Quinn Canyon Range, Grant Range

Hooper Peak and the Sharp Ranch.

Quinn Canyon Range high point is far left. The other one I call Quinn Peak. It's the roughest, toughest, meanest peak in the range.

The road to Cherry Creek Campground is one lane wide. This driver likely tried to dodge some tree branches and ran out of road. The real threat is the blind curves.

• Gas stations are at Lund, Ash Springs, and Tonopah. A graded  road runs along the east side of the Quinn Canyon and Grant ranges. 2  graded roads depart highway 375 and merge before reaching the northern tip of the Worthington Mtns. I used the one that starts just east of Rachel at mp LN 11.8 and runs along the west side of the Worthington Mtns. About 30 miles from the highway is a major fork reading N37 59349, W115 35404.  Left goes to Pine and Cottonwood creeks. The right fork is the main road running along the east side of the Quinn Canyon Range. The public road to Cherry Creek Campground departs from the east side road at N38 08015, W115 30929. A narrow road goes for 7 miles up canyon then a road goes left a mile to camp. There is a good creek and shady trees. The restroom is a hole in the ground that you dig. The first dispersed camps are about 3 and a half miles in from the east side road. I would check  the road before hauling a trailer in. The east side road continues on to Sunnyside and meets highway 318 at mp NY 18. A shady campround at the wildlife refuge is along the road about 7 miles before the highway . Posted 2017.
• QUINN CANYON RANGE HIGH POINT el 10185 -  jeeps can go to el 8200 and OHVs can go to 8850 up the east side. Take the 2wd high clearance road up Pine Creek to a fork at N38 07456, W115 39387 el 7200. Right goes 2wd for 4 miles to Cherry Creek Campground. But you want to go left at the fork on 4wd and there's only one road to follow to a mine and camp spot at 07471, 40862 el 8200. OHVs can go on to the end of the road el 8850 on a small plateau. Hike up the open ridge to el 9600 then angle up to craggy peak 10181. It's best to go up to the summit block at 07925, 41770 el 10120 and walk level along the west side cliff base to get past it. The rest is obvious to the reg at 07334, 42507. QUINN PEAK el 10041 is what I call the jagged peak to the north. For that, walk the crest down to the main saddle el 9300 then go up the ridge slightly right of center and that leads you into a notch at 08989, 41112 el 9800. Now drop down to the west losing 200 feet to the second gully on the right at 09054, 41140 el 9600. Start up that on talus but don't stay in it. Before you get boxed in, start moving to the left to the correct gully at 09099, 41089 el 9850. Go up that gully to the summit at 09122, 41044. No sign of humanity. To get back to the road, I walked to 08395, 41266 el 9200 then dropped down to the right to cross the creekbed and walked game trails at el 9000 for the rest. It took me 8 hours, about 4 hours per peak starting from the end of the road el 8850. The gain for the high peak  was about 2000 total and that can be done in shorts. The gain for the other was about 1200 but light brush requires long pants. A tiny stream was flowing near the end of the road at 07939, 40901 el 8500 in mid June with no snow left. Backpackers could use that and camp on the plateau el 8800. The only good camp I saw along Pine Creek is at 06777, 38635 el 6800. Posted 2017.
• COTTONWOOD CREEK SOUTH FORK - a good road goes up that to a major washout at el 6800. I walked on up along the stream on cow trails for half a mile where the road resumed. It goes up to a cluster of springs shown on the topo at el 7800 but there was just water oozing out of mud stomped by cattle. It looked like there was no vehicle access from Davis Creek either. Quinn BM is one of the peaks here but well defended by brush. Posted 2017. NORTH FORK - a road up that fork goes as far as a ford at el 6750 with a camp spot. The last mile and a quarter is 4wd. An ATV trail continues on the west bank and ends at a spring reading N38 06029, W115 43534 el 8000. Mtn bikes would work for the first mile and a quarter to a water slide. Posted 2017.
• BADGER GULCH has an ATV trail up to a saddle el 7950 as shown on the topo. Brush prevents hiking up from there. Posted 2017.
