Desert National Wildlife Refuge

East Peak

The Sheep Range is the main attraction here for hikers. At 50 miles long and nearly 10,000 feet high, it's the most pristine range in it's class in the 48 states. The west entrance has a new visitor center about 3 or 4 miles in from US 95.

• HAYFORD PEAK el 9912 is the highest peak in the Sheep Range. From the visitor center, follow the signs to the Hidden Forest TH. It's 20 miles of very bumpy road. Hike the trail up Deadman Canyon for 5 miles to a cabin at Wiregrass Spring el 7900. Stay in the main fork which is behind the cabin. In less than a third mile beyond the cabin is a main fork. Take the left fork to a side gully on the right at N36 39014, W115 12232 el 8700. Go up the gully and sometimes it splits but stay in or along the easiest one. You will top out at el 9600 then go left to the peak at 39465, 12051. 8 hours, 4100 gain. The spring had a tiny flow out of a pipe in May 2015.
• SHEEP PEAK el 9750 has a scenic route up Wagon Canyon that never gets very steep. Drive north from the visitor center for about 9 miles and turn at the sign for Cow Camp. Go about 5 and a half miles and take a left fork. Drive to the end in about 3/4 mile el 5500. The roads are all easy 4wd. Hike along the foot of the range for nearly a mile to the mouth of Wagon at N36 35915, W115 18033 el 5900. The canyon starts out as an easy wash then gets rocky then smooth again at el 8000 in a nice pine forest. At el 8300 comes a tricky fork. Stay right then go up to a drainage on the left at 35486, 15023 el 8600. Follow that up and top out in a saddle on the  crest at 35389, 14788 el 9100. Turn south to the summit at 34975, 14927. Returning on the south rim of Wagon is easy. Make sure to be on it at 35210, 15271 el 9350. Walk it down and it will curve to the right and bottom out in Wagon Canyon at el 6600. 7 hours, 4300 gain. Wagon Spring at el 7600 in the canyon was dry, but had a minor seep behind it. Posted September, 2016.
• QUARTZITE MOUNTAIN el 7133 is the high point of the Las Vegas Range. There is an easy route up the north canyon from Peek-a-boo Canyon. From the visitor center, follow the signs  into Peek-a-boo Canyon and park at a side canyon reading N36 30803, W115 08159 el 5500. The first dozen miles is very bumpy road. The last 6 miles get smoother. Hike up the side canyon for an air mile to a main fork. Take the right one reading 30334, 07215 el 5800. Follow that fork and soon the peak comes into view. Pick your own route up. Brush is not a factor in the canyon because ATVs flattened it years ago. I left the ATV track at 30044, 06099 el 6200 and went up the easiest ridge toward the peak. A line of minor crags is on the summit. The south end of the crags seems to be the highest, but I saw no reg. The topo shows an x for the summit at 30129, 05243. It took me 3 and a half hours with 1700 gain. Easy hike. Some are hiking from Quail Spring, but that's twice as far. Posted 2015.
