Saturday, May 23, 2015

Pahranagat Valley

The Shooting Gallery

Pahranagat NWR has a shady campround on the valley floor along US 93 at mp LN 34.9. That makes a good hub for a week of hiking. There is no water but no fee. Fires are not allowed. Alamo is 4 miles north. The Sinclair has a full grocery. The street next to the Sinclair goes west to a laundromat and a park with a faucet. The county publishes a guide to 5 rock art sites in the area. Just google "lincoln county rock art". Floods hit the area in May 2015, right as I was leaving. That means road conditions have changed from what I wrote. 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. 4wd might 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. The first 3 or 4 miles of this road were roughed up by a flood in May 2015.

  • TIKABOO PEAK, BADGER MTN, BADGER  VALLEY LOOP- a graded road can be used to make a loop on the west side of the valley. There are some steep spots that might need 4wd. Take US 93 to mp LN 32.2 and turn west on the Badger Valley Road. Go about 5 miles to a main fork. Both go, but the sat image shows the right fork is not graded. I went left on the graded fork. It makes a big loop south then enters Badger Valley and the first main fork at N37  15712, W115 14638 offers 2 options. Go right if you're skipping the peaks, or go left like I  did and keep going NE to dry Badger Spring at el 6700. The road gets worse here. Keep going past the spring junk for a half mile to where the road makes a hard left. It's not worth trying to drive beyond here unless you have an OHV. For Tikaboo, walk the road to the end in a quarter mile to the foot trail at N37 20829, W115 20850 el 7100. The trail goes parabolic to the 7600 level then loses over 100 feet before the final push to the reg at 20658, 21536 el 7900. 2 hours, 1300 gain. Don't expect a nature hike. The route is littered with cans, bottles, foil, fire rings, painted rocks and a million ribbons. It's the trashiest hike I ever took and I didn't even get to see any UFOs. Badger Mtn is the same TH. Hike north into a saddle at N37 21148, W115 20723 el 7000. Then go up the  ridge and angle left into another saddle at 21320, 20330 el 7600. Now circle left to the reg at 21099, 19565 el 7900+. To continue the loop drive, go back to the spring then go another 3 and a half miles and take a left on a graded road. An obvious side road will take you up to towers for a view. Keep going north on the main road to the turn for the Shooting Gallery petroglyph site at N37 21320, W115 16330. That crude road goes a quarter mile to a fence. Just walk the old road downhill to the main canyon and the rock art is on boulders on the west side of the main canyon. The graded road continues on north and drops back to the main valley floor. Keep left at a main fork on the valley floor to get to Alamo. I had about 45 miles of dirt road. It's a good ride for dual sport cycles. Posted 2015.
  • EAST VALLEY LOOP- a graded goes to dry Delamar Lake then on south back to US 93. Take US 93 to Alamo Canyon Rd at mp LN 36.1. Stay on the main road for 14 miles to the lake. Petroglyphs are along the road at a point on the lake's edge. Then get on the power road on the east side of the lake. Cut across the lake if it's dry. Follow the V shaped towers south. At wooden pole # 100 / 5 is where the 4wd road goes north and circles west to the towers on peak 5888. A gate about a mile in was crashed. If it's fixed, that's the end of that side trip. Keep following the main graded road to get back to US 93 at mp LN 25.1. The graded loop is about 30 miles.
  • SOUTH PAHROCS WILDERNESS - a 4wd loop can be made around the wilderness with a side trip to climb the Hyko BM on  the high peak. Take US 93 to Alamo Canyon Rd at mp LN 36.1. Stay on the main road for about  11 miles to a main fork reading N37 21864, W114. Go left for nearly 2 miles to another main fork. Graded road ends here. Go left for nearly 7 miles along the base of the range to the side road for Twin Springs at N37 27944, W115 00826. Go left here for half a mile to a camp area  el 6200. There is an occasional easy 4wd spot to deal with on the last 7 miles to get here. A route up a bald ridge is obvious. Hike on up the road and it soon shrinks to an ATV track. I left the track and went up the easiest grassy slope on the right and followed the bald ridge to the summit ridge. It's easy to walk the summit ridge until a third mile from the BM where boulders get dense. Stay on ridge center until that no longer works. I found a decent route thru the boulders and ducked it. I saw another ducked route. At the summit block, go around the left to the north side to walk up to the reg and BM at N37 29007, W115 01821 el 7948. 3 and a half hours, 1700 gain. This is a grassy hike. Everything else burned off. The spring had a small flow.  I rode back out the same way but the road goes on north to US 93 in about 10 miles. Posted 2015.