• CHERRY CREEK PEAK el 9151 is what I call the peak NW of Cherry Creek Summit. Drive half a mile west from the summit to a pullout at N38 11268, W115 36915 el 7500 where the whole route is in view. It's a steep slope thru a thin pj forest to the peak at 11863, 37552. 2 and a half hours, 1700 gain. It's very pleasant on top with good views of surrounding peaks. Next time I would try the east ridge as it looks less steep. Posted 2017.
• CAMPGROUND PEAK el 8407 is what I call the peak a mile and a quarter north of the Cherry Creek Campground. A loop can be done from the campground that includes the best part of the trail. Go up the trail along the creek for over a mile to a main fork in the canyon then go right on cow trails and start up the ridge at N38 10052, W115 38688 el 7100. It's a very pleasant ridge to the summit with a couple of minor dips. The summit is at 10389, 37383. It takes 2 and a half hours to get there with 1300 gain from the trail. Descent time depends on which route you pick. I backed up to 10373, 37596 el 8200 and followed a game trail down to the right and eventually into the bottom of the south canyon which goes down to the trail. Then it was a quarter mile back to the TH. The whole hike took me 4 hours. Another descent option is to go down the east ridge to the road where you stashed a bike at about 10305, 36604 el 7000 then ride 2 and a half miles back. It's a good idea to use wading shoes for the first fifth mile of the trail. Posted 2017.
• HOOPER PEAK el 9840+ is what I call the lonesome peak on the west rim of Hooper Canyon. Little Cherry Creek makes for long but easy access on an ancient road bed which is now cow trails. Take the trail from the campground along the creek. Wading shoes would help for the first fifth mile.  The trail cuts over to the far left bank at N38 09864, W115 38875 el 7050. The creek soon dries up and  the last water I found was a  spring on the right bank at 10723, 39886 el 7550. That's the only water in the range I didn't filter. The main canyon bends left a quarter mile beyond the spring. Stay in it to the end at a main saddle el 8250+ then go on another third mile and start up a ridge at 11829, 40020 el 8500. Go up to el 9550 then angle to 12092, 40285 el 9650 where the rest is in view. The peak is at 12516, 40199. No sign of humanity. 8 hours, 3200 gain but only 1000 is steep. 11 miles round trip. There was some light brush, mainly in the canyon, but I never used the long pants I carried. Posted June, 2017.
• HOOPER CANYON is an oddity in that it seems to be insulated from grazing and no ranch has diverted the creek. Drive over from Cherry Creek Campground for a dozen miles and turn at N38 15841, W115 37273. Go about a mile on easy 4wd to a fork. Right goes a third mile to the rim overlooking an ancient homestead. Left is the only road in use to the mouth. Then you have to drop off the rim and walk the old road up the wash. Move to 14538, 38691 for easier walking and soon the creek is flowing. A fence keeps cattle out of the canyon then a quarter mile after that is the narrows where brush blocks travel. I stopped there but the only way forward is the high west bank. Hart in his 1981 book details how he went up Hooper and over to the campground. I might do it in reverse after studying the sat image. It's an easy 1 hour hike to the narrows and back. Some light brush. Posted 2017.
• PEAK 7746 is NE of Adaven and has an easy 4wd up it with some sharp turns. Drive down canyon from Cherry Creek Campground for 4 and a half miles and turn at N38 07275, W115 34267. Follow the well preserved main road up for 3 and a half miles to the east shoulder el 7600+ of the peak for good views. I didn't think to check for a cell signal. A nearby cliff at 08906, 33881 has a good view of a spring to the north . It's an easy hike to that spring. On the drive out, stop at an OHV track reading 09092, 34479 el 7200. Walk a tenth mile on that to a saddle then drop down canyon to the spring at 09245, 33758 el 6950. It took me nearly 40 minutes to get there with some light brush. The stream enters a mini gorge then soon dries up. I could see that it wouldn't be too hard to keep going on the north bank to get thru the gorge then it would be easy pj forest to a road at the mouth, if a shuttle was set up. Cattle would ruin this but there weren't any that day. Posted June, 2017.
