lands; they don't need extra stress from people camping or sitting around the spring. Because of heavy use and disuse, the USFWS requests that people stop leaving "supplies" in the cabin, stop sleeping inside the cabin (except for emergencies), make better pooping choices, pack out everything you brought in, and pack out some extra trash too. There is a toilet due south of the cabin behind a big ponderosa pine.



Gate blocking old road at trailhead (view NE) Getting to the Trailhead This hike is located on the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, about 2 hours north of town. From town, drive out to Corn Creek Field Station and continue east 50 yards to a T-intersection. Turn left onto Alamo Road and drive north for 14.5 miles to Hidden Forest Road. Turn right onto Hidden Forest Road and drive east 3.8 miles to a parking area at the end of the road. There are no turns, and the road ends against the first set of hills. Under normal conditions, these are good, well-graded roads. Park here; this is the trailhead.



Sign on gate (actual distance to Wiregrass Spring is 5.7 miles) The Hike The trailhead is on a narrow bench between a steep rocky hillside and a deep, broad wash. The vegetation at the trailhead is typical of the dry desert region along the access road, which as stunted creosote bush, white bursage, some small Joshua trees, and a few other scattered shrubs. Not only is this a dry desert area, but it is in the rain shadow of the Spring Mountains, so it gets even less rain than other areas in southern Nevada. Some of the most stunted plants in southern Nevada grow along the western flank of the Sheep Range. From the trailhead (Table 1, Waypoint 01), the old road continues past a gate and drops steeply into Deadman Wash. A sign at the trailhead says that Wiregrass Spring is 4 miles out, but the cabin is 5.7 miles out, and the spring is about 0.13 miles past the cabin.



Trail follows old road down into Deadman Wash (view NE) Shortly, the wash narrows abruptly, and the old road passes another gate at the narrowest point. In the wash, where underground water from the mountains is channeled into a narrow area, the vegetation is relatively lush compared to the trailhead, and there are lots of large, closely spaced shrubs including desert almond, apache plume, saltbush, Mormon tea, rabbitbrush, lots of little shrubs, and some spring flowers, but there is little shade. Through here, watch for Rock Wrens and Black-throated Sparrows, species typical of the lower-elevation desert mountains. Above the second gate, the wash opens up to several hundred yards wide, and the old road runs essentially straight up the canyon. Along this part, the grade seems fairly steep and the old road is covered with loose gravel, making the hike seem hot (little shade), long, and steep. About 1.3 miles out, the trail enters Deadman Canyon (Wpt. 02) and the nature of the environment changes to a pinyon-juniper forest. At this point, the hike seems to get easier and more pleasant (the trail is just as steep, but it seems easier).

In the canyon, the trail switches between following the old road and following the wash. Sometimes it is hard to tell which is the best route, but the canyon is narrow and there is nowhere to get lost, so it doesn't really matter. In this part of the canyon, the single-leaf pinyon pines and Utah juniper offer lots of shade and there are lots of robust desert almond, apache plume, cliffrose, sagebrush, and other shrubs. At about 2.2 miles out, a large flashflood in a side canyon covered the bottom of the canyon with rocks and debris in July, 2008. At 3.0 miles out, there is a nice, but dry, camping area (Wpt. 03) where hikers can drop the packs and rest. Watch for Spotted Towhee, Juniper Titmice, and a variety of flycatchers, species typical of these middle-elevation mountains.



Trail follows old road up towards mouth of Deadman Wash (view NE) At 3.7 miles out, hikers round a corner and see the first ponderosa pines (Wpt. 04). Shortly the pinyon pines and junipers fade away, and the entire forest is composed of ponderosa pine with a few white fir scattered about. This is now the Hidden Forest, and this is where it really starts feeling like a pine forest; the trail seems even easier, and the air feels cooler. For the remaining two miles, the trail wanders up the canyon, which alternates from narrow to wide and back again. Rocky, tree-covered hillsides rise high above the canyon, and in a few place, tall limestone cliffs cap the canyon rim. The understory thins out higher up, giving the typical open, park-like feeling of mature ponderosa forests. In this forest, listen for Hermit Thrush, Western Tanager, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet songs, and the chatter of chipmunks and rock squirrels. Except for the rock squirrel, all of these are species of the higher-elevation desert mountains.



Passing cliffs at entrance to Deadman Canyon (view E) After wandering through the piney woods for a few miles, at about 5-1/4 miles out, the trail becomes faint and two large trees lie across the trail. It might seem that the trail ends here, but continuing around the logs, the trail picks up again and the cabin is only 5-10 minutes farther up the canyon. Continuing up the trail, the canyon and the trail bend to the northeast (left), pass an old corral on the west (left) side of the canyon, and arrive at the old game warden cabin (Wpt. 05). Getting to the cabin is easy because the old road runs right up to it, but if you want to hike to Hayford or Sheep peaks, it is a bit confusing at first. The cabin is located in the mouth of a side canyon that comes in from the north; it is not in Deadman Canyon, proper. The cabin is on the east (right) side of the side canyon, right near the confluence with Deadman Canyon, which continues on to the east (farther right). Standing on the porch of the cabin and looking out, Deadman Canyon is to the left (south) and Wiregrass Canyon runs up to the right (north). This distinction is only important for hiking farther up the canyon.



Hiker approaching the second Deadman gate (view SE) Wiregrass Spring is about 0.13 miles up Wiregrass Canyon beyond the cabin. From the porch of the cabin, look north and up Wiregrass Canyon (standing on the porch, facing out, look right) and you will see a use-trail running across an open area and steeply up a hill into the trees. Follow the use-trail for 5-8 minutes to the spring, which is a hole in the ground covered by boards. In some years, a trickle of water runs out and across a flat area with some wiregrass (genus Juncus). The water runs over an edge below the spring, providing a place where birds come in to drink and bathe. There is also a sheep drinker below the spring where larger animals can get water; be sure to keep the springbox covered to keep large animals out.