  • CAMPGROUND HIKE, PEAK 4845 - the refuge is so small that there aren't any hikes but a high peak is across the highway from the campground. Start at the restroom a fifth mile north of campsite #1. Go up the wash and across the highway. Stay in the wash as it passes thru a narrows then go left to a ridge at N37 18589, W115 06571 el 3800. Go up that long easy ridge to the summit at 19417, 06014. There is one minor dip at the 4000 level on the ridge. On the return, I came back down to that and dropped to the right and walked that canyon back out. 3 and a half hours, 1500 gain. A nice hike on a pristine peak. Posted 2015.
  • CAMPGROUND MTN BIKE LOOP - a 17 mile loop can be done from the campground. Ride from the south end to the visitor center road. Then get on the highway and go a tenth mile to a one lane graded road on the east side. Take that road and stay left on every graded road, though some of it hasn't been graded in a while. After about a dozen miles you come back to the highway at mp LN 36.1. Then it's a bit over a mile back, but there is no paved shoulder. Never steep. Posted 2015.
  • ALAMO BM el 5131 is the high peak just east of town with the letter P painted on it. Take US 93 to Alamo Canyon Rd at mp LN 36.1. Go 3 miles then turn left on another graded road. Go 2 miles then hike up the left slope to the rim at N37 22090, W115 06434 el 4900. Go across a shallow valley then up to the BM at 21879, 07134. 2 hours, 1200 gain. An easier route for trucks is from the north. Drive another 2 miles to a crude road going left up a wash. The reading here is 23432, 07350. Drive a mile up that and it fades at el 4400. Walk from there up the canyon and the peak soon comes into view. The graded road goes on nearly 5 miles to Alamo, but there is a quarter mile of deep sand. This loop would make a good mtn bike ride. There is a dozen miles of lonely dirt road and 3 or 4 miles on the highway, but there is no paved shoulder. Posted 2015.
  • DELAMAR MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS, MAR BM el 6181- the western edge of the wilderness is a high escarpment that is the most appealing area for hiking. Mar BM el 6181 is the high point along the cliff edge. An ATV track runs up the canyon to the north of point 6050. That can be used for a one way hike back to the highway. Leave 1 car at a gravel pit at mp LN 19.1 on US 93, then drive to the graded Turtle Walk Rd at mp LN 25.1. Go a half mile to a gravel pit then keep far right on graded road and go another 2.8 miles to an easy 4wd road, just past tower 97 / 1. Go south for 2/3 mile to a T. Go left a fifth mile to the ATV track, but it's better to keep going past it for a third mile and walk over a low ridge at  N37 12882, W114 59552 and get into the main wash with the track . Walk up the track in the sandy wash for about 3 miles then go up a canyon at 13189, 56209. It's easy going to a guzzler at 12701, 55700 el 4900. The one tank I looked in had clear water. Stay on the left bank for another quarter mile then cross to the right, then back and forth as needed. A dry fall is in the way at 12128, 55919. Boulders get dense before that so you might as well get up on the right slope to get past it all. At the top of the fall you're on the easy plateau. I stayed in the wash keeping the high slope to my left and got to the escarpment edge at 10977, 56851 el 6000. Then it's an easy stroll for 2 miles along the edge, passing over Mar BM at 10219, 56321. All the wood there must have been flown up in 1969. How many people have ever hiked up here? I went south to a viewpoint at 09384, 56505 el 5700 where I could see a route down the ridge. I went on down to 09209, 56970 el 4800 and could see smooth ridges below me. I followed those to a crag 09146, 57412 el 4400 then dropped into the canyon on the right and got down to the flats where I walked to the gravel pit. 8 hours, 13 miles, 2700 gain, very little gain is steep. May is the time to go. I saw a million mallows on top. A peculiar "trail" is at 10535, 56598 and may be fire related. BOMBER WASH is the longest canyon in the wilderness and has a sandy 4wd road up it. Take US 93 to mp 13.3 and get on the old highway. Go south for a mile and a half and turn left at the sign. It's 10 miles up the wash to the fence at the end of the road.  Posted 2015.