• TIMBER PEAK el 9787 is what I call the peak near the head of Timber Canyon, north of Hayford. It's the northernmost 9000 footer in the range. A loop hike can be done using the main forks of Sawmill Canyon. Take US 93 to the east entrance at mp CL 80.4. Go 11 miles on a bumpy road to where the road drops into the wash of Sawmill Canyon. It soon climbs back out of the wash and right away is a road going to the right. The reading here is N36 41629, W115 05521. Take that road to the end at a gate el 5600 in less than half a mile. Hike up the closed road and you'll reach ponderosa pines in one hour. The road is in the creekbed by then. Follow the main creekbed and it will carry you into the north fork and circle north then west as shown on maps. Leave the road and go up a broad drainage at 41781, 09980 el 7900. Soon there are many gullies to choose from, the correct one is at 41744, 10148. Go up that until it tops out on the NE ridge at 41863, 10530 el 9000, next to bump 9032. Now just go up the ridge to the summit at 41757, 10999. To get into the south fork for the return, drop down to the saddle on the crest south of the peak. I went down the drainage at 41562, 10860 el 9300. I hit some light brush but it cleared up at the 9000 level. But still there is another drainage about 700 feet south along the crest that might not have any brush and it goes down to the same place. I moved over to it anyway at the 9000 level. It's easy to go down canyon. At the 8000 level stumps appear. And soon after that is a road going up a side canyon to Sawmill Spring at 40861, 10581 el 8000. It had a tub of green water with bugs in May 2015. No flow. Resume going down the south fork to join the creekbed you came up. The whole hike with the side trip to the spring took me 7 hours, 46 minutes. The gain is 4100. One relic you'll see is a 1920s flatbed truck used by the loggers. It had a tire made by the Pennsylvania Rubber Co. Each leaf spring had 19 pieces.  I did this peak in the 1990s via Timber Canyon, but that has a lot more dirt road driving. This route is more interesting. Posted 2015.
• EAST PEAK el 4650 is what I call the rugged peak next to US 93. It has a sheep route up the north ridge. Take US 93 to mp CL 73.3. Walk a road along the north base of the mountain for a couple of miles to where it enters a canyon. Go up the easy canyon to a slope at N36 39028, W114 57569 el 2950. Go up the slope and soon you're on the north ridge. There is one minor bump at el 4100 with an obvious bypass on the right side. The summit is at 38328, 57179. 5 hours for the whole hike, 1700 gain from the base. This is the only good hike on the whole refuge with all paved access. Posted 2015.
• BIRD BM el 5889 is a big crag at the northern tip of the Sheep Range. An easy route goes up the east side. Use the northern entrance south of Alamo at mp LN 31.8. Drive a short way to the Pahranagat visitor center then take a right fork. Follow the main road for 14 miles to a hill of black boulders. The road is packed dirt and sand, not too many rocks.The  first 3 or 4 miles got roughed up by floods in May 2015. 4wd will be needed in some spots. Hike to a canyon at N37 06901, 10096 el 4300. Go up that to a right fork at 05987, 09730 el 4900 then go up that to the BM at 06023, 10256. I followed the cliff edge down the main north ridge on the return.  4 hours, 1900 gain. Posted 2015.
• YUCCA BENCHMARK el 7100 is at the southern tip of the Sheep Range. An easy route goes up the east ridge. From the visitor center, follow signs toward Mormon Well for  9 miles on easy 4wd to a parking area at cables el 5000. Walk across the washes and start up the ridge at N36 28747, W115 14401 and keep going up to the reg at 29055, 15517. One crag along the way at the 6300 level can be passed on the left. 3 and a half hours, 2200 gain. Posted 2016.
• RAM BENCHMARK el 8320 is in the northern section of the Sheep Range. The SW canyon is the easiest way. From the visitor center, follow signs north for two dozen miles to the sign for Dead Horse Road. Turn there on easy 4wd and drive to a shady camp el 5700 at the end in about 10 miles. The last mile of road is unmapped because it was only made to access a crash site. Hike a half mile to a major wash crossing at N36 46612, W115 09704 and then just head for the SW canyon which is in plain sight.  The first mile and a half has some light brush but not a factor with long pants. Agave pits are along the way at 46934, 08216 and another one is at the mouth reading 46994, 07517 el 6600. Then hike up the open creekbed to a fork at 47309, 06934 el 7250. Go right to the ridgetop reading 47327, 06688 el 7850. That part goes parabolic then it's easy up the ridge to the reg in a lovely pine forest reading 47563, 06628. The reg box is crumbling. The survey tower is still standing, but don't sit on it. I could make out my name which I had carved into the tower on my trip here in 1992. Back then I came up the steep west side gully and over the BM to the slightly higher peak a half mile north. On the way back in 2016 I found a battery from the plane in a draw at 46716, 08865 el 5950. 7 hours, nearly 3000 gain. It took me two hours to ride a cycle 35 miles in from pavement.  Bumpy as hell, but the last 20 miles is smoother. Posted 2016.
