Clipper Mountains Wilderness

Hummingbird Spring

Spot the sheep

Hummingbird Peak

Castle Dome

Fake Rock Spring

Bonanza Spring

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  HUMMINGBIRD PEAK el 3600+ is what I call a rugged peak a mile west of Hummingbird Spring. Take the Essex Rd from Essex for a mile and a half NW to some power lines. Turn SW on an easy 4wd road and go a mile and a half then turn NW and go nearly 4 miles to the end of the road el 2200. Walk up the road remnants for half a mile to the spring. It's in the wash at N34 45200, W115 20642 el 2300. A tub has water with a lot of algae but clear water drips fast out of it. Continue south on the road over a low ridge to the next big wash and a mine camp. Walk up the pleasant wash then climb out at 45204, 21266 el 2550 and walk the high ground toward a main saddle to the right of the peak. A couple of sheep were hanging around here. Soon you have to go back into the wash but get out again at 45437, 21421 el 2700 and follow along the drainage up to the main saddle at 45627, 21602 el 3050. Now just go left up the ridge to the summit at 45491, 21952. 4 hours, 1600 gain, not very steep. Roads to the TH are mtn bikeable. Posted Nov, 2016, 2019.
• CLIP BENCHMARK el 4500+ and CASTLE DOME el 3280 can be hiked from the Tom Reed mine. Clip BM is the high point and Castle Dome is a mess of crags and spires and also the only named peak in the range. Drive west from Essex on Route 66 for 6 miles to gas road #203. Take that for 3 and a quarter miles to road #149. Take that for a bit over 2 miles to the mine.  About half way to the mine the real road will climb up onto the right bank. It's easy 4wd as far as the mine. Just past the mine, the road makes a hard right and gets tougher. I parked about a mile beyond the mine, near the wilderness boundary and walked a tenth mile to an Indian trail at N34 42413, W115 23675. You can save some 4 wheeling and just use the Indian trail described below  that merges with the one I used. Walk the flats to an obvious gap to the right of Castle Dome. A developed spring, which I call Fake Rock Spring, is in the gap at 42953,  23045. Two troughs had water, one inside a plastic rock. That could make for a base camp. Keep going then an obvious class 2 route goes up Castle Dome, just left of guzzler tanks. Trails go to the guzzler, the Marvin Wood Big Game Guzzler. Then it's simple to go up bedrock to the left. For a wuss route, circle around the east side of the Dome to 43929, 22605 el 2700 where the easy route up the NE ridge is in view. At el 2950 some minor crags are in the way but a sheep trail goes low along the right side. The summit is at 43720, 22736. For Clip BM, drop back down the NE ridge and walk up the main valley. When it shrinks to a deep channel, get on the left bank and walk to a sheep trail at 44326, 23307 el 3150. Walk that down across the channel and be on the trail on the other side at 44392, 23315 el 3200. The trail goes high along the right slope of the canyon and gets fuzzy at one spot. Pick it up again at 44525, 23348 el 3400 and then it soon crosses to the other side and goes up the obvious slopes to the high saddle el 3900. From the saddle, the sheep go left around the first crag then back up to center. Then they stay left of center to 44807, 23596 el 4150 where they go low around the right side of the final crag and then up to the plateau where it's an easy stroll to the reg at 45246, 23013. And they do all that without a GPS! On the return, I cut thru a low gap to a trail at 43968, 23225 el 2900 then walked that down to a main wash. Soon that wash had a trail on the left bank. Finally, I left that wash at 43374, 23048 for the home stretch back. The hike to Clip and back took 6 hours, 10 minutes with less than 2000 feet of noticeable gain. The side trip to Castle Dome takes half an hour with nearly 600 gain. This is one of the best hikes in the Mojave. The gas road goes on and meets the Bonanza Spring road in another mile. Posted Nov, 2016.
• INDIAN TRAIL - a trail connects Bonanza Spring to Fake Rock Spring then on along the south side of Castle Dome. It can be picked up on the far side of a low ridge along road #149 at N34 41812, W115 23562. It might be best to use a mine trail going over the ridge. Then it goes to 41940, 23466 then 42159, 23414 then 42517, 23377 and on to the spring at 42953, 23045. It goes past the spring to 43126, 22959 then 43201, 22911 then close to Castle Dome at 43286, 22729 Posted 2018, 2019.
• TOM REED PEAK el 4100 is what I call the twin peak NW of the Tom Reed mine.  Drive west from Essex on Route 66 for 6 miles to gas road #203. Take that for 3 and a quarter miles to road #149. Take that for a bit over 2 miles to the mine.  About half way to the mine the real road will climb up onto the right bank. It's easy 4wd as far as the mine then there are some tricky spots and finally a washout el 2450 about 3/4 mile past the mine. From there, walk the low ground to a gap at N34 42673, W115 24748 el 2600. Go thru to the next big wash to the north. Go up that to a fork at 43156, 25458 el 2800 and keep right. The wash will enter a narrows with a seep at 43423, 25928 el 2950 where tadpoles were hanging on in a pint of water (that had several gallons in 2020). Go on up the wash to a fork el 3250 which is .43 mile before the peak. Take the right fork then go up into a saddle on the right rim at 43952, 26435 el 3600 then follow the ridge up to the peak at 44054, 26764. 4 and a half hours, 1700 gain. Half the gain is in easy washes. Posted March, 2017.   
• INDIAN PEAK el 3854 is what I call the peak a mile and a half east of Van BM. The Indians likely passed thru the north saddle to connect to the Granite Mtns.  Drive west from Essex on Route 66 for 6 miles to gas road #203. Take that for 3 and a quarter miles to road #149. Take that for a bit over 2 miles to the mine.  About half way to the mine the real road will climb up onto the right bank. It's easy 4wd as far as the mine then there are some tricky spots and finally a washout el 2450 about 3/4 mile past the mine. From there, walk the low ground to a gap at N34 42673, W115 24748 el 2600. Go thru to the next big wash to the north. Go up that to a fork at 43156, 25458 el 2800 and keep right. The wash will enter a narrows with a seep. Keep going until in the wash until directly under a trail at 43497, 26407 el 3250. Go up a steep slope to it and follow it to a saddle with a rock outrcrop. The trail resumes on top of the outcrop and goes into the main saddle el 3380. Then follow a trail up the ridge and to the right into the last saddle. Then it's a matter of going directly up to a cairn on the summit at 43189, 26759. For a loop back, retrace down 50 feet and walk the high main ridge to 43043, 26326 el 3450. A sheep trail goes left from there along a cliff base to a smooth ridge down to the washes you came up. A hole in the sand at 43126, 25590 el 2800 had water and appeared to have been dug out by sheep. That took 4 hours, 13 minutes with about 1000 noticeable gain. The only place I saw an Indian trail for sure is at the mine reading 42122, 24072 but they had to be going over that saddle el 3380. The washes are so easy they didn't need a trail. Posted 2020.
•  CLIP BENCHMARK via WW2 road -  In 2006, I parked in a south side pullout on I-40 at N34 46846, W115 26253. I walked to the old rd at 46402, 26162 and followed it to the summit ridge then left to the reg. This road, shown on the topo, is the easiest route but dull and risks a ticket. Posted 2016.
• VAN BENCHMARK el 4000 is the high peak in the west part of the range. From Essex, drive west on Route 66 for a bit over 9 miles to a sign for Danby Rd. Turn north and go 2 and a half miles on easy 4wd to gas road #203. Turn left for .9 mile to road #142. That's the road you want but the first part is a mess. But there's a way around. As the topo shows, it goes west and dips back south toward the gas road. So stay on the gas road for another 1.3 air miles to a hill bypass. Drive that to the northern tip of the hill, then keep going on the road for another 100 feet to line up with the washes. Then drive across the flat for a tenth mile to a wash at N34 40684, W115 26318. Drive the wash to a tricky fork at a dark knoll. Take the right fork and it rubs against the west edge of the knoll then goes on to road #142 reading 41027, 26339.  The road runs west then into a canyon where it soon goes onto the left bank and over into the next major wash. Follow it up to where it forks left out of the wash at 42231, 27690 el 2600. Park there and walk the road into another wash and stay in the wash to a left fork at 42718, 27854 el 2750. Go up the left fork and soon the peak is in view. Walk the obvious main wash to the base of the peak and stay in it as it swings toward the main east saddle. Get on the left bank at 43127, 28095 el 3000. I stayed on the left all the way to the saddle but found another route with better footing. For that route, just stay on the left bank to another bank at 43278, 27978 el 3150. Walk that then climb up to the right on bedrock at 43360, 28002 el 3300. It's easy to go on to the main east saddle el 3500 then go up the ridge on sheep trails. At 43490, 28187 el 3850 is where some minor crags get in the way. I went over but the sheep route stays low on the right side for 200 feet then climbs back up behind the crags. The remaining sheep route to the BM is obvious. The BM is at 43495, 28361. On the return, I retraced down the bedrock then went SE thru a major saddle and walked down a smooth ridge. 3 hours, 1400 gain. The rock and soil are colorful here. I don't know where sheep are getting water. None of this is in the wilderness. The last 3 miles of road are for serious 4 wheelers only. It would only add a couple of hours to walk from the gas road. Some maps show a road going directly in from the gas road, but it's hard to see on the sat image. Posted 2016, 2019. WASH LOOP - an easy hike can be done along the road to Van BM. Start on high ground at 41536, 27161 and follow it to a main canyon in view ahead. Go up the colorful canyon past a couple of minor class 3 falls to a fork at 42400, 26771. Go left and a fall blocks progress but just climb over the left rim to another wash and follow that to a saddle at 42544, 26897. Then it's all downhill back to the start. 100 minutes with hardly any strain and mostly smooth washes. Posted 2020.
• BONANZA SPRING has been restored by the BLM. From Essex, go a bit over 9 miles west on Route 66 to a sign for Danby Rd. Turn NW on easy 4wd for a bit over 3 miles to the spring. There is also a gas road about 6 miles from Essex that can be used. Tables and a nature trail have been set up. INDIAN TRAILS go north from the spring and can be used for an easy loop hike around peak 869. From the upper parking area, walk 200 feet up an old road then go right on a trail down to a thicket. Walk along the edge to the Indian trail at N34 41151, W115 24305. It goes up to the east rim and splits. One goes north but I took the one going east and it fades in a small wash that feeds into a huge wash. Go up the small wash and stay in the main channel to the north trail at 41482, 24187. Walk it a tenth mile thru a saddle then down to the flats. Leave it and walk to another wash at 41812, 24224. Go up that a quarter mile to a possible petroglyph. Take a left fork there then over a saddle at 41753, 24675 then it's all downhill back to the start. 2 hours with hardly any strain. Posted 2016, 2020.

