Peaks around Hawthorne, Nv

                                   Alum Canyon, Wassuk Range.                     

Hawthorne is a good place to spend a week if you have a jeep. Many peaks in the area have 4wd roads to or near the summit. A paved road runs the length of the Wassuk Range on the east side. The north end of town has dollar stores and a Safeway. The best camping is in Alum Canyon about 6 miles south of town off Nv 359. Go to mp MI 27.3 then turn on a good dirt road for 3 or 4 miles to campsites under ponderosa pines. Sharp dips in the road will stop RVs until they grade it. The stream was flowing near the upper campsites in June 2013. In 2020, it had even more dips.

• EXCELSIOR MOUNTAIN el 8670 is SE of Hawthorne. Take Nv 359 south from town to mp MI 17.3. Go east on a graded road for 2 and a quarter miles then go right on a decent road that goes around a farm and keep going for about 8 and a half miles to a 4wd track on the right at N38 19246, W118 25161 el 6500. Go up the rocky track for a mile to the end el 7000. A couple of saplings need to be cut out of the way. Start hiking up the slope at 18554, 24570 which is right next to the parking area. It starts out steep and seems to be the wrong way but it soon eases up on the ridgetop and circles to the peak. At el 8100 keep to the right of a minor bump. It's a very pleasant grade and had a good flower show in late May. The reg is at 18089, 23506. A unique quadpod is just to the north and still standing in 2013. I went straight back down on a steep slope. 3 hours, 1700 gain. This is a much nicer hike than Moho. Posted 2013.
• BUCKLEY BM el 7888 is the high point of the Gillis Range. Go to Thorne Rd at the north end of Hawthorne. It's at a flashing light a mile and a half north of Safeway. Take Thorne until the end of pavement then follow graded dirt for 5 and a half miles to a faint 4wd track going up a canyon on the left. GPS reading here is N38 39162, W118 31344 el 5900. The 4wd track goes left of a dike and stays on benches for 3/4 mile and is fairly easy. It then drops into the wash and the going gets tougher. It's faster to walk the wash. I made it another mile up the wash on a heavy dirt bike. Then the badly eroded road goes parabolic up a ridge. I had a short but steep hike to the reg at 40975, 33040. From the graded road it would be 3 miles one way and 2000 gain, 4wds would have a little over 2 miles. Posted 2013.
• MABLE MOUNTAIN el 8014, high point of the Garfield Hills, is east of Hawthorne. Go east from town on 95 to the Garfield Flat Rd at mp MI 41.2. Take that graded road for 17 miles to a 4wd road at N38 23163, W118 17388. The first 4 miles of the road aren't tough. The last mile goes parabolic and is eroded. I walked the last mile gaining 1000 feet. The reg is at 27395, 18491. The Garfield Flat Rd goes on to Mina.
• POWELL MOUNTAIN el 9540 is in the south end of the Wassuk Range. Take Nv 359 to mp MI 17.3 and turn west on a good road into Powell Canyon. Go about 4 and a half miles to an easy 4wd road at N38 20191, W118 39597 el 7200. Take the 4wd road toward the peak and keep right at forks. In about 2 miles it ends at el 7900 but it will cost you some paint. I had a simple plan. Just go up the canyon south of the peak and then up into a high saddle behind the peak and come back to the summit. But the canyon is clogged with aspen. I had to go directly up the SE ridge. The first 500 feet is too steep and loose to be any fun. Here's what I would do next time. From the end of the road, walk up the aspen canyon on the left bank to a left side canyon at 19167, 41215. Go up that to a broad basin. Then go right to 18742,42534 where you can easily pass back into the aspen canyon then aim for the high saddle at 19435,42672 el 8800. The reg is at 19665, 41984. Then come down the SE ridge. This loop looks like 5 miles. It took me 3 hours to go up and down the SE ridge. I saw bear tracks in the aspen canyon. Posted 2013.
• NORTH CANYON PEAK 8860 is what I call the high one at the head of North Canyon- drive the same as Cory Peak to the 4wd road N38 26241, W118 44230 el 7500, but turn left on FR 753 and stay straight on it to a T then go left to a gully at 25169, 43764 el 8100. Go up that to where it tops out at 25071, 43565 el 8600 then go left on class 2 to the summit at 25160, 43479. It's easy to walk south to peak 8850 that has survey junk then down the obvious ridge to the road. 90 minutes, 1000 gain, no brush. The road goes on to a mine then switches down but that part is eroding. Posted 2020.
