With just hours to spare before we caught our flight back to Calgary, we wanted to do a short, simple trip, one that wouldn't offer any difficulties so we could be at the airport on time. Mountain Springs Peak fit the bill.

Although Mountain Springs Peak lies in Red Rock, the trailhead is in Mountain Springs National Recreation Area. Not trusting the rough access road, we parked a short distance from the highway and walked 800 m to the trailhead. We hiked up the trail – actually another rough road – before leaving it to follow a ridge to the summit. We used the trip description on Summitpost. I didn't think this peak would provide “stellar” views as Summitpost said, but it did. It was a memorable little trip that lingered on our minds as we winged our way back to the cold climes of Calgary.