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| Ants piled needles two feet high. |
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| Google this to see how old it is. It was between Dee and Emigrant. |
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| Rock ring at Dee BM |
- For NORTH SHOSHONE PEAK el 10300, take 722 to mile LA 12.1 near the Peterson Ranch. At the west edge is an abandoned building. Get on a high clearance dirt road to the left of the building. It skirts the ranch then goes up to the mouth of Peterson Creek where it becomes brushy 4wd. To save paint, either hike, bike or backpack the remaining 3 and a half miles of road. When you come to a main fork at N39 09978, W117 29507, a faint steep track can be seen going up the ridge between the forks. Hike up the track and keep going when it fades. 3 hrs, 2400 gain from the main fork. A good spring is about a fifth mile up the right fork in the aspens.
- MIDDLE SHOSHONE PEAK el 9450 has a 4wd road to the top. Use the valley roads to the west to get there. One way on good roads is to turn off 722 at mile LA 6.4. Go south a short way then left at a fork. Go on to a T at a quarry. Go left a few feet then right and on to the 4wd road at N39 10722, W117 35801. Go left and stay on the main road to where it tops out at 06448, 32952 el 9300 then stroll a short way to the top. The last third mile of road gets tougher. Road 113 drops into Park Canyon to the south and goes to mine ruins. It's washed out further on and so you have to come back.
- For SOUTH SHOSHONE PEAK el 10000, drive the route to Middle Shoshone Peak as far as the 4wd road at N39 10722, W117 35801. Keep right and follow the good road south on the valley floor for several miles to a gate at private land. Crossing was allowed as of 2011. Go thru the gate then left up Lebeau Canyon on a brushy 4wd road. Go right at a fork at 04501, 35139. When you're about half an air mile from the fork, look for another faint road going left. Take that to 03460, 35436 el 8050 and park. Hike up the west ridge to an electric fence. Follow that around a little bump then go up to 03567, 34263 where you need to contour left around a bump then on to the top at 03381, 33632. 4 hours, 2000 gain. Take a pipe wrench to open the reg. Some light brush.Wreckage is scattered on the west ridge. ALT: drive to the end of the road in the canyon at 8000 and go up one of the steep open ridges.
- PEAK 8115 - an easy loop can be done up the north ridge then down the rim of Birchim Creek. Take highway 722 to mp LA 17.9 and turn on the graded Elkhorn Rd. Go about 3 and a half miles to FR 219. I followed that easy 4wd road nearly 3 miles to the mouth el 7000 of Birchim at the edge of the forest. I then walked a quarter mile east to get into the next canyon and strolled up that and then up an easy ridge at N39 13300, W117 24844 el 7300. That put me into a saddle el 7650 on the north ridge of the peak. I went up to a rock ring at 13110, 24319 el 7800 then up to the summit at 12795, 24154. I then walked the main ridge SW down to a saddle at 12481, 24563 el 7850. I went across the saddle then turned right to go down the rim of Birchim. I came upon a king ring at 12950, 25063 el 7650. It's a dozen feet across. Another tenth mile down the rim I found another good one next to boulders. And yet another is a tenth mile on down the rim. At the saddle reading 13366, 25100 el 7200 I dropped left down to the road then had a short stroll back to the start. That took 2 hours, 37 minutes with 1200 easy gain. This is about as perfect as a pj forest can get. And brush? What brush? The FS needs to send in work crews to plant some. It's too easy. The road goes on up Birchim to a spring at el 7500 with ice water pouring out of a pipe. But trees are closing in on the road. An OHV trail keeps going up canyon to the main ridge el 8400, but I didn't ride that far. Posted 2020.
- PEAK 8137 has a perfect forest. It's easy from the west. Take highway 722 to mp LA 17.9 and turn on the graded Elkhorn Rd. Go a bit over 4 miles to a cattleguard. I went another third mile then walked to the SW canyon at N39 15738, W117 22981 el 7150. I stayed left at the first fork to get to the saddle el 7700 on the north rim next to peak 7781. The best rock ring I would see that day is nearby at 16126, 22793. I went up the rim to where it topped out at el 8000 and saw a small ring there. I stayed on the rim to a large ring at 16130, 22402 el 8000 then up to the reg at 16114, 22305. I then went SE on the rim to a saddle el 8000 then skirted right of a crag and on to the saddle before peak 7968. I found no rings along there so I dropped into the SW canyon and stumbled onto one in the dry streambed at 15771, 22259 el 7750. Then I just followed the canyon back out. That took 3 hours with about 1000 noticeable gain. Any hiker just doing the peak should aim for the west saddle. This peak is nearly pristine. Posted 2020.