• THUNDER BENCHMARK el 7531 is in the northern section of the Sheep Range next to Desert Lake. The west canyon can be used to circle around to the north. Use the northern entrance south of Alamo on US 93 at mp LN 31.8. Drive a short way to the Pahranagat visitor center then take a right fork. Follow the main road for 2 dozen miles to sand dunes. The road is easy 4wd, not rocky. Drive south a on past the dunes for a short way and pick a spot to park a mile and a half from the starting canyon which is at N36, 59567, W115 09990 el 3800. I call that Thunder Canyon. Go on up the gravel bed to a low divide at N37 00459, W115 08469 el 4950. Go on across the divide into the next canyon which I call Dunes Canyon. Go up that and get on the left bank at N37 00966, W115 08133 el 5200. Stay on the left bank up the canyon to the 6300 level then cross the bed and gain a ridgetop at N37 01269, W115 07547 el 6500. Keep going up to some crags in the way at N37 01241, W115 07391 el 6900. Go right up the center of the ridge like you're going right over the top of the crags and soon a pathway is obvious that skirts along the right base of the crags. It's only a distance of about 400 feet or less to get around the crags and you're right back on center. The next crags start at N37 01072, W115 07447 el 7000. It's easy to drop down to the right and lose a 100 feet and go less than a fifth mile to a saddle el 6900 past the crags. Now it's mainly a stroll thru the woods to the BM. One more minor saddle is at N37 00557, W115 07494 el 7250 then the BM is at N37 00208, W115 07545. The tower blew over. It likely was flown up in 1969. 9 and a half hours with nearly 4800 gain. But the first 2000 feet doesn't count because it's easy gravel washes. Sheep use this route. ALTERNATE : hiking up Dunes Canyon and merging with the other route near the divide would work and has more interesting scenery. Posted 2016.
• LIGHTNING PEAK el 7674 is what I call the peak about 2 miles north of Lamb Spring. It's the highest peak in the northern 20 miles of the range, and hard to get at. The NW canyon, which I call Seep Canyon, is blocked at el 4600. But there is a class 2 sheep route around on the south rim. Hike 2 miles from the Alamo Rd to a wash at N37 58390, W115 09604 el 4000. Walk up that a short way then go left up to the rim at 58522, 09233 el 4400. Go directly up the rim but there's a big cliff in the way, which is peak 5055. A route is visible along the north base of the cliff. Go up that to get around the cliff then keep going up to a viewpoint at 58598, 08831 el 5400. Now a saddle el 5450 is in view less than a fifth mile away. Walk to it then angle down into Seep Canyon on sheep routes, losing 200 feet. Go up canyon to where it makes a hard right to the south at 58998, 07722 el 6250. Keep going south a quarter mile and stay right at a fork and  go up to a high saddle at 58713, 07455 el 7000. Now the peak is in view. Just circle over to it on the high ridge. The summit is at 58414, 07141. I saw no sign anyone had ever been there, but plenty of sheep have. 10 hours, about 5000 gain. If I did this again, I would set up a base camp near the seep in Seep Canyon and check out the canyons to the south, such as that huge box canyon. Posted 2016.
• SEEP CANYON is what I call the main long canyon SW of Thunder BM. It's blocked by a 100 foot fall with a seep at el 4600. Hike from the road along Desert Lake to some peculiar metal posts at N36 58786, W115 09883 el 4000. Now it's obvious to drop into the main wash and  keep going to the fall. The seep was dripping at one drop per second. A funnel and 10 feet of tubing would be needed to capture it. The flow had cut a groove into the rock, so it must run often. No sign of sheep here. I tried to get around on the south rim but crags stopped me. 3 hours, easy 1500 gain. Posted May 2016.



Sheep Range rock art