Silurian Hills, California

Jakes Cabin was restored by Jake Samland

Three large, unvandalized trucks have gone missing in recent years

                             These "hills" are really jagged peaks infested with mine trails and relics. It takes 4wd to get at any of it.  RVs can park on Silurian Lake at mp SBD 19.6 on highway 127. The lake gets a good VZ signal. Storm Hilary dumped a lot of silt on the lake in 2023 and now deep cracks make it tricky for two wheelers. Updated 2024

• The 4wd south side road accesses most of the major peaks.  Drive to mp SBD 16.8 on highway 127. Turn on road #D111 and go 3 miles to the old RR. D111 keeps going east. At N35 30039, W116 03316 there is a major junction. Continuing straight to the east dead ends and accesses Silurian Benchmark. Going right at the junction takes you south nearly 6 miles to the big power lines at 26134, 00683. That segment isn't rocky but has a million tiny minor dips. A good road follows the power lines for over 7 miles back to the highway. Update 2022.
• MOSQUITO PEAK el 3000 is what hikers call the high peak in the western part of the range. Mine trails shown on the topo can be used to make an interesting loop. Drive to mp SBD 16.8 on highway 127. Turn on a 4wd road and go 3 miles to the old RR grade. Go north on that for 350 feet and turn east on D166. Go a mile and a third on a worse road to a T. Then go left and stay right at the next fork to the edge of a wash, about a quarter mile from the T. Hike up the wash and get on a mine road on the right bank at N35 30435, W116 05584 el 1350. Walk that to the end at a private claim el 1600, but not posted. A trail starts up the slope at the end of the road. Follow that up to where it levels off at el 2350. Along the way at el 1900 is a view of the return trail below. Next is a short side trail reading 30705, 05085 el 2350 goes to a car used for a winch. The main trail goes on and gets faint. Turn left to get to a saddle at 30818, 04976 el 2400 where the peak is in view. It's the pointy one. Go thru the saddle and walk level on a trail for 800 feet then veer left up an obvious drainage to get on the easy west ridge at 31069, 05099 and go up to the reg on top. Placed in 1980, it only had a couple of entries. Come back to the saddle el 2400 and go thru then down the drainage. A trail becomes obvious in about a tenth mile. It goes down the drainage then exits and goes down a slope where the return trail is in view. At the bottom, walk washes around to the return trail and be on it at 30311, 04768 el 1600 where it goes thru a saddle and then on .15 mile where it splits. Stay on the low trail going up the drainage on the right bank. The one up high on the left is hard to walk. The low trail goes to a saddle then go left up to the high trail. Follow that down where it seems to go into the wash, but it stays high on the left bank then it's a short way back to the start. The loop took me 3 hours, 15 minutes with nearly 2000 gain. Add more time to look at relics. Posted 2016.  RIGGS PEAK el 2400 is what I call the one nearly a mile to the west. Start from the same parking area and walk north up the main wash to a bedrock ridge at 30796, 05645 el 1600. Go up until it gets steeper then merge into the canyon on the right. Go up that to 30908, 05783 el 2000 where the rest is in view to the south saddle el 2250. The summit is at 31049, 05874. 100 minutes, 800 noticeable gain with a lot of bedrock. Posted 2020.
• SILURIAN BRIDGE MINES TOUR - these mine trails are a mile NE of the Riggs site as shown on the topo. Drive to mp SBD 16.8 on highway 127. Turn on a 4wd road and go 3 miles to a washout. Go left around that and shortly you come to the old RR grade. Go north on that for 350 feet and turn east on D166. Go a mile to a cabin then go left up a wash to a mine trail at N35 30558, W116 05879 el 1300. I walked the trail past the bridge and on to a tunnel with rails next to a wooden tower. I then walked back along a cliff base to the bridge and found a trail going up along the left side. It goes past a mine on the left and up to a tunnel el 1800. No one had been there in decades. I retraced back down the trail and met the main trail and followed it back to a fork shown on the topo. I went left to a third tunnel then had a short walk back to the start. One or two hours, 500 gain. These miners had a swimming pool above the cabin. Posted 2020.
• SILURWIND PEAK el 2926 is what hikers call the next major peak east of Mosquito Peak. A loop with a lot of mine relics can be done. Drive to N35 29844, W116 04717 on the south side road. Now turn north for a mile to the end of the road el 1600 but park 100 feet short due to nails and shell casings waiting for tires to come by. Hike up the main wash for a quarter mile to a large ore tower. 400 feet past that on the left bank is a trail that gains 700 feet to a mine, but that's a side trip. 800 feet up the wash past the tower is a trail on the right bank. Follow that along the wash then the trail goes back into the wash after a fall then on to the saddle at the head of the wash. Then go up a ridge at 31285, 04503 el 2150. At a steep section, it's easier to angle left then it tops out el 2650 and the peak is in view at the end of a craggy ridge which is easier than it looks. The reg is at 30936, 03944. Placed in 1973, Macleod and Lilley came in 1980 then I showed up in 2008. Next retrace from the summit for 200 feet to a saddle then go left down a class 2 canyon. Cut over to the right at 30525, 03959 el 2050 for easier walking. A tunnel can be seen down to the left. It's only 20 feet deep. I went over to it and used a trail there to get down to the flats. That loop took me less than 3 hours with 1300 gain. The Mosquito Peak loop can also be done from this same parking area because it goes right by it. Posted 2017.
• SILURIAN HILLS HIGH POINT el 3738 has a mine trail up the south side to el 3400. Drive the south side road to a wash at N35 29738, W116 03398. Drive up that on smooth gravel for nearly 2 miles to the mouth el 2250 of Owl Canyon. Stroll up the canyon until it opens up then veer left to a road at 29506, 00260 el 2750. Go up that to the trail at 29703, 00292 el 2900 next to a wooden post. It crosses a gully then is easy to follow to mines at el 3400. It's short walk from there to the reg at 30028, 00503. At the summit, a mine road can be seen running along the south rim of Owl Canyon. I walked back on that then down a canyon at 29476, 01524 el 2550. At a huge cairn, I cut over the left rim then down to the mouth of Owl Canyon. That loop took me 3 hours, 10 minutes with 1000 feet of noticeable gain. Some private land is in Owl Canyon but it seems abandoned and not posted. Posted 2017. In 2020, I walked north off the summit down the center of the main ridge and on to Silurian BM. Then I retraced to 30426, 01115 el 3350 where I could follow an easy ridge down to Owl Canyon. At 29826, 01815 el 2250, I crossed a wash and then across some minor drainages to get back to the start. That took 3 and a half hours with about 1000 noticeable gain, easy terrain.  ALTERNATE DRIVE - the road from the SE is mild sand, no rocks. Turn off highway 127 at mp SBD 9.4 and follow along power lines for 9 miles to N36 26694, W115 59309. Turn left there into a wash and go nearly 5 miles to the mine trail. Posted 2018.
•  SILURIAN BENCHMARK el 3636 - a loop can be done up the easy west ridge then down the north side. Drive the south side road to the major junction at N35 30039, W116 03316. Then go NE up the main wash for 1.3 miles to a road forking up the right bank at the triangle shown on the topo. Walk the right fork to the end at a tunnel in a gully. Go a few feet up the gully then climb right to a trail that ends at white tailings on a ridge just above. Keep going up the ridge to the summit. For the last bit I angled around to the north side for an easy grade. From the summit area there is a trail in view below to the NE at 30795, 01445 el 2900. I went down the NW canyon and cut over to it, but could later see that dropping down a north drainage at 30633, 01203 and then curving down to the left might be better. The trail goes to roads that lead back to the start. 2 hours, 40 minutes with 1400 gain. I had no GPS that day but this is all obvious. The reg, placed by M&L in 1980, needs a jar. Another loop option is to walk from the BM on the high ridge to the range high point. PEAK 1001 meters is to the north of Silurian BM and could be done as a side trip. To do it as a separate hike, drive past the triangle up the main wash for 3/4 mile then walk into the east canyon of the peak. Pick a route up or follow the easy loop I did. I went up the canyon and got on high ground at 31207, 01555 el 2600 then on to the main saddle el 2750. Then I switched back up the easy east slope to 31285, 01750 el 3100 where I could look up and see a good route thru crags to the south summit el 3284. Then I walked the ridge to the north summit and back down to the main saddle. 2 hours, 900 gain. GATORADE PEAK el 3000+ is what I call the next peak to the west. The north ridge is the easy and obvious route. At the summit block, go around the left side to the summit cairn at 30723, 02457. 90 minutes, 700 gain. A glass Gatorade jar was on the north ridge at el 2750. Posted 2018.
• FANTA MINE TRAIL - an easy loop can be done thru 4 canyons. Park on the south side road and walk to a trail at a mine camp with a thousand cans at N35 30143, W116 03556 el 1750. A Fanta bottle and Coke bottle had survived vandals there. They are the no deposit glass type that came just before plastic. The trail runs NW to the far bank of the main wash then stays left of a dark crag then dips into the wash and immediately climbs out at 30348, 03604 then soon there is a risky segment that has slid out. I went 10 feet higher to skirt that and left cairns but it's only a few feet. The trail goes on into a gully and on thru a saddle with a tall cairn then joins the main wash again. The trail then runs on the right bank to a boring mine at 30723, 03639 el 2350. They built a trail for that? From there, cross the main saddle at 30668, 03496 el 2300 then go north down a canyon for 2/3 mile then cross to the right over a low spot into the next canyon and stroll up that to the head and over the saddle el 2300 then down canyon back to the start. 3 hours, easy grades. SHORT VERSION - just come back from the mine in the main wash and go left around a fall. That might take 90 minutes. Posted 2018, 2022.
•  NORTH PEAK el 2700 is what I call a peak on the rim of a scenic, high basin at the north end of the range. Leave highway 127 at mp SBD 19.6 and drive across Silurian Lake to an easy 4wd road at N35 32301, W116 10081. Drive nearly four miles to a cabin. Go past the cabin then stay left at one fork and park at a major wash a quarter mile past the cabin. Walk north along the road for a fifth mile to the next major wash reading 32104, 06237 then go up that to a fork at 31969, 05584. Go up the left fork to the end then up the ridge to survey junk on the summit at 32242, 05114. To loop back, circle left around the basin to the far low rim then follow that rim to the left and get in a canyon at 31755, 05129 el 2300. Go on down to falls then angle up on the left side and go thru a saddle 31557,05324 el 2150 then down easy slopes into the canyon that you are parked at. Next use the obvious, smooth low ridge all way to the end and hit the creekbed then out in that. 3 hrs,1500 gain. Nice canyons and a lot of smooth walking. Sheep tracks here indicated one animal scouting for water. It must have come over from the Avawatz that has the only water I know of. Posted 2016.
• WEST MINE TRAILS LOOP - a good hike on the west side ties together two mine trails. Leave highway 127 at mp SBD 19.6 and drive across Silurian Lake to an easy 4wd road at N35 32301, W116 10081. Go nearly four miles to a cabin and park 300 feet past it next to a mine road cutting up a slope. Follow the road to a mine trail at 31784, 06249 el 1500. Take the trail to some mines at el 1750 where the trail gets fuzzy. From the mines, go up the ridge a short way where the trail can be seen going along the left side of the ridge. It soon fades at a steel marker el 1850. From there, cut across some gullies to get to a saddle at 31581, 06024 el 1850. Go down the drainage on the other side of the saddle to some more mines then walk a road from there to a trail at 31457, 06291 el 1450. Follow that down to a wash then soon a gap on the right leads to the flats then go back to the start. 90 minutes, 600 gain. Posted 2016.  RAILROAD PEAKS is what I call the cluster along the RR grade on the drive in. For the high one, drive back and walk a fifth mile to a trail at 32147,07129. Go west on that to a low saddle then on up the ridge until you see a pothole in the canyon on the left. Get in there and go on up the main creekbed to the reg. Geologists called this Middle Island Peak. 700 gain, 1 hour. More peaks just to the south have trails. From the RR grade, get to a bladed strip at 31364, 07380 el 1000 where there are 3 trails. The left and middle one go to diggings. Take the one far right, next to a tunnel, and climb to a saddle where the trail splits. Stay right on the low trail to the end at a mine. Angle up to the left a few feet into a saddle and then go left around a bump then walk the ridge to the head of the main canyon that has been on your right. The highest peak is to the left. Go along the base of the south side cliffs to a gully at the far end and up that to an easy ridge for the rest. Come back down the main canyon and get on a trail at a fall to get back. 2 hours at most, 500 gain. Less if skipping the peak. These trails are on the topo. Posted 2018, 2022.

