Sawmill Trail

Well, we started with the yellow trail, it was nice and easy. Pretty much a flat surface, a few climbs and a few steep spots to climb. Lots to see in the foliage department. It was a very short sweet walk. Nice for a beginner hiker. We decided to venture farther off onto the BLUE trail which took us across the street. We had NO idea what we were in for. All I can say is WOW! this was totally worth walking across the street. The view was unreal, not to mention the treasures you run into on this walk. I won’t spoil it for you if you are thinking of doing this hike. Nothing more fun than finding little treasures along your hike. We never finished this hike. It took us along what I considered to be a little too narrow with loose gravel trail along the side of the mountain. Everyone else was okay with it in my group (LOL) We seemed to be walking farther away from the parking lot and not into a loop so we turned around but, we will finish this trail one day when I get brave.
NOTE: The actual name of this trail is Sawmill Trailhead,

A WALK IN THE WOODS NEAR A DESERT HIGHWAY
Sawgrass Trail is a beautiful and special place. It is a pine forest near the desert. It is location in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. To reach it from Las Vegas, you would drive northwest on U.S.-95 to the State Route 156/​Lee Canyon Road turnoff. This is the second left turn for the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area. You want to drive up State Route 156 approximately ten miles until you climb up to 6,000 feet above sea level. This is in the vegetation zone where pine trees replace cacti and creosote. Not far from the «6,000 Feet Elevation» sign, the parking lot is on the right.
The Sawmill Trailhead parking lot makes a walk in the woods near the desert easy. The parking lot is paved and holds a sufficient number of parking spaces. It sits right off State Route 156. Off the parking lot are shady picnic areas, porty pottie restroom, and kiosks featuring a map of Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. The parking lot falls short of cellphone reception. It is nonexistent here. Originating from the parking lot is the Sawmill Trailhead.
The Sawmill Trail is really a serious of color-​designated trails. The Yellow Trail is the shortest trail. It is the trail that I hiked on clockwise and counterclockwise. It is a loop trail that took me 45 minutes to hike each time. Walking the Yellow Trail of the Sawmill Trail was walking through a pastoral New England woodland scene transported to Las Vegas. The loop trail travelled through a forest of pine. The beautiful hike filled up my senses. A pine scent filled my nose. Bird chirping and the vehicles traveling on Route 156 filled my ears. The 15 degree drop in temperature from Las Vegas below, delivered a Spring climate to a hot Summer day. The beautiful Spring Mountains scenery was a real life painting. The wooded ridge line towers over the mature pine trees. Angels Point and Mummy Mountain towered over the sprawling canopy of pine trees. I felt like I was hiking in New England. Hiking clockwise or counter clockwise, the leading trail sections are near the picnic areas. The Yellow Trail turns inland until it roughly parallels the ridge line. Clockwise and counterclockwise, it picks up some elevation gain. The Yellow Trail meets up with the Red Trail that continues to the ridge and the Blue Trail that forms a larger loop. When the trail gets closer to the parking lot, the views of Angela’s Peak and Mummy Peak are so beautiful you could cry.
The Spring Mountains National Recreation Area is a gift. It is a place that has given Las Vegas beautiful forests and cooler temperatures. It is a gift that has blessed hikers with beautiful hiking trails that are escapes from the brutal Vegas summers. I don’t take this gift for granted. I am optimistic that I will return to the Sawmill Trail in the warmer months of summer to explore its longer Red and Blue Trails.