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| Approximate routes of 3 hikes I did in March, 2019. |
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| The view down a south ridge of Kingston Peak leading to point 1112. |
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| Habitation site at the west canyons. It's a fixer upper. |
- KINGSTON PEAK el 7337 has a sheep route up the west ridge that's a cakewalk compared to the standard route, but longer. It's a top notch wilderness experience. Take the Smith Talc Rd to road #453 at N35 47569, W116 03452. All remaining coordinates are W115. Go south on the sandy road and it will bend east toward the main NW canyon. After 3 and a half miles you can turn out the lights 'cause the party's over. The remaining 2 miles is on bumpy little rocks then the road ends with room to camp at the mouth of the main NW canyon el 3050. There are 2 decent ascent ridges out of the canyon to choose from. Stroll up the main canyon for an hour to the first ascent ridge at N35 44659, W115 58240 el 3950. On that route at about the 5500 level there is a succession of rough little bumps but they are easily skirted on the south side then you come to point 1748 meters. For the second ascent ridge, which is where backpackers would want a basecamp, keep going up the canyon and get on the left bank at N35 44632, W115 57879. Get on the left bank again at the second level at 44520, 57138 and that will end then cut over to the right bank for the first time. Stay low on that along the left side of the ascent ridge then start up at 44370, 56716 el 4600. Go up to crags el 5500 and use an easy path on the left at 43857, 56538 that goes thru. The ridge tops out at point 1748 meters where it merges with the first ascent route. Now stroll on to the next steep part. It's obvious how to go up to a saddle right of center at 43398, 56019 el 6200 where a good looking pj forest starts. Then keep going up right of center and cut left thru a gap in boulders at 43321, 55838 el 6400 then go up to a small flat at 43419, 55681 el 6750. Stay left around boulders to 43500, 55598 el 6750 where the rest is in view. The sheep trail goes down the ridge right of center to the last saddle el 6550 then up the final ridge right of center. The summit is at 43602, 54935. I returned the same way, but I should have tried descending from point 1748 on the next ridge west of the ascent ridge reading 43840,56750 el 5650. It's to the right of the N on the topo. It looked smoother. The long NW ridge of peak 2088 looked crag free, but it's steep and rocky. I would not attempt any route up canyon of that ridge. The whole hike took 9 hours, 15 minutes with round trip gain from the canyon floor of about 3200. Total mileage is about 14. A few patches of very light brush aren't a factor with long pants. I could do this in shorts but would have a lot of weaving. Hikers who like to thrash around in brush should stick to the standard route. This route starts lower and takes an hour or two longer than the standard route, but if you have to count the gain up the easy NW canyon then this peak is too hard for you from any direction. Would you rather be miserable for 7 or 8 hours or have fun for 9? The urge to start at the highest TH can backfire. I would never do the standard route again, but I would this one. Once I left the canyon floor, I never saw any sign of humanity again until the summit, except for survey junk on the first ridge. I left a few cairns but there's no need to build eyesore fire rings. Posted March, 2019.
- WEST CANYONS - deep canyons west of Kingston Peak can be visited with loop hikes using the rims. For a short loop, start at the same TH as the peak and stroll up the main canyon for an hour and go up a ridge at N35 44527, W115 58262 el 4000. Aim for a saddle at 44116, 58279 el 4700. Then go level around the right side of a hill for a third mile to the rim el 4750 of a deep canyon. A good viewpoint is at 43685, 58253 el 4700. I could see a small stream not far below so I took a side trip to it. To loop back from the viewpoint, walk to a canyon rim at 44057, 58604 el 4550 and go down it a short distance where a bouldery mess is in the way. Drop down to the right into the canyon and go down to 44130, 58994 el 3900 where it's easy to get back on the rim and walk it 3/4 air mile to a major saddle el 3350. All remaining coordinates are W116. Drop back in the same canyon and exit at N35 44276, W116 00088 el 3000 and go up a little ridge until it gets easier to cross gullies and go on to a saddle at 44854, 00007 el 3000 then on to the path at 45072, 00331 that goes back to the start. This loop takes 5 and a half hours with about 1000 of noticeable gain. Add an hour if visiting the water, which is seasonal. Easy terrain. Posted March, 2019.