  

  Silurian Lake

  
  

  

  Bottle on Gatorade Peak. It still has some in it. Yum! Leave it in place in case thirsty hikers come by. Gatorade went to plastic in 1998 according to the web.

This rig is dated 1946

Chuck Martin and P. T. Moore? Nope, just two friendly CHP officers who dropped by at Silurian Lake to see how I was doing.

Mackay, Idaho

Mystery Peak

North Fork Lake

Goats napping at el 10000. They woke up when I moved closer. Lower Cedar Spring is the video below.

Pass Creek cuts a gorge  thru the Lost River Range near Mackay. Use the graded road at mp  101.3 on US 93. It goes into the gorge and there are several creekside campsites scattered along the way with one restroom. Mackay has a good grocery and a laundromat. Idaho Trails  is a website that details all the trails and dirt roads on a topo map for the whole state.

• BEAR CREEK LAKE el 8800 has a trail all the way. Turn off the Pass Creek Rd at N43 59059, W113 26889 el 6700. Drive along Bear Creek for a mile on easy 4wd to a fork el 7050. The right fork soon ends with no turnaround. Take the left fork for 2/3 mile to the end at the TH el 7300. That last 2/3 mile is rougher but no major obstacles. Mtn bikes would work to the TH but there it gets too steep. It took me 2 hours, 40 minutes to the lake and back, 1500 gain. The lake is at 59567, 30709. A better hike would be one way with no 4wd needed. Leave a car at the turnoff el 6700 on the Pass Creek Rd. Then drive to the pass and go west on a graded road to the Bear Creek Lake upper TH el 8000, just past a group camp. The trail, shown on the topo,  goes over a divide el 9000 then down to Bear Creek where, at el 7950, is the signed spur trail to the lake, not shown on the topo. Mtn bikes are feasible to the divide, but I didn't walk the part of the trail from the divide down to the creek. It's all downhill from the divide to the lower car, so what's the worst that could happen? The spur trail to the lake is not open to bikes but it's too steep anyway. Have some beer in your car to bribe OHVers for a shuttle. They'll do anything for beer. Posted 2016.
• HIDDEN MOUTH CAVE is a big room with a couple of smaller side rooms. Drive up the Pass Creek Rd thru the gorge and take the first right after it opens up. A 4wd road goes up to the TH which is at N43 57440, W113 26236 el 7000. I rode my cycle there, but in a 4wd I would park 500 feet short of it where the road gets nasty. It's less than 10 minutes to the cave and the trail is steep. Posted 2016.
• INVISIBLE MOUNTAIN el 11330 has a jeep road to el 7300 on the SW ridge. Use the  graded Bench Rd running south of the peak  to get to BLM road #498 at N43 54138, W113 31073. Go a mile and a half on that road to a fork el 6400 on the west bank of Mahogany Gulch. Left goes to the SW ridge, right goes to the south ridge then on to the SW ridge. At el 7100 is a very steep part, requiring a locking diff,  then it levels off at a sunny camp spot, just short of a radio tower (or maybe it's a movie screen?). The route goes from the radio tower and up around the west side of crags and into the saddle el 8400 on the SW ridge. Hike past the radio tower to a game trail at 56666, 32451 el 7600. Follow that for 350 feet to a clearing, which shows on the topo. Go straight up the clearing to 56760, 32460 where the trail takes a minor dip. Gently angle up along the base of crags to a corner at 56875, 32355 and those are the last coords you really need. From there you just keep going up. I went from there along the base of the crags into the saddle at 56916, 32238 el 8400. Then it was easy going up the ridge at first. When it steepened I drifted right of center to stay under rocks. I hit treeline at 57223, 31656 el 9600. I then zigzagged back to the center of the ridge at el 10100. At el 11000 the ridge drops 40 feet and you cross a neck. Just stay on center and it's class 3. The BM, spelled " INVISABLE ", is at 57980, 30903. 7 hours, 4100 gain. The 300 feet going up into the saddle el 8400 is the steepest with some minor backsliding. There is some light brush below the 7800 level. It might be feasible to walk from the tower into Swauger Gulch and go up that way. Posted August, 2016.
• JAGGLE BENCHMARK el 10772 has a logging road up Jaggles Canyon to a meadow el 7900. 4wds can make it to el 7000. There is a sign for Elbow Canyon along Pass Creek Rd out in the flats. Turn there and go straight east a mile and a quarter to a fork reading N43 54965, W113 25711. Take the right fork for half a mile to another fork and keep left. Stay on the main road going south and it will swing back to power lines and go on to a gate at 51853, 22545. Turn left there and drive a short way to the mouth of Jaggles Canyon. The road thus far has been high clearance on packed dirt, a mtn bike would work to the mouth only.  The road up the canyon is not eroded but has patches of little rocks, making for a bumpy ride. 4wd might not be needed, but a jeep would barely fit. A camp at 52465, 20925 el 7000 is the end of the line for 4wds and I could see some had been there. I made it another 700 feet on my cycle to el 7150. It's a steep ATV trail beyond there. Hike up the trail to the meadow where the ascent ridge is in view. Cross the meadow and circle left to 52940, 20127 el 8100 where you can look directly up the ridge and see that it's not so tough. Go on up and stay on center all the way to the crest at  53277, 19323 el 10400. I cut left about 100 feet before the top and it got unstable. It's just a stroll to the BM at 53726, 19669 until the last bit which is a class 2 knife edge. A game trail goes up and over. For the descent, I followed that trail down the north side to the first saddle el 10600 then down the drainage on fine scree. BIG MISTAKE ! Stay off the fine scree. It's not deep enough. I used my walking stick for self arrest and got over to the larger scree then had no trouble with sliding. It might work better to go north to the main saddle el 10300 then descend.  At el 9600 it levels off and the rest of the way down is on easy dirt. I walked along the edge of the scree field on game trails and into the forest at 53429, 20152 el 9100 then down thru the trees to the meadow. Starting at el 7150, the loop took me 5 hours with 3700 gain. I was wearing long pants and the few patches of light brush didn't even slow me down. There wasn't a drop of water or snow, but I drank less than a quart. The survey tower on top was still standing. This is a 4 hour hike for an ATV.  Posted August, 2016.