• DRY PEAK el 10147 is what I call the first 10000 footer north of Cherry Creek Summit. The west ridge is a pleasant route up. Drive 9 and a half miles over from Cherry Creek Campground and turn on 4wd at N38 15210, W115 36069. Go north a quarter mile and turn right up a bench. The road starts getting hard on paint at el 6400. I rode a cycle on up to el 6750 then walked to the end of the track at el 6900. From there, aim for the easiest ridge at 14809, 34082 el 7300 where the trees thin out and it's a cakewalk the rest of the way. At el 9100 some brush gets in the way but it's easy to walk around the left side into the big trees then up to the summit at 14906, 32270. I could see Bordoli Benchmark a mile to the north looked easy, so I went to it and then one more higher peak beyond it. They put the BM there because it's a  treeless crag. Just Dry Peak and back is a 5 hour hike with 3400 gain. The side trip to Bordoli BM took 3 hours. This peak has the best looking forest I saw in either range. Some of the crest north of Dry Peak has burned but was still easy to walk thru because the trees were still upright. Posted 2017.
• BORDOLI CANYON is what I call the canyon that drains east from Bordoli BM south of Rimrock Canyon. It's as easy as it looks on the map and so far has eluded wildfires. Turn off the east side graded road at N38 13115, W115 25384 and go 2 and a half miles on easy 4wd. Hike up a bench at 14670, 27262 el 6200 for a mile to 14557, 28204 el 6550 then drop to the creekbed and go up canyon in a pleasant pj forest. I wanted to go as far as the big trees that I could see from the crest. The first one is a ponderosa pine at 15168, 29854 el 7350. I went as far as 15339, 30846 el 8050 where the canyon gets cluttered and steep. I could have escaped to either rim and gone on to the crest, but it would be steep. I spent 5 hours with a grade about like RR tracks. It was a nice break from hiking peaks all the time. Posted 2017.
• TROY PEAK el 11298 is the high point of the Grant Range. Much of the east side burned. Scofield Canyon was the standard route but that road goes bad at el 6300. The road to Brady Spring is easy 4wd to el 8100. Turn off the east side road at N38 17257, W115 20456 and go nearly 3 miles then keep right at a sign for Murphy Spring on road #648. Follow that road to the end on a ridge at the wilderness boundary el 8100 near Brady Spring. You could go up the ridge but the next one north is less steep and less burned. Walk north across a drainage to get on the next ridge that has the overgrown road to the spring. Follow that ridge on up to the saddle on the crest at 19914, 29482 el 10250. The burn area ends at el 9000. Walk an elk trail on the crest to the summit block el 10700. An elk trail goes around the west side where snow lingers into July. I packed my bottles there. Four elk were hanging around nearby. One was asleep. I went over and introduced myself, but he looked at me for a minute then got up and took off. Hmmm. The route up, unless you're a climber, is to drop down the east side losing 300 feet to 19174, 29874 el 10450 then level off and go a tenth mile to a wide gully at 19111, 29905 el 10500. Go up that and it will be obvious how to curve left onto the rim at 19055, 29994 el 10800+. Then it's just a steep ridge to the reg at 19161, 30119. 6 hours, 3800 gain. Hart's 1981 book says the shelter on the summit is from a survey party in 1879. This route has the least burn of any east side route. No brush above 9000 feet, but a lot of cheatgrass and some light brush below that level. The best shady camp on the road in is at 18370, 24440 el 6200. A pipeline is used to send water from Brady Spring down to troughs along that road and the next one south for wildlife, not cattle. All these roads are on the topo. Posted late June, 2017.