  • DOUBLE BM el 6372 is on the SE shore of Delamar Lake The north ridge is easy. Take US 93 to the graded Turtle Walk Rd at mp LN 25.1 then go half a mile on that road to a gravel pit. Stay far right on the graded road for 10 miles to the lake. Then turn right on the lake bed to get to where I parked reading N37 18699, W114 55434 el 4600. Hike south up the valley to the north ridge at 17506, 54735 then on to the BM at 16557, 53966. 3 and a half hours, 1800 gain. Stay alert and you'll see something of interest on this route up. It would be easy to keep going on the high ridge for 3 miles to peak 6193. MINE BUTTE el 5136 is also along the Turtle Walk Rd. A mine road goes to the 4800 level. At the gravel pit, stay in the wash along the right side and go 2 and a half miles to a fork reading N37 13544, W115 00443 el 3800. Go left and now it's a jeep road. Drive it as far as you can then walk to the end and up to the surveyor junk on top at 14437, 01363. I rode my 125 to the 4700 level just short of the mine. I saw nothing to stop jeeps from getting there, but the last half mile on the  ridge top starting at the 4400 level is very rocky. Posted 2015.
  • HELLS ACRES GULCH is east of Ash Springs. Turn off US 93 at mp LN 44.2 and go nearly 4 miles on a graded road to shady camps at the mouth el 4300. I walked up high on the right bank until cliffs got in the way then moved to the creekbed which had a flow. It was easy to work around minor falls then it leveled off with smooth sand. But that didn't last as trees got dense but it was easy walking on the left bank. I came upon an Indian rock ring at N37 28025, W115 06409 el 5000. Then I came to a main fork at 27980, 06121 el 5100. I went right for a quarter mile then up to the high ground between the forks, but it might be less bouldery to use the left fork. I crossed over the right fork and climbed out of the canyon at 27411, 05833 el 5650 then over the rim to another canyon at 27407, 05920 el 5700 and went down that to a passage on the left at 27453, 06205 el 5550. I went thru that to the next canyon and stayed in that all the way to the rim el 5000. Then I walked north on the rim to 27242, 07345 el 5000 where I could see down a gully to the bottom then it was half a mile back to the start. That loop took 5 hours with less than 1000 of strenuous gain and a lot of class 3 boulders to deal with, nothing scary. There is light brush. The high plateau has nice parks studded with pinyon and juniper. ALTERNATE - an easier loop can be done around the north side. Walk north along the base on a bad jeep road and go up a wash at 28772, 07838 el 4600 and follow it into a small basin with a rock ring at 28706, 07523 el 4750. Keep going up canyon until it opens up and walk an OHV trail then veer south in a cove and over a saddle at 28219, 06452 el 5200 which puts you in the Gulch then just go downstream to the start. None of the gain is steep. The jeep road has faint petroglyphs.                          Posted 2019.
  • PEAK 5583 is a high peak in the Hiko Range south of US 93. Turn off US 93 at mp LN 45 and go up a major wash. Or use the road thru the petroglyph site third mile to the north and it comes into the wash. At a fork in the wash reading N37 27833, W115 10833 take the right fork up onto the high ground an go nearly 2 miles to the end in a  canyon. A bad jeep road is there at 28820, 09991 el 4000. It goes up to the base of Table Top Mtn but I used it on the return. I went up the main canyon to faint petroglyphs at 29685, 09821 el 4350 then kept going to the south saddle at 30278, 10649 el 4900. I followed the easy ridge up to the reg at 30708, 10757. 3 sheep were along the way. I retraced back and went left up a fork at 29569, 09793 el 4250 and stayed in that until a jeep road at 29250, 09148 el 4400. I went south on that and stayed south to shortcut a loop on the road then Table Top came into view and I went over that then down the road to the start. That took 5 hours with 1000 noticeable gain. The canyons are bouldery but easy to weave thru. Posted 2019.