• SUNSET PEAK el 10693 has an OHV trail to el 8450 on the rim of Mud Lake Canyon. Turn off the Pass Creek Rd at N43 58545, W113 26706 el 6600 and follow  OHV trail #4094 past Mud Lake and up over the divide el 8343. Drop down the other side to Wet Creek Basin and right away a spur trail comes into view that goes up to the rim of the canyon where everything is in view. Step over the fence and stroll up the canyon to the main saddle el 10050 then turn right and mosey on up on easy tundra to the summit at 58562, 22200. 4 hours, 2400 gain, never steep. This peak is so easy, it makes pie look hard. MTN BIKE APPROACH - bikes would want to enter the canyon at a lower point.  Follow #4094 to the first fork which is #4192. Go right on that into the canyon to a fork el 7700. Go left and soon it's a foot trail. I stopped there but it's less than a mile up canyon to join the upper route. ROCKY PEAK el 9600+ is what I call the dramatic peak about a mile and a half SW of Sunset Peak. It's the same approach as above for mtn bikes, but go right at the fork el 7700 in Mud Lake Canyon. I got my cycle to the 8000 level right at a big slab of bedrock. Go up the slope there to the top of the ridge at N43 58344, W113 24532 el 8300+. Then just go up the ridge on elk trails to the summit at 57918, 24043. Some minor crags near the top are easily passed on the right. That's a nice forest hike. That took me 3 hours with 1600 gain.  Posted 2016.
• WET BENCHMARK el 11309 towers over Bear Creek Lake. A cycle/mtn bike trail goes to el 9000. Take the Pass Creek Rd to the pass and go west on a graded road to the Bear Creek Lake TH, just past a group camp. The reading there is N44 01245, W113 29286 el 8000. I rode a 125 up the trail to a bad spot el 8600 about .8 air mile from the start. With help, I could have walked the cycle past that and then easily rode on to the divide el 9000. Hike up the ridge from the divide using game trails. Just before the ridge tops out, use a trail on the right at N44 00066, W113 30681 that cuts into a saddle el 10400 where the rest is in view. Peak 10800+ is right next to this saddle and would make for a shorter hike. To get at Wet BM, you have to gently lose 500 feet down to the north end of the basin below then easily walk across it and decide which saddle to use for the peak. I went up to the north saddle then had a faint game trail on up to the top, but there was some class 3 rock and a knife edge to deal with. I came down the south saddle and it was class 1. Going up the south saddle would be the easiest but you have to circle over cliffs to get into it, meaning gaining an extra 100 feet. Game trails help a little because there is a guzzler in that saddle. The BM is at N43 59572, W113 32261.  Using the divide el 9000 as the starting point, the hike took me 7 hours with 3300 gain. Easy terrain. The only water I encountered was a few snow patches. A party with 2 cars could make an even better hike by returning via Bear Creek Lake. Just follow the main drainage down from the basin el 10000 to the lake and hit the trail on the east shore at N43 59567, W113 30709 el 8800 then stroll on down to Pass Creek Rd where you spotted a car reading N43 59059, W113 26889 el 6700. Part of the trail from the lake isn't shown on the topo, but everything else is. You can see a lot of this as you're going up. Posted Aug 3, 2016. 
• LOWER CEDAR CREEK has a maintained trail with bridges to a mega spring. From US 93 at Mackay, take main street for 2.5 miles to a sign for the creek reading N43 54602, W113 34105. Turn there on a gravel road that goes a bit over  4 miles to the TH el 6800. The last 2 miles are high clearance but it's mtn bikeable. It's a mile and a half on a rocky trail to the spring el 7350. There are ruins of a wooden aqueduct built by miners. Posted August, 2018.
• MOUNT McCALEB el 11682 is not one I hiked, but I rode out to see what access is like.  From US 93 at Mackay, take main street for 2.5 miles to a sign for the Lower Cedar Creek reading N43 54602, W113 34105. Turn there on a gravel road and go 3.7 miles then make a U turn to the left to get on the next level. Then go nearly half a mile to a wooden post at 57634, 34994. Go left there for about 2 miles to where the FS closed the road at the forest boundary on the south slope at 58705, 36810 el 7000. Hikers go up to the west saddle el 10650 then turn to the summit, all class 2. 4wd is needed at a couple of spots for the drive in. This access is all public land. Posted August, 2018.
• UPPER CEDAR CREEK has a short trail that's useful for anyone camping at Mackay Reservoir. A mtn bike can make it into a more fruitful outing. I would ride to the sign el 6200 at mp 115 on US 93 then go 4 miles up the dirt road to the mouth el 7100 where the foot trail starts. The last 3 miles of road are high clearance. About 5 minutes up the trail are 2 wades then no more. Nearly a mile up is where a left fork is pouring in. I would stop there because the trail gets difficult and fades in brush after another half mile. It's a shady trail but some itchy plants need pruning. Posted August, 2018.

Newfoundland Mountains, Hogup Mountains

Desert Peak as seen from S. Newfoundland BM

Squirrel Spr is guarded by vicious "attack squirrels" like this one. You have to get their permission before you can drink. They're easily bribed with popcorn.

A mine in Dells Canyon with a chute made of barrels welded together.

Big Pass

Sheep trail on the descent from Military Peak to the guzzlers.

The Newfoundland Mtns are obscure to hikers but ranchers and miners have used the range for decades. The mines have played out and a wildlife organization bought the grazing rights so now only bighorn sheep graze there. Dirt roads come in from the north and south. Use a site like caltopo.com to view 7.5 topo maps and get all the coordinates you'll need. The main dirt road comes south from highway 30 to Kelton then goes west for nearly 3 miles to Table Mtn. It goes south there for 24 miles to a fork at The Fingerpoint where the topo shows BM 4377. The right fork there goes to Hogup at the RR tracks. Then it's 12 miles along the north side of the tracks to the first crossing, which is west of the old one shown on the topo. 2wd ends there. Go south from the tracks on a rutted road for a mile and a half to a main 4-way. Left goes around a low point then along the east side of the range. Right goes along the west side. To get to Hogup from I-80, use exit 62 and drive a paved road to Hill AF Base entrance then veer right on a graded road that is an easement thru the base. The road circles the east side of Lakeside Butte then goes west to cross the tracks, as the topo shows. Then it's 14 miles along the tracks to Hogup. Two local men told me that the Kelton route is entirely public, even the part along the tracks. The southern route is not public, but they have never seen it gated in the decades they've used it. The RR has plenty of signs saying stay out, but no gates. I came thru on a weekday, but next time I would go on a Sunday. The north route has 70 miles of dirt road and the south has 40. One option on the north route is to use a road that splits off and goes thru Big Pass in the Hogup Mtns, but that road is not as good. I was told that the road going west out of Kelton to highway 30 is good. Posted 2016.