•  BIG INDIAN PEAK el 10000+ also has a road most of the way. Take E Street south out of Hawthorne to paved Spanish Spring Rd. This is just a half mile before the Lucky Boy Pass turnoff. Follow the pavement to the end then keep going up into Cory Canyon. The road is good until a narrows where it becomes 4wd. Keep right at a main fork at el 7600. Here the road starts climbing the slope. The road goes on up to a locked gate el 9600. Then it's a short hike to the peak at N38 29291, W118 47924. It's just inside the military base but I could tell no one ever goes out there. Posted 2013, 2020.
• BULLER MOUNTAIN el 9450 has a jeep road most of the way. Go south from Hawthorne on Nv 359 for about 4 miles to the sign for Lucky Boy Pass. Take the graded road  west for a dozen miles then turn left at a sign for the Borealis Mine. Follow this good road past the mine then it loops west around it. After more than 4 miles from the Lucky Boy Rd look for a jeep road on the left at N38 22359, W118 44929 el 7200. The first 3 miles to el 8200 are easy 4wd, then it gets steeper and rubbly. If you make it to the treeless summit plateau area above 8500, you can camp with good views of the Sierra. I saw bear tracks on the jeep road. There is a smoother 4wd road going up Jim Canyon to el 8800, but then there is a 300 foot peak in the way. The main dirt road at the base of the range goes on thru Powell Canyon back to 359. Posted 2013.
• BULLER MOUNTAIN EAST APPROACH - Cottonwood Creek has a trail to el 7200. Take highway 359 to mp 23.8 and turn on easy 4wd and go up canyon nearly 3 miles to the end el 6800. A shady camp area is 2.3 miles in at el 6600. A trail goes on up canyon to cabin ruins in an aspen grove el 7200. I left the trail just before at N38 23119, W118 38890 el 7150. I took an angle up to the right to get on a ridge. It goes parabolic but I could zigzag up. At 23330, 39386 el 8250 I walked level to the left to get to a saddle el 8250 on the rim. I went up the rim and hit a game trail at 23180, 40348 el 8700 and just kept going up the bald ridge to the reg at 22870, 41255. On the return I retraced back then stayed on the rim past peak 8374 and took a ridge directly back to the TH but had to deal with clutter to get past that peak. It's better to retrace back the same way. 4 hours, 45 minutes, 2800 gain. I can do this in shorts. I saw no water in September but an ancient pipeline along the trail means there was some once. This is the best hike on this page and next time I'll descend into Alum Creek and it will be even better. Posted  2020.
• BULLER MOUNTAIN from ALUM CREEK - this is one of the best summer hikes in the state. Take highway 359 to mp 27.3 and turn on the decent road that goes up the canyon. Cars might have trouble at several dips. The road ends at a major fork in the canyon el 6400 with camps under ponderosa pines. Stroll up the left fork for nearly a mile to a main fork and start up the ridge in between. The reading there is N38 24073, W118 40403 el 6950. Go up to el 8000 where brush gets in the way. I moved right to 23518, 40333 and that worked OK, but moving left might be less steep. Just keep going straight up to the rim of Cottonwood Creek el 8600 or so then it's easy to the summit at 22870, 41255. Then descend to a ridge at 23131, 41088 el 9100 and on past peak 8161 to 23767, 41035 el 8100 and the rest is obvious down the main ridge to the start.  4 hours, 2600 noticeable gain, no brush. The east rim of the canyon would make a good alternate descent as well as Cottonwood Creek. I don't even know how far you have to go in Nevada to find a pine forest as good as this one. Posted 2020.
• JIM PEAK el 9311 is what I call the one at the head of Jim Canyon. Turn off highway 359 at mp 17.3 and follow a good road up Powell Canyon for nearly 4 miles to FR 168. Turn right onto that and stay left at main forks to the end a decent camp el 8800. Walk a game trail extending from the end of the road for a quarter mile or so to where it turns a corner then go up a ridge to Jim Peak at N38 22120, W118 40745 el 9311. A faint road connects over to Buller. The reg is at 22871, 41258. 2 hours for both peaks, 1200 gain, short patches of very light brush. The roads are smooth but will soon be for OHVs only. Posted 2020.