- WEST CANYONS LONG LOOP - this 14 miler follows the Kingston Peak route as far as the 5800 level then veers west down a ridge to the flats. Start at the same TH and stroll up the main canyon for an hour then go up the easy ridge at N35 44659, W115 58240 el 3950. Around the 5500 level there is a succession of rough little bumps but they are easily skirted on the south side. Keep going to 43262, 56450 el 5700 then 42916, 56618 el 5650 where the ridge starts dropping. Go on to 42828, 57127 el 5200 then 42762, 57785 el 4950 where it gets rougher, meaning going from class 1 to class 2. Keep going down to 42821, 58256 el 4150 where the ridge starts leveling off then follow it out to point 1112 reading 42251, 59219 el 3700 where there is view down a 1000 foot drop. Then go NW on easy ground to a minor saddle at 42691, 59480 el 3400. All remaining coordinates are W116. Go thru the saddle for a tenth mile to another saddle then drop down to the flats where I found a pothole in slickrock at the mouth of the main canyon. It had about a bathtub of water from rain 2 or 3 weeks earlier. Not far past that over a minor saddle I came across a rock shelter with rocks arranged in it. That's bound to be a hunter's camp. Nobody would live there. Now I had 2 choices. Go directly back to the start and deal with deep gullies or go NW around them. I chose the latter even though it's at least a mile longer. I walked NW on easy ground into a main wash and when it turned west I got out onto high ground at N35 43695, W116 02305 el 2400 and walked it to 43938, 02065 el 2500 then to 44207, 01828 el 2600 where I cut left across a wash and onto the high ground on the other side and went on back to the start. That took 9 hours with 1800 gain from the canyon floor and another 700 gain on the last 2 miles. The terrain is mostly easy. Plot this out before trying it. Posted 2019.
- KINGSTON BENCHMARK el 7138 can be climbed from the same TH as the standard Kingston Peak route. Take the north side road to N35 46434, W115 54538 and turn on a 4wd road that goes nearly a mile to a small camp area el 5150. Walk from there on the road for a tenth mile then start using cow trails along the creekbed draining from the peak. At 45596, 55118 el 5750 is where I crossed to the left bank then went on up canyon and topped out in a saddle at 45702, 55414 on the NE ridge. I went around the right side of some boulders then came back to the left side of the next boulders and followed paths below the boulders that got me into the pj forest where it was easier walking and obvious how to go on up. At the summit block, a gully on the left side looked easy but would require dropping some. I found another route by walking left of center then moved to center on class 3 rock. I left cairns there. The reg is at 45525, 55654. Placed in 1997, it had 9 entries since. One hiker said he was attempting a traverse of the range. He probably hasn't been heard from since. The BM is dated 1926. 4 and a half hours, 2000 gain. Half the gain goes parabolic. 2wds will have an extra hour. Light brush requires long pants, nothing serious. Posted 2019.
- KINGCRU PEAK el 1888 meters is what hikers call the high point of a subrange on the north side of the wilderness. A 4wd road goes to el 5100 on the SE side. Take the north side road to Tecopa Pass and turn north on a 4wd road reading N35 46490, W115 53345. That road starts smooth then gets rubbly then smooth again. It has a couple of sharp dips and 2 swinging gates. Go north on it for 2.2 miles from the pass then go left for 1.1 miles up a canyon. Now the road climbs out of the canyon bottom. Follow it for another .7 mile to a wash with room to camp el 5100. I walked 400 feet up the wash then up a ridge at 47940, 55245 and circled on up. At the summit block, I stayed on the center of the ridge to a large crag then went along the right side of it and it was easy to the reg at 48285, 55581 el 6194. The decaying book was placed in 1984. 100 minutes, 1100 gain. Posted 2019.
- DOLORES CANYON is what I call the colorful canyon draining SW from Dolores BM. It gets rocky but it's easy to step between rocks. A loop can be done going up canyon then back on the Indian trail on the SW ridge of the BM. Drive in on the Dumont Dunes road and follow signs up the river on a sandy road to Sperry Wash. The river flows there but has little brush. Walk up to Dolores Canyon at N35 45242, W116 13327 el 900 and go up that to a fork at 46106, 14058 el 1250. Go left then stay right at main forks and top out on the Indian trail at 46955, 14013 el 1800. The BM is NW at 47158, 14462 el 2105 but I skipped it. I went SE on the trail to 46845, 13807 el 1900 then 46719, 13492 el 1950. The trail drops off the rim at 46576, 12793 el 1700 but a tricky knife edge is just before that. It's safer to drop left down a drainage to get at the trail. It goes 350 feet into a gully and seems to end. I went down the gully then stepped onto the right rim at 46556, 12665 el 1500. That goes down steep and trail segments can be seen. At the bottom the trail is obvious running high on the bank of the river down to where the RR grade crosses. Dirt bikers made it that far up from Sperry Wash but I couldn't even see a way for hikers to get thru the brush to go up river. They fought nasty washouts on the RR grade for nothing trying to ride to Tecopa. That loop took me 4 and a half hours with maybe 200 noticeable gain. This hike is almost entirely in the Kingston Range Wildeness. Posted 2018.