• SLEIGH CANYON has an easy 4wd road to the end at some white tailings. A trail goes up the north fork to a seasonal stream on bedrock at N41 12304, W113 20382 el 4700. That would be a lovely spot when the water is running. Posted 2016.
• DELLS CANYON has some good mine stuff. Turn off the east side road at N41 11340, W113 19268. The road starts out good but turns ugly for the last half mile. Some old trucks are there and then a spotty trail goes up canyon a short way to some structures. The tram system was still standing. I stopped at the 5500 level. Some seeps had water and likely there is stream after winter rains. Posted 2016.
• SQUIRREL SPRING is what I call the handiest water source we found. Turn off the east side road on the SE side of Desert Peak and go up a nasty road for 2/3 mile to the trough at N41 10445, W113 21266 el 4600. This is below the water tank shown on the topo. Water was dripping fast from a pipe. The huge north basin shows many springs on the topo but the only one with water was at 13359, 21531 el 5000. Those were small puddles with a microscopic flow. That basin would be infested with streams after a wet winter. WEST SPRING is what I call the spring NW of Desert Peak next to peak 4954. That had a seep with 2 gallons of water at 12798, 22791 el 4700. I could see that it's a sheep hotspot early in the season when there's more water. I didn't check the other spring on the west side. Posted September, 2016.
• NORTH NEWFOUNDLAND el 6110 is what I call the main peak at the north end. Turn off the west side road at N41 15710, W113 21785 and drive a 4wd road to a camp spot at el 4700. Hike up the main canyon and get on the left side at 14328, 22123 el 4900 then go on up to the summit at 14280, 22801. 2 hours, 1400 gain. That peak has a nice setting with juniper and granite slabs. Posted 2016.
• DESERT PEAK el 7005 is the high point of the range. The SW ridge is the easiest route. Take the west side road from the 4-way for about 7 miles (Stay right at tricky forks) to a nasty 4wd road at N41 12223, W113 24176. Take the 4wd road almost to the pass south of the peak. Hiking from the pass would likely backfire because crags are in the way. I started at a mine el 5300 right before the pass and went up the obvious ridge and topped out left of the crags. Two ammo boxes were on the summit at 11161, 22090. 2 and a half hours, 1700 gain. There's room to camp at the mine. Posted 2106.
• MILITARY PEAK el 5902 is what I call an easy one north of Big Pass. A sheep trail goes most of the way. Turn off the west side road at N41 06270, W113 24813 and go a mile and a quarter on easy 4wd to the last easy turnaround at 06524, 23570 el 4750. Mtn bikes can make it in about 3/4 mile. The road shrinks to an ATV trail and goes to several guzzlers at the pass. A dozen sheep were hanging around there praying for rain. Walk to a main saddle at 07046, 23403 el 5100 north of the guzzlers. Now go left up the ridge on the trail and it goes along the east side of crags then it goes back on top and on to the last saddle before the peak. The trail goes around the peak but it's easy to go up a gully to get to a flagpole on the summit at 08119, 23666. A military BM is 400 feet SW. 3 hours, 1300 gain. A good hike to view sheep. Posted 2016.
• SOUTH NEWFOUNDLAND BENCHMARK el 6058 is at the south end of the range, right at the AF base boundary. The NW ridge is the easiest route. Drive down the easy west side road for 20 miles and park at the base gate. Walk to the NW ridge at N41 01963, W113 22930 el 4750 and go up. I found the route to be obvious, but here's what I did just in case. At a minor saddle el 5100, I moved left of center to get past crags. Then at 02011, 22429 el 5700 I cut over to the main saddle north of the peak. Then I went up to the summit block and walked around the west side then easily up the south side to the BM at 01871, 22294. 3 hours, 1800 gain. Posted 2016.
• MTN BIKE OPTIONS - if I only had a 2wd and bike, I would ride in from the RR about 7 miles and camp on the west side. I would hike up to West Spring at N41 12798, W113 22791 and get water. It would be easy to pedal on down to the AF base fence. The west side road is so easy, I would let all the air out of my tires just to make it a challenge. Hardcore riders could make a 35 mile loop by walking the ATV trail over Big Pass. I could pedal in from the RR and hike Desert Peak then pedal back out to the RR, all in less than 7 hours. Early in the season is the best time for the springs to be running, as soon as roads dry out. Posted 2016.
• TANGENT PEAK el 7047 is the high point of the Hogup Mountains. A good cycle/mtn bike loop can be done. Park at Hogup Bar in a quarry along the Kelton road at N41 37249, W113 07994. Ride SW on a fork from there that goes west then south to Big Pass el 5700. A grassy ridge reading 28457, 08900 goes from there up to the Terrace BM on the summit at 28899, 10463. That's a 2 hour hike with 1400 gain. Then keep going south on the road for a couple of miles and go left on a road that circles around the mountains and follows a bench at el 5200 back to the north then drops down to the Kelton road. That's a 30 mile loop and is shown on the topo. Good views. CROCODILE MOUNTAIN is another ride that can be done from the quarry. Ride north on the Kelton road a bit over a mile and turn east on a rutted road that goes on top of the mountain. Loco BM is at the south end. The road runs to the north end then stops, but you can drop back down to the west on a steep road then ride back on the shoreline road. I had a good Vz cell signal on the shoreline road at N41 39526, W113 06519. Posted 2016.
• THE NAUTILUS el 5400 is what I call a peculiar little peak along the Kelton road. It looks like a submarine that surfaced on Lake Bonneville then froze there. Turn off the Kelton road at N41 23443, W113 08388 and go 3/4 mile on a crude road to the peak. It's easy to walk the deck of the sub. A trail on the SW side goes up to the recon tower. Posted 2016.
• HOGUP BENCHMARK el 4680 is south of Hogup but the road to it got cut off by the canal. So unless you can build a ramp and jump the canal, you can walk the salt flats from the bridge near the pumps. It takes 45 minutes to get to it at N41 13728, W113 04880. I found survey junk but no BM. That whole peninsula is isolated now. Posted 2016.
• GRASSY BENCHMARK el 6596 is the high point of the Grassy Mountains which sit along the paved road in from I-80. A jeep road goes most of the way.  Turn off the paved road at N40 53166,  W112 54825 and go 5 miles to a well and cattleguard. Turn left and go 6 miles to el 6300 then walk across a saddle at N40 56495, W113 03478 el 6100. Then go up to the summit at N40 56334, W113 02863. 70 minutes, 700 gain. The roads are eroded but still easy for jeeps. Posted 2016.

  

  The Nautilus, The lake almost took the top off.

Arco, Idaho

Arch at Arco

Sheep Mountain

Homemade bulldozer. A frame was added to support a cable for lifting the blade. Note the two holes on the arm next to the left track. The blade angle was changed by moving it back to those holes. The 4 cyl gas engine is complete.

Arco has a good grocery, Family Dollar, laundromat and a Honda shop. Idaho Trails  is a website that details all the trails and dirt roads on a topo map for the whole state.