• ALUM PEAK el 7700+ is what I call the prominent peak at the mouth of Alum Creek canyon. Take highway 359 to mp 27.3 and turn on the decent road that goes up the canyon. Cars might have trouble at several dips. At N38 25627, W118 39909 el 6000 there is a brushy road branching to the left. It soon gets narrow then no more turnarounds. It ends at a fall el 6200. It's easy to walk around the fall to the creekbed at the top then go up onto the left rim and just keep going up in a nice forest. A good Indian rock ring is on the summit at 25515, 38709. 2 hours, 10 minutes, 1700 gain, no brush. PEAK 7711 is another easy one up canyon. Drive to the end of the road el 6450 in Alum Creek then stroll up the left fork. At the next main fork el 6650 there was a tiny stream. Stay left at that fork then start up at 24060, 40313 el 7000 and walk an easy angle up to the left to get on a ridge. Go up that to el 7500 then cut left to an obvious saddle el 7550. Keep going to rock rings at 24402, 40093 el 7600 then to a saddle at 24616, 40121 el 7500. The peak is a fifth mile beyond that. Then head down the west ridge to 24720, 40368 el 7450 and then at el 7250 there is a rock ring. Just below that get on the final ridge at 24663, 40514 el 7200 and follow it down. 2 and a half hours with 700 noticeable gain, no brush. This has a great ponderosa pine forest. Both peaks could be done together with a shuttle. Posted 2020.
• NORTH CANYON is the next major canyon west to Alum Creek. It has a decent high clearance road then it's easy to walk the creekbed but I didn't go far. Posted 2020.
• BLACK MOUNTAIN el 8100 is at the north end of the Wassuk Range. The roads are so tedious that it's not worth it unless you're going out to the west and maybe doing nearby Bald Mountain as well. Leave 95 a few feet north of mp MI 74. Go west a short way to a T at the old highway. Go north on the old highway a short way then go left on a decent one lane dirt road. The first 6 miles are on packed sand then comes another 6 miles on bumpy rocks. You'll merge with a better road on the west side valley floor then go another mile to a 4wd road reading N38 52182, W118 56721. Take the 4wd road north for 4 miles to a bad spot in the canyon where bedrock is exposed, but it's not a big deal. Right after that keep right at a fork that goes onto the right bench of the canyon. Soon you're at another fork reading 54826, 54153 el 6500. Go left at this fork and start climbing the left slope of the canyon. The road looked wide enough for a jeep but I didn't see any tracks wider than an OHV. As usual the switchbacks have turnarounds. The road tops out above el 7000 in a valley with two lake beds. I rode on another 2 and a half miles to the end of the road at 56790, 55038 el 7800. From there it's a third of a mile to the BM at 56655, 54739. The actual high point is a bit to the south. The surveyors erected a 15 foot high pole at the BM to rise above the trees. The reg was placed in 2009 but no one had signed in since. One way to cut down on driving bad road is to use a short spur road shown on the map at 55650, 54822 el 7500. It seems to go to el 7700, but will have more walking on lava rocks.   Posted 2013. BALD MOUNTAIN el 9000+ has a road up it from the west. Drive the same as Black Mtn but turn south at N38 51735, W118 55718. Stay on the main road and don't take any left forks. I tried one for a shortcut and it was washed out. The main road will swing far west to major power lines. Go south along those to a road with wooden power poles at 44812, 57615 el 4950. Now there is just this one road to follow east to the summit. I made it on my 125 to el 7700 where the road goes parabolic. I couldn't get traction but a Dodge truck had no trouble. In a 4wd I would camp on the summit and hike the crest north to the last 9000 footer. Posted 2014.
• DRY CANYON is on the west side of Walker Lake. The road in it is washed away except on benches. Cycles can still get part way. Turn off US 95 at mp MI 65, right across from the Sportsman's camp area entrance. I rode up about 1.8 air miles from the highway to a 4 foot high dry fall. One tricky spot along the way was in some cottonwoods. There was nearly always a narrow channel to ride in. One potential hike here is to go up Dry Canyon and cross over to Copper Canyon then down that to US 95. About a half mile south on US 95 is another 4wd road in better shape. It goes up to a mine at el 5700. It's easy to there, then the road narrows and gets rubbly. I was stopped by deep rubble at el 6100. Turnarounds are scarce beyond the mine. Posted 2014.