  • MOUNT IRISH el 8700 is the high peak in the Mount Irish Wilderness. It  has a standard route up the south ridge. Take SR 318 to a gated road at mp LN 3.2 or go north for 3/4 mile to another road with no gate. It soon merges with the other road. Go about 7 miles to a main fork at the petroglyph area. Keep left and go another 5 miles to Logan Pass el 7200. A short spur road goes to a camp spot. The whole road to here is bumpy and the last mile is easy 4wd. Hike up the ridge from the pass. It goes parabolic right out of the gate. Go on up  to a plateau at el 8100. Use a break in the cliffs at N37 38059, W115 24336 to get on it. Then walk thru the lovely forest to a viewpoint at 38234, 24288 el 8250. From there you can see the rest of the route. 3 hours, 1500 gain. A jeep road goes up the SE ridge to el 7400. Jeeps could still make it as of 2015, but it's for those who like a wild ride. The Silver Canyon Rd is decent and makes a good loop around the peak for cycles and 4wds. I went around to one of the north canyons to see if I could ride into ponderosa pines. At about the 7000 level I came to pines and some mine cabins. The road is washed out beyond there, but I walked it to the 7700 level. That would be a route to the 8600 peak. I was able to keep circling west on decent roads and came back thru Logan Pass. On the way back to SR 318 is the turn for the Shaman walking tours at N37 36491, W115 22652. The Many Sheep panel is there. REED PEAK el 7580 is what I call the high peak in the southern part of the wilderness. Take SR 375 to mp LN 43.2. Go north for 7 and a half miles to a cabin at Reed Spring at the end of the road. The road had recently been bladed, but sand makes it 4wd. I went up the ridge from the spring, but it's steep. Try driving back a  tenth mile from the spring and go up that canyon. The peak is at N37 33983, W115 25283. The whole hike takes less than 2 hours with about 1000 feet of gain. Pj forest all the way. The spring had a tiny flow. Posted 2015.
  • ALAMO CANYON is what I call the canyon 5 miles due west of Alamo. There are 3 rappels up to 100 feet and it's all downhill. There are shuttle options depending on how much driving you care for. From the Sinclair in town, we drove west on Broadway for .6 mile to Park, then right for .4 mile to Lincoln, then left for .3 mile to a major dirt road. We took the dirt road for 2 and a half miles where the road makes a jog to the right. We left one truck there reading N37 22703, W115 13234. Then we stayed on the main road for another 1.8 miles to where it merged with another main road at the mouth of a canyon. That other road is the best way out at the end of the day. We drove up into the canyon where the road becomes 4wd then climbs steeply up the left slope and exits the canyon. We stayed on the main road to a crude road reading 22075, 16110 about 5 and a half miles from where we left the lower truck. We parked then walked down the crude track and stayed right at a fork to get in the south arm of the canyon. The first drop is bolted  then there are some minor drops that 2 people can help each other down. Next are 2 short rappels close together using the same anchor. The canyon opens up to the last rap which is the big one and mostly mid air. We anchored from a chokestone in a right side crack. A 300 foot rope doubled over got us down with several feet to spare. It's likely a bit over 100 feet. A tiny pipe spring is at the bottom. We walked over a mile on easy flats to the lower truck. This canyon is smooth gravel and the big rap can be bypassed. All anchors except the bolts had been washed away, but big rocks were available to restore the 2 missing anchors. The minimum needed is a 150 foot rope and pull cord, 30 feet of webbing. It took us 3 and a half hours to get from truck to truck,  about 4 miles, but will take less next time. It would be hard to get trapped in this one.  Posted October 2015 






Giant sheep at Mt Irish

Many Sheep at Mt Irish


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