• APPENDICITIS HILL el 8523 has an OHV trail to the top. Turn on 3000N south of Moore and drive to a 4-way at a cattleguard reading N43 43110, W113 24064 el 5700. The OHV trail runs south then up the south rim of Rocky Canyon. Just stay on the main trail. I rode a 125 to el 8000 then it got too steep and rocky. With a 4wd or mtn bike, I would hike from Rocky Canyon because that road is easy. Keep straight at the 4-way and the road ends at el 6100. Ignore side roads along the way as they end soon. An ATV trail goes on up canyon and likely goes up a side canyon to the south rim trail. The trail makes a big dip into the saddle el 7900 south of the peak, but you can shortcut into that. The Crawford BM is at 43406, 28400. Another route is to drive north from the 4-way and take the unmapped road going up the ridge and it joins the road out of Berry Canyon. I only went a short way on that and saw it was an eroded mess. The Berry Canyon road is blocked by a ranch at the bottom. Posted 2016.
• ARCO HILLS HIGH POINT el 7300+ is a nice peak with a surprise forest. Take SR 33 to mp 2.4 and turn on the road going up Deadman Canyon. It's rutted but mtn bikes would work. The road ends in about 4 miles at the 6400 level. I went up a steep ridge right there reading N43 40201, W113 09370. When crags got in the way I moved right along the tree line and up into a saddle el 7100 then walked along the west base of the crags until there was an easy way up to what looked like the high point at 39886, 09577.  2 hours, 1000 gain. Posted 2016.
• BIG SOUTHERN BUTTE el 7500+ has a decent 4wd road to the top. Drive to the BLM fire station in Atomic City. Go south a bit over a mile and turn at the sign for Big Butte Rd. Follow that for some 20 miles or so as it circles the butte to a ranch on the NW side. The road turns up into a canyon then becomes 4wd about a mile and a half from the ranch. The last parking for 2wds is on the left at N43 24680, W113 02573 el 5700. The road continues up the canyon for 3/4 mile. This part is the steepest. Cycles have 2 extremes. Either it's too soft or very hard with a layer of BBs on it. The road gets easier as it exits the canyon. The best rig to use is a 4wd with a locker as the road is always plenty wide and not eroded. A reg is just east of the summit where the map shows a BM. I hiked from the 5700 level. The whole trip took 2 hours, 45 minutes with nearly 2000 gain. Some obvious shortcuts can be used on the return. Posted 2016.
• HOWE PEAK el 8701 has a decent 4wd road to the top. JUMPOFF PEAK el 9045 is a side trip with an eroded road. Take SR 33 to mp 9.9 and turn into Eightmile Canyon. The road  reaches the crest in the major saddle el 7650 between the peaks. Two roads go south. The one on the right is for Howe. The left one goes to a shady camp area with tables at a climbing area called the Fins. The road to Jumpoff Peak goes north from the major saddle. Jeeps would have no trouble. The road forks right before towers. The real peak is behind  the towers, so stay left at the fork to get behind the towers then it's a third mile walk to the summit. It's an OHV trail beyond there. If you're climbing at the Fins and can't make the road, a trail departs the road at N43 43621, W113 04661 el 6800. I rode up Wood Canyon on an OHV trail then ran the crest from Howe and on past Jumpoff Peak then down Jumpoff Canyon. That canyon gets rubbly. At the bottom it was easy to circle back thru Arco Pass. Signs were up. Wood Canyon is accessed by the same roads used for the natural arch. Posted 2016.
• HUDDLES HOLE is an area of lava SW of Arco. I read about this at sagehiker.net. Lava here is easy to walk on. Go west from town on US 93 for a couple of miles to 3100W. This is about half a mile west of the river. Go south on that good road for 4 and a half miles to a sign for Huddles Hole at a right fork, just inside Craters of the Moon NM. Take the right fork for 6 miles to a locked gate where the road crosses the lava. That 6 miles has mild ruts but is perfect for a mtn bike. There was no sign on the gate banning bikes. I walked past the gate for a few minutes then turned left on flat lava and walked out a third mile to a huge area of flat lava. My GPS was reading N43 27850, W113 20102. It was easy to walk back along the northern edge. I spent an hour wandering around looking at cracks and sink holes. That lava all starts to look alike. This is best done as an excuse for a cycle or mtn bike ride, when weather is perfect. Posted 2016.
• KING MOUNTAIN el 10612 has a 4wd road up the SW ridge to a glider launch site el 8000. At Moore, take 3350W to 3300N then follow signs to the launch site. A sunny camp spot el 5800 is at the canyon mouth. The road is steep but not eroded. The only tricky spot is at N43 46108, W113 17386 el 8000. The road ends 100 feet beyond that at a level spot with a table. A hiker trail goes up the ridge for a mile to the summit. Near the top the trail goes left into a gully. It runs high on the right side of the gully on bedrock, avoiding most of the scree. I had a reading there 46690, 16565. The summit is at 46698, 16438. The walk along the crest to North King looked too easy to pass up. But apparently only to me, because there was nothing on it. A  guzzler is half way along. That peak reads 47579, 15766 el 10750+. It took me 3 hours to go up and down King with 2600 gain, and the side trip to North King took 100 minutes. Peak 8150 is the high peak south of Beaverland Pass. A road goes gently to a launch site at el 7300 then goes parabolic. 4wds can go as high as a turnaround at N43 44185, W113 17970 el 7850. ATVs go a little more then crags stop everything with wheels. Not for amateurs.  The main road goes over the pass to the natural arch hike then it's an easy drive out to the south. Posted 2016.
• LITTLE RAMSHORN PEAK el 10550 is what I call one of the peaks at the head of Ramshorn Canyon. Elk trails go up the east rim. The graded King Mtn Rd runs along the west base of the range. Take that to N43 47449, W113 20949 and turn on a crude road. Another road goes in further north at 3700N. That one would be better for mtn bikes. The road ends at a TH el 6700 where a mega slide dammed up the canyon. That shows on the topo. A trail weaves thru the slide then forks at 50321, 16879 el 7400. Go right and the trail climbs into a lovely forest and fades at el 8000. Walk a short way to another trail at 50725, 16728 el 8000 that angles up to the left along the base of a scree slope. Keep going to a saddle at 50922, 16679 el 8350 next to peak 8436. Go north a quarter mile, crossing a minor drainage, to get to the saddle el 8500 on the rim. Now follow an obvious elk trail running left of center to 51250, 17382 el 8900 where it takes a minor dip. It resumes going up for a tenth mile then takes a bigger dip to a tiny spring, losing over 100 feet. The elk tricked me here because I went down but there's a hidden trail nearby that stays high at 51324, 17503. Either way, the peak soon comes into view and it's a cakewalk to the top at 52204, 18252. The spring is at 51370, 17687 el 8800 and would need a funnel and filter. That's the only liquid water I saw. A big pile of snow was near the summit on the north side. 7 and a half hours, 4000 gain and hardly any of it is steep. For a shorter hike, just go to the saddle on the rim at el 8500. You'll see the best part of the forest. The west slope of the canyon is a mind boggling mess of crags. Peak 10601 is the next peak north and hikers call it Ramshorn Peak. Posted late July 2016.
• NATURAL ARCH - this is 8 air miles north of Arco and someone went to a lot of trouble to build a nice trail. Start at the center of town where SR 20 departs from US 93. Go south on SR 20 for a third mile then turn left on a frontage road. Go south on that for a third mile to a sign for the arch at a dirt road. Follow signs then at the last mile it gets tricky for cars and it's too steep for mtn bikes. If signs are down, just stay left at every major dirt road. The TH is at N43 44381, W113 15715 el 6900. The trail goes less than half a mile to a view of the arch at el 7400. Steps were made out of RR ties. The TH is bad for camping but a good shady spot is 10 minutes up the trail at el 7200 if you can lug your cooler that far. There is an easy 4wd road that goes west over Beaverland Pass for 5 miles to the valley floor. Posted 2016.

Antelope Creek is north of Arco. It has a graded road running two dozen miles up to Iron Bog campground. The road has been treated for dust about half way up. It leaves US 93 at mp 93.7. Countless dispersed campsites are along the way. 