• HEATH BENCHMARK el 9352 is the northernmost major peak accessed from the east side road. The south ridge works.  The east side road makes a major bend to the east at Forest Home, which is an unoccupied farm. A road goes north across it with no signs or locks on the gates, implying public access. OHVs can skirt around the west side. Once past the farm, go to a fork at N38 21792, W115 19558. Left is an OHV trail along an aqueduct. 4wds should go right for about 3 miles then turn north at 22738, 22445 el 6300 and it will soon be for OHVs only. Walk or ride the last mile to the end at el 6550 then keep going to a game trail at 23732, 22696. Follow that north up a valley aiming for a canyon at 24363, 23072 el 6950. Go up canyon a short way then go up a drainage on the right at 24482, 23090 el 7000  which gets you on the south ridge el 7050. Go up the ridge to el 7650 then walk around the left side of crags and into a saddle el 7675 behind the crags. The rest is obvious to the BM at 25622, 23623. 5 hours, 2800 gain for OHVers. 4wds will have an extra easy mile each way. It's a nice pj forest to el 7700 then some bushes are added to the mix requiring long pants. A mega spring where I filled up is near the last turn el 6300 on the drive in.  Just head for the cottonwoods. Beyond the spring, the road is an OHV trail going toward Big Spring. I rode as far as el 6700 where a steep hill killed my traction. Another road branching north going to el 7200 is long gone. The road to Wiregrass Spring and beyond seems to be gone, but the one branching to Teaspoon Spring was in decent shape for 4wds.  Posted 2017.
• WILHOITES BENCHMARK el 8311 is the high point of the Horse Range, which is a northern extension of the Grant Range. The east ridge is easy thru a pleasant pj forest. Take the graded road running SE out of Currant for nearly 9 miles to a well and stone cabin. Turn left there on easy 4wd for a bit over 7 miles to a faint road forking left el 6640. It may be closed but ends in a fifth mile anyway. Walk the flats and get on high ground at N38 45887, W115 19909 el 6800. Stay on the high ground to the crest at 46398, 21059 el 80500 then go north a fifth mile to the BM at 46554, 21085. 3 hours, 1600 gain. I felt like I deserved some kind of trophy for finding a range high point with no reg. Mtn bikes would work here, but there is no water anywhere. Posted 2017.
• RAGGED RIDGE HIGH POINT TRAVERSE el 7461 - this is a scenic area at the northern tip of the Grant Range. Take the graded road running SE out of Currant for 5 miles to a wash at N38 41691, W115 24710 el 5550. Stroll up the wash to a right fork at 40172, 24996 el 6250. Stroll up that then get on the right rim at a saddle reading 40396, 25168 el 6500. Go up the ridge to 40588, 25812 el 7350 where the rest is in view. The peak is at 40668, 25910. A 200 foot long knife edge is just before the peak. Not scary, but there might be a chicken route below it. I returned the same way, but saw later I should have gone on past the high point and found a way down for a loop. 4 hours, 2000 gain, not steep. Very pleasant terrain. RED PEAK el 6588 - the east ridge is easy for that one. Walk north up an easy wash at the east base until it opens up and you can see a saddle to go up to. The reg is at N38 42006, W115 24553. That took me 90 minutes with 1000 gain.  Posted 2017.
• BLUE EAGLE MOUNTAIN el 9561 has an easy route from the east side, but floods chewed up the road coming in by way of Andrews Spring. Even the graded part was 4wd. A 4wd might still be forced in, but it will take all day and a tank of gas. OHVs have no problem. In a 4wd, I would use the Hart route. He went up Box Canyon then down the north ridge. I did that in the 1990s and had nothing harder than class 3. It's certainly more scenic. The road to Box didn't get hit and you get to keep your paint. I don't expect the east side roads to get fixed unless grazing  resumes. Posted 2017.
• CITY IN THE SKY - the Indians had a village on a flat top el 7990 at Quinn Canyon where  I counted 18 rock rings. Turn off highway 375 at mp LN 4.1 and go about 12 miles to a main fork with a deserted ranch. Go left on a decent road to the mouth of the canyon where floods have created a couple of 4wd spots along a small stream. Go thru the canyon then to an easy 4wd road on the left at N38 01744, W115 50156. Go a mile and a quarter on that to a saddle el 7300 then climb up to the rim. Rings are scattered along the plateau but nothing is on the summit. The biggest ring I saw is at 01535, 51858. The forest is in pristine condition but for one small burn area. It has a ring it too.  PEAK 8868 is a high one nearby that's easy to get at. Turn off the main road at 02132, 50306 and go a mile and a half on easy 4wd to the end el 7550 on the far side of a burn area. It's a shady hike up the ridge to the summit at 02333, 47049. A sea of mahogany blocks further progress. Posted 2019.

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  Ring at City in the Sky

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Huge corral at Quinn Canyon