Where Christmas tree rd starts going west, there is an old 4x4 road. The road goes about 1/2mile into the desert. I parked my car and started heading toward Spirit Mountain. I started hiking by following a closed 4x4 trail, im guessing about mile. I know there are shorter routes to the top with less elevation gain. I choose to hike this area. My ultimate goal was to make it to the top, but didnt know if it was possible. About 90 minutes into the hike, I hit a 40 foot drop. Not wanting to go back and around, i started hiking south on a ridge. A lot of cool rock formations in this area. I did run into a rattlersnake about 1/2 mile from my car. The snake was on the closed portion of the 4x4 trail. I was about 3 foot from him when he warmed me of his presence. After a few seconds, he went to hide in a near by bush.