• SHEEP PEAK el 9649 - an easy ridge goes up from Marsh Creek. Go 6.7 miles from US 93 on the Antelope Creek Rd and turn on FR 210. The road is rutted, mtn bikes would work. At el 6800, stay right at a fork and go on to a parking spot el 7300 near the end of the road. Start up the ridge at N43 47190, W113 33276 el 7400 and stay near center to el 8300 where a minor crag is in the way. I easily went left around it but elk go right. From here on up it's a nice forested ridge with no cattle. About a third mile before the peak some more crags try to spoil the party. A convenient elk trail goes left around the crags and dips down a little. Stay on it to a ridge at 46804, 34920 el 9250. Now go up the ridge, slightly right of center to the summit area then it's a short walk to the cairn at 46841, 35131. 4 hours, 2400 gain. The last 400 feet is the only steep part. There is some light brush up to el 8300. Posted 2016.
• WADDOUPS CANYON is about 9.3 miles in along the Antelope road from US 93. A 4wd road goes up it then makes a horseshoe back to peak 7241. It makes for a good cycle ride but I wouldn't bother with a 4wd. A big WSA sign had been put up. Posted 2016.
• BIG FLAT TOP el 9350+ has an easy SW ridge. Drive 11 miles up the Antelope Creek Rd and go right at a major fork. That good road swings up into Cherry Creek then on to FR 748 at Richardson Canyon reading N43 44954, W113 41116 el 6600. Some cars could get that far. Turn right on the rutted road and go a mile and a half to the end of the legal road el 7200. Hike the road to el 7500 then cut over to the SW ridge at 46339, 39755 el 7550. Just stay on the ridge or make a loop like I did. At el 8100 I cut right to a saddle  then got on a major trail there reading 46460, 38756 el 8600. I followed that to another saddle el 8800 south of the peak where over 100 elk were grazing. Elk trails go up from there to Knob BM at 46778, 38499. I went back down the ridge. That took 3 hours, 18 minutes with 2200 gain. Some light brush. Chances are there won't be any signs up and you can drive to el 7500. Mtn bikes would work here. The main road goes on north and shrinks to an OHV trail then over a divide el 7700 and on down Trail Creek to the main road in Adler Creek. I followed that road down to Darlington then went south on 3650W back to Antelope. That loop took 3 hours on a 125. Mtn bikes would work as it's mostly packed dirt with minimal roller coastering but I would shuttle up Antelope.  Posted 2016.
• TIMBERED DOME el 8356 has a jeep road up the north slope to el 7200. Turn off the Antelope road at N43 41089, W113 34866 and go a fifth mile to a fork. Go right up Latham Hollow to a divide at 37916, 33742 el 7100 where the rest is in view. The jeep road ends at a small camp spot then it's easy hiking up the north slope but I did have to weave a bunch of rocks in the trees. Here's how to minimize that. Walk up to a table at 36991, 32413 el 8100 then when that fizzles step up to 36917, 32484 and walk easy ground aroud the right side of the rocks and finally up to the survey junk at 36810, 32524. I couldn't find a BM. 90 minutes, 1200 gain. I could do this in shorts. Mtn bikes would work as far as the divide but I would hike from there, making it a 3 or 4 hour hike. Posted 2016.
• APPENDICITIS HILL CREST - jeeps could still make it to peak 7365 as shown on the topo as of 2016. Turn off the Antelope road at N43 41089, W113 34866 and go a fifth mile to a fork. Go left over into Trail Creek then follow the main road up to the crest. Turn left there and stay on the high road. It took me over an hour to ride a 125 from Antelope road out to the end. One steep hill on the way back looked tricky but traction was not an issue. That's one wild ride. I could see a foot trail going on up the mountain. Consult the sat image if you're hiking the peak that way. Posted 2016.
• MILLER PEAK el 8610 is easy to get at. Turn off the Antelope road at the sign for Bear Creek RD. Follow that good road to signed Bear Creek Summit el 7500. Walk east on a closed road for a tenth mile and everything is in view. Some light brush is below el 7800. I minimized that by walking to the end of  the road then down a little across a drainage and up a bald ridge at N43 43371, W113 42292. Trying to stay high means more brush. 2 and a half hours, 1500 gain. I could do that route in shorts. Posted 2016.
• SMILEY MOUNTAIN el 11500 is typically climbed via the steep south ridge, but a one way hike from Antelope Pass and down the east ridge to Bear Creek is a lot easier with the same gain, and you get two peaks for the price of one. Turn off the Antelope road at the sign for Bear Creek Rd. There is a camp area there. Go 3.1 miles to FR 522 and leave a 4wd there, or at the end of FR 522 a mile and a half up that road. Keep going on the main road another 9 miles to the pass. It's mostly smooth with a few easy 4wd spots. Start up the ridge on a rutted track that ends in a tenth mile. It's obvious how to pass minor bumps on the right. At el 9600 there is a major trail that runs over peak 10300+ then down into a broad saddle and fades. Stay left of center to the next trail at N43 44226, W113 47353 el 10400 that goes into a saddle then go up to el 11000 where a narrow trail skirts around the left side of peak 11151, which I call Anderson Peak. If that trail is not dry, stay on center to the peak at 43717, 47907 where the rest is in view. Drop down to the huge saddle between the peaks. At peak 10806 is where I hit a talus field. I took a direct line along the side of that little peak, but it was tedious. I'd say to stay on top of the ridge, though it gains a little. It's an easy stroll from there to Smiley at 41966, 48601. Now go back down north a short way to where it levels off then down on fine scree to the 11000 level and use faint trails to get to 41964, 48075 el 10550. That's where the east ridge narrows down. Keep going down to a faint road at 41918, 47182 el 9350. That road will fade but it's a short walk to another one at 41969, 45900 el 8550. That road goes to the end of FR 522. The reading there is 41833, 44198 el 7200. It took me 2 hours, 30 minutes to get to Anderson, 4 hours 30 minutes to Smiley, 7 hours 15 minutes to hit the end of FR 522 at Bear Creek at about 10 miles from the start. I gained about 3600, and what little of that was steep could be zigzagged. ALTERNATE DESCENT -  Looking down from the summit area, I could see a major game trail going right into the main saddle at the head of Anderson Canyon. If that works, it would be a shorter shuttle that cars might handle. Posted 2016. 
• DRY CANYON has a road for a couple of miles to shady camps with a stream. Turn off the Antelope road at N43 39207, W113 41712. It's good for an easy mtn bike or cycle ride. Posted 2016.
• COLD MOUNTAIN el 9178 has a jeep road up it. Turn off the Antelope road at N43 37935, W113 43000 and follow FR 218 along Leadbelt Creek. After 3 miles turn left at a sign for Dry Fork. Go to a fork el 7150 at the base of the peak. Both forks go, but right is best. The road tops out on the crest then goes a mile south to the site of the BM. Jeeps would still fit on the road as of 2016, but that can't last. It's the best cycle/OHV ride in the area. Posted 2016.
• ANTELOPE CREEK TRAIL - a one way hike, mostly trail,  can be done starting at the divide then down Antelope. Leave a 4wd at the lower TH on the Antelope road at N43 37771, W113 43769 el 6800. Then drive east nearly a mile to FR 218 and and follow that easy 4wd road along Leadbelt Creek. Stay right at main forks then the road tops out on the divide el 7400 after 4 and a half miles. Walk west on the divide on a closed road. Just over an air mile from the start the road will enter a forest. Soon a foot trail branches to the right. If you miss it, stay on the road as it will join the trail again. Eventually the road fades and there is only the trail. At el 8300 a side trip can be taken to peak 8700+ less than half a mile away reading 35286, 45398. It's the highest thing around. Return to the trail and make sure to be on it where it goes down a ridge at 35627, 45231 el 8200. It goes down into a saddle el 8000 then up the other side where I lost it. I used elk trails to drop down to the left and hit the creek at 35865, 45818 el 7600, but it might be better to head straight down from the saddle. I had a man made trail at the creek that went all the way to the lower TH. There were 5 creek crossings less than knee deep. The trail hadn't been cleared in a while but that only cost me 10 or 15 minutes. And it keeps cattle out. It took me 5 and a half hours. The gain including the peak was less than 2000, mileage was about 8. Long pants are needed due to some light brush. Posted 2016.
• HURST PEAK el 10774 is what  I call the highest peak at the head of Hurst Creek. Start at the TH on the Antelope road at N43 37771, W113 43769 el 6800. Walk the trail for 1.4 air miles to Hurst, the first creek on the right. The trail goes along the right side of the creek to meadows el 8600, never crossing the creek. It gets grassy at meadows along the way. One meadow at el 7900 with some ore car wheels is tricky. The trail goes right of the meadow thru brush. I left the trail at el 8200 and climbed up the south rim, breaking thru the trees at 38133, 48134 el 8500. That was steep but I soon found a trail coming up, possibly from the meadows el 8600. That would be easier if you can find it. It shows on the sat image at el 8950. The rim was easy. It was obvious how to pass minor bumps, usually on the left. The summit is at 37128, 50379. I could look back down and see a route down to the lakes in the cirque. I retraced my steps to 37319, 50086 el 10100 then went straight down and soon angled left. It was soft like a sand dune with some rocks thrown in for good measure. Going down the canyon was easy, with some light brush, to the trail at the meadows el 8600 reading 38152, 48894. Another trail I saw on the south side of the meadows might be the one going up the south rim. 9 hours, 4000 gain, about 14 miles. Basecamps are along the trail. The first one I might use is at 37995, 46914 el 7700. That's a top notch hike that no one ever heard of. Posted  July, 2016.
• IRON BOG LAKE and FISHPOLE LAKE make for a good loop. Drive up the left fork from the Iron Bog camground. The trickiest part for cars is right near the campground. It's about 3 miles to the TH el 7900 at the end of the road. Hike a mile and a half to a fork el 9100 at Iron Bog Lake. Go right to a pass el 9600. Peak 10147 is to your left. Leave the trail and walk up along the base of the peak to an overlook el 9800 of the lakes. You could drop to the lakes here but there is an elk trail just up the ridge at N43 38949, W113 51487 el 9850. A side trip up peak 10147 from the overlook is easy. It's craggy at the top but an obvious class 2 chute goes up it. The summit is at 38981, 51167. The elk trail drops down to the lakes area and then it's easy to wander around. The return trail is on the shore of Fishpole Lake at 38510, 51129 el 9250. 4 and a half hours, 2300 gain. Posted 2016.
• BROCKIE LAKE el 9922 has a good trail. Take the right fork at Iron Bog campground and drive on 4wd for about 4 miles to the end at el 8600. Mtn bikes would work. The lake is 1.3 air miles away at timberline. It has some tiny camp spots in the trees. 4wd access screens out most of the yuppies and horses. They go to Iron Bog Lake. Posted 2016