- PEAK 8072 has a route up the NE ridge and is in nearly pristine condition. Turn off highway 722 at mp LA 25.6 and go nearly 3 miles on a high clearance road to a 4-way. Turn toward the peak on easy 4wd and go nearly 3 miles to the end el 6900. I went up the obvious ridge to the reg at N39 18775, W117 23441. The first flat spot el 7150 on the ridge has a rock ring then I saw some possible ones, the best being at 18916, 23574 8050. At that point I started back down on a ridge and when that got tedious I dropped into the canyon to get back. That took 2 hours, 15 minutes. Good forest and somewhat rocky. At the 4-way, I rode back out to the east past a ranch, but that looked to be private and not a good idea. Posted 2020.
- DEE BENCHMARK, EMIGRANT PEAK - I did these as a loop using long gone logging roads from US 50 but here's how I should have done it. A graded road runs along the east side. At N39 25771, W117 18264 along the road is an easy 4wd road that runs west toward Gandolfo Canyon. At el 6350 I would park and walk south a little to another road that's a goner. I would walk that up canyon to el 7200 where it meets the road coming in from US 50 that I walked before. It's easy to navigate these "roads" using a topo map on a phone. Near there I detoured to a huge rock ring along the road at N39 26941, W117 22927 el 7250. Another good one is 350 feet up the ridge. The ridge levels off at el 7500 and there's another one there. Then just get back on the road and on to the summit reg at 26545, 24221 el 7988. Then just walk the easy crest to Emigrant. I saw one more ring at 26451, 23037 el 7680. Near Emigrant, it's best to stay at el 7400 to get to a saddle el 7460 on the east ridge of the peak then go up to survey junk at 24284, 23579 el 7848, no reg. Then I would go back on the easiest route on the map. It's a good forest out there but hardly pristine. Any hiker just doing Dee might be better off using the road from US 50. 4wds might get a mile in. But that's boring. A party with 2 cars could walk from 50 to 722. Posted 2020.
- MOUNT AIRY el 7613 is easy to get at. Take US 50 to a paved pullout at mp LA 6.6. An easy 4wd road goes from there for half a mile to el 6850 just past Mount Airy Spring. Horses go up into a saddle on the main ridge at N39 30585, W117 22175 7350. Then all you have to do is follow a trail of horse shit to the reg at 31335, 22635. I returned by way of a large rock ring at 31017, 22394 el 7400 then another at 30881, 22325 el 7350. I then walked east across a canyon to a minor cave I could see. It has a ring but horses have trampled it. I headed back out and found a seep at 30780, 22128 el 7100. Horses are fenced out of it but that won't last. Indians and loggers must have used it. That took a bit over 2 hours. There's only 900 gain to do the peak and half is easy. Posted 2020.
- MOUNT ARDIVEY el 9400 dominates the south Shoshone Range. Take Nv 844 from Nv 361 near Gabbs for about 16 miles to a fork at a quarry. Take the right fork for half a mile to a 4 way. Go right on the main valley graded road for 13 miles to a crude road on the left at N38 42330, W117 41200. Go up the road for 2 and a half miles then go right up the Merritt Canyon road. This easy 4wd road goes for nearly 5 miles to a shady mine cabin where you park at 42325, 34509 el 7600. Walk up the road 300 feet then go up the right slope and aim for a minor saddle at 42562, 34072 el 8000+. Now just go up the ridge to the top at 42314, 33310. 2 and a half hours, 1800 gain. Quite a pleasant hike. The last 7 miles of road would make a good mtn bike ride. A tiny spring is up canyon from the cabin at 42393, 34238. In 2012, a 300 foot long section of brush was blocking the road about a mile and a quarter before the cabin. Either sacrifice your paint, hike/bike from there, or trim it. Don't expect some other sucker to get there first and fix it. Nobody goes out there. The peak didn't even have a register. Ardivey himself prob'ly didn't even climb it.