Mega slide damming up Ramshorn Canyon

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Southern Idaho

Graham Peak towering over the City of Rocks

Bally Mtns in the foreground, then Cache Peak then Mt Harrison

One of the locals looking for handouts

I told him to get a job

• CACHE PEAK el 10339 is by far the highest in the state south of I-84. The decent Logger Springs 4wd road goes up the SW ridge to el 8500. That may be the only snow free route before August. It starts at the west entrance to City of Rocks Reserve. It goes up just inside the Reserve boundary into the national forest, signed as #562. Follow it to the end then hike the trail behind the barricade signed for Independence Lakes. At el 9400 the trail veers left and into snow on that late June day. I left the trail there and went straight up the ridge. Light brush sets in at the 9500 level, but there's a game trail thru it at N42 11177, W113 40373. I drifted to the right side of the ridge on game trails to avoid rocks then went left up a trail at 11199, 40101 el 9900.  Some boulders had to be negotiated but that was easy then on to the reg at 11134, 39665. 3 and a half hours, 1800 gain. Later in summer when snow is gone, it would make sense to stay on the trail until it tops out.  GRAHAM PEAK el 8857 has a road to the top, FR 707, branching off FR 562 at 08262, 43789 el 8400. It goes a mile and a half to the summit,  which is the highest in City of Rocks. The first third mile was rutted. A million shady camps are along FR 562. Snow was still blocking 4wds in late June. The Independence Lakes TH has a better road. I saw cars there. I was blocked by snow at the second lake in late June. The Ranger Trail forks off to the left before the lakes. I didn't walk it, but one map shows it goes thru the saddle el 8600 on the NE ridge of the peak. Posted 2016.
• COTTEREL MOUNTAINS HIGH POINT el 7100+ has a decent road to the top. It leaves SR 77 at mp 11. 2wds might slip on steep spots. The Coe Creek recreation site is down at the west side of the peak. It has a fenced camp area, very grassy. The crest road is the main attraction here. Cycles and mtn bikes can go north 3 or 4 miles to a cattleguard then come back. No cattle were along  that stretch and flowers were nice. Private land blocks exit routes to the north. Going south on the crest road is mostly coasting. The main road  goes down Nibbs Creek. At el 5250 a road branches right. You can stay straight on the main road to a 4-way at a cattleguard then go right to SR 77, or take the road branching right for an air mile to a fork. Both go, but I like the right fork better. Either way, you hit SR 77 at a sandpit at mp 3.8 el 4750. This is all on the topo map. Jeeps can do these roads but there are a few tricky spots. Posted 2016.
• ELBA BENCHMARK el 8046 is the high point of the Jim Sage Mountains. The shortest way up is Kane Canyon from the east. Take highway 81 to a graded road at N42 13221, W113 21525. Follow that for 4 miles to where it veers right into a ranch. Go left there at a fork then soon there is another fork. Go right for 2 miles on easy 4wd to the last turnaround at 11397, 27849 el 6000. I went a mile more on a cycle but had to drag it to turn it around. I walked the road to the 6800 level and stopped there, but could see it would be easy to climb the south rim and go on up. I hiked a west side route that is a crest run from Keg Hollow Spring. Turn off the west side highway at mp 6.2 onto an easy 4wd road. Follow that road and stay right at a fork then the road forks 3 ways about a mile in from the highway. Take the middle fork, reading N42 08824, W113 34108. The road circles up into the canyon then gets narrow at the 6100 level. Turnarounds get scarce. I wouldn't take a 4wd beyond a turnaround at 08559, 31375 el 6500. OHVs can get to the end at the spring el 6600. The road bed was good but small rocks needed to be kicked off for the last mile. Let your girlfriend walk ahead to tend to that. Mtn bikes would work here. Hike from the spring on cow trails into a saddle at 08385, 31019 el 7050 which puts you above brushline. Go up the ridge to a man made trail at el 7400 then walk that a short way. It will start down and fade so get off it and walk the bald crest. It's obvious how to walk left of minor bumps. Game trails make it easier. The game trails fizzle out where the crest drops to a major saddle el 7800, about 200 feet deep. A useful trail is down at 10255, 30254 and it goes into the saddle. Stay left around a rocky hill in the saddle then keep going to the BM and reg at 11056, 29676. The hike took me 5 hours  with about 1700 gain on the ascent, not steep. The only noticeable gain on the return was the 200 feet out of the major saddle. I took a shortcut back down the head of Keg Hollow at 08668, 30504, but that takes long pants. If you want to get a good look at this range, this is one way to do it. The crest is nearly pristine with minimal cattle impact and no fences. The best hike would be to run the whole thing one way. BLACK SAND HOLLOW ROUTE - some hikers went that route. The only thing I could find is a bad road at mp 8.2 on the west side highway. It goes along the edge of private land, but hikers with cars could just walk in from the highway.  I didn't scout very far in that way, but I could see an ATV track coming up that canyon into the major saddle el 7800 on the crest.  SOUTH ACCESS - the graded Narrows Rd goes along the southern tip of the range. A good road leaves it at 04586, 32475. Stay on the main road going north for 4 miles to Jim Sage Spring el 6300. The last half mile might need 4wd. Mtn bikes would be feasible to get in here. A wooden fence surrounds the spring. A rubbly ATV track starts along the right side of the fence and goes up to a fence at a saddle el 6850.  A rocky trail goes up the bald ridge along the fence for a mile to peak 7282. That's a 2 hour hike with 1000 gain. The main crest could be accessed here. Posted 2016.
• MIDDLE MOUNTAIN el 8400+ was on my agenda but I could find no public access on the east side. The SW side is the only hope for that one. Posted 2016.
• MONUMENT PEAK BENCHMARK el 8060, south of Twin Falls, is the high point of the Goose Creek Mountains that seem to be nameless on maps. It has a road up it. From Hansen, go south on Rock Creek Rd, aka 3800E. It goes along the creek then turns to dirt at the 7000 level. The first thing to do is stop at the sign for ROSS FALLS. A trail goes for 5 minutes to a 20 foot fall. The next thing is PIKE MOUNTAIN el 7710. Just before the end of pavement is a huge parking area on the left. At the north end is FR 507. It's a decent road to the summit where there are observation decks and a map of the area. For MONUMENT PEAK BM, go another 5 miles after pavement ends then turn right on FR 671. Go about 1.1 miles then the BM is up on the left at N42 07190, W114 13078. Some 2wds can make it. One interesting mtn bike ride could be done coming back on dirt roads then down the cycle trail in the Third Fork. A much longer ride could be done by riding north from the peak on main dirt roads to get to FR 531. Along that road is the Harrington Fork cycle trail #006 at N42 13767, W114 11901 el 7700. That goes downhill all the way to the picnic area on Rock Creek Rd where you spotted a second car, of course. There is also a trail that starts on the west rim of Rock Creek, called the Rim View Trail. I saw some bikes coasting nearly 10 miles down that to Third Fork, but as of 2018 that trail was closed to bikes. What else is it good for? Several campgrounds and some freebie spots are along the Rock Creek Rd. The campground at Third Fork was free in 2016. This whole area is useless for hiking but aside from mtn bike rides, there are dirt bike and dual sport cycle rides. I rode both rims of Rock Creek on a heavy cycle using the Cherry Springs Rd and the Dry Creek Rd. Those are easy but the North Cottonwood Rd has too much bedrock jutting up. Trapper Creek is another pleasant ride. It has a big cliff at the 5200 level with petroglyphs and pioneer inscriptions from 1875. The Harrington Fork and the main trail up Third Fork are easy dirt bike rides. A store at Rock Creek has gas and free maps of the forest roads and trails. Posted 2016, 2018.
• MOUNT HARRISON el 9265 has a paved road to the top. It leaves SR 77 at mp 12.8 and goes about a dozen miles. Bennett Springs campground is about half way along and had no fee. Right after that the road makes a hairpin turn. Inside that turn is the spring where the creek arises. I filled every jug I had there.  CONNER BENCHMARK is a worthwhile side trip. Take the 4wd Connor Ridge road that departs from the ski lodge. It goes up on top of the ridge then smooths out and levels off for 2 miles to the BM at N42 18887, W113 33518. Mtn bikes would work. The SKYLINE TRAIL is a cycle trail starting at Twin Lakes campground. It's easy for the first mile and a half then turns rocky and brushy and useless for anything. Posted 2016.
• RAFT RIVER MOUNTAINS are in Utah but accessed from Idaho. Clear Creek has a free campground and Onemile Creek has plenty of dispersed camps, but grassy so take a lawn mower. The high crest has a 4wd road the whole length. Sawtooth National Forest has their maps online. I followed signs from Almo (which has a store with gas) on graded roads to Yost. Then stayed on the main road to a T. I went left then stayed right at the next two Ts to the end of graded road. There is a pullout there where small RVs could park and take a jeep on up.  I was able to haul a camp trailer up another mile to where FR 011 forks right and FR 005  drops down Onemile Creek. The best camp is a shady one about a tenth mile down where I set up basecamp el 7300. FR 005 had been bladed recently. For the high point el 9930, use 4wd to go up FR 011 to FR 009 at a T on the crest el 9600. The road crosses George Creek along the way where there are a million shady camps. From the T, go east about 2 and a half miles to the high point reading N41 54680, W113 21960. Shortly beyond that the road goes along the rim with a good view of Bull Lake. Right after that is a good log cabin that was open to the public.  I went on east on FR 009 then took a 5 minute walk up to INDIAN BM at 54684, 18434 el 9493. The crest drops off there and the view is good. GEORGE PEAK BM reading 53362, 28990 el 9601 is at the west end of the crest. It's a decent road that far then it shrinks to an OHV trail and drops down Johnson Canyon to Yost. Jeeps can come up Johnson Canyon and turn right on FR 002A. That road tops out at el 8000 then it's a short walk to the Mahogany Peaks at 52748, 35355 el 8300+.  The BALLY MOUNTAINS HIGH POINT el 8040+, is in view from the basecamp on Onemile Creek and makes for a good hike. Walk a tenth mile up the road from camp and get on the closed road that goes up the crest. The reading there is N41 56171, W113 28679 el 7400. The road goes thru a couple of  gates then fizzles when a fence blocks it. It's easy to walk on up to the summit at 57842, 28415. I could see FR 005E down below so I walked back a tenth mile then went down the ridge to the road. There was a mile and a half of road walking back to camp. That took 2 and a half hours, easy. GEORGE CREEK is another easy hike I did near the Onemile Creek basecamp. Drive about a mile up FR 011 to a closed road at el 7600. Hike down that a third mile then get on a trail forking left at N41 55609, W113 28616 el 7250. Follow that around to the mouth of the creek where a road comes in from private land. That road soon fizzles then keep going up the creek on a trail for a short way to the main fork. The trail goes up the south fork. I had to wade across, then turned around  at the 7300 level, but I wish I had gone a little more to find the springs where the creek starts. Nice hike, no cattle in there for years.  CHARLESTON CREEK has a smooth ATV track. The road in leaves Yost at N41 56406, W113 31931. It goes up the creek then up into a saddle el 7800. From there, a track runs west along  the ridge for nearly a mile and a half. Good views.      MTN BIKE RIDE - one ride I saw here is over the crest and down Bull Canyon. I would drive up FR 011 to el 9100 just before Cabin Spring. Then ride/walk up to the crest then east to trail #001 that drops off the crest west of Bull Lake and goes down to Clear Creek camground.  The roads are mostly packed dirt but I didn't go down the trail. Posted 2016.