- CRYSTAL SPRING has interesting mine stuff. The spring is next to the Smith Talc Rd at N35 47622, W115 57714 el 3750. Cattle have ruined it but it had recently been fenced off. The water comes out of a tunnel. A faint trail goes on up canyon and shortly there is an unused road on the right bank. That goes up steep over a saddle el 4600 then down a little for a third mile to the mine el 4450. A water tank, ore chute and a completely intact winch with a 4 cylinder engine were there. Let's keep it intact. That took 90 minutes with about a 1000 gain. SILVER RULE MINE is nearby. Go west on the Smith Talc Rd for a mile then turn on easy 4wd road #510. Go a bit over 2 miles staying right at the one fork along the way. The road ends a tenth mile before the mine. It's tunnel with wooden walls and ceiling. Posted 2019.
- SPRING BENCHMARK el 3692 is in the southern section of the wilderness. It has some of the better washes and pavement I've seen. Turn off 127 at mp SBD 21.6 and go 9.2 miles on sandy road #152 to a main fork then go right for a bit over 6 miles to a cabin el 2800 past the Eastern Star Mine. I made a loop by walking north into a main wash then left that at N35 34567, W115 56341 el 2700 and then to a pretty canyon at 34881, 56075 el 2650. The canyon is the main attraction. I soon came to a fall in that but was able to use a class 3 route on the left to get up it. Then I followed the main wash to a main fork and stayed right toward the peak. Near the peak I went left at a tricky fork then up the easiest ridge at 35239, 54510 el 3150 to the survey junk on the summit. Peak 4078 is the next one south and the highest in the wilderness portion of the Shadow Mountains. I retraced back to the wash and up that to an easy ridge at 34928, 54290 el 3250 that led me to the NE saddle of that peak. The reg is at 34402, 53978. I retraced part way back then cut over a ridge at 34518, 54445 el 3500. I went down the wash on the other side and climbed up onto the left bank as soon as it was walkable. Then I headed for a rim at 34337, 55334 el 3050. I dropped down there then circled left around a peak back to the start. That took 5 hours with about 1400 noticeable gain. All roads were easy 4wd, not rocky. Posted 2020.
- CHINA BENCHMARK el 3331 has a 4wd to el 3100 on the east ridge. Turn off the Furnace Creek Rd at N35 48067, W116 05904 and follow a mostly paved road for 4 miles to a fork at 47079, 08333, just past a wooden gateway. Go right on 4wd for .7 mile then go left for 1.4 miles up a wash to a fork. Several tricky spots are along there. At the fork, the left one is the best but it will slide someday. It goes a mile to the east ridge el 3100. Then a trail goes to a mine with a risky floor. Class 3 rock above the mine leads to the reg at 45993, 06887. The right fork circles a mile and a half to the south side of the summit at el 3000 where I parked. A trail continues on around to the left to a tunnel then it's easy to merge with the other road. I made a loop out of this over the peak for an easy 40 minute hike. The right fork can be followed back to Furnace Creek Rd but I haven't done it in years. The Western Talc Mine and others have been abandoned for decades. Posted 2019.
- VALJEAN HILLS - Turn off 127 at mp SBD 21.6 and go 4.4 miles to a RR grade at 35127, 07438. Go north along the RR grade for 2.3 miles. A mile of the grade has been ruined by OHVs and will require patience. Turn east on a better road at 36895, 08116 and go 3.3 miles to the south canyon el 1400 less than a mile from the peak. Go up that to what the 1:100,000 shows as the high point at 667 meters (2188 feet). This short hike will appeal to high point addicts and old coots like me with too much time on their hands. There's not much to see. Posted 2018.
Sleeping circle at the NW canyon. 
The NW canyon of the peak.
The ridge up to peak 2088
Two sheep were watching me as I climbed out of the NW canyon. 
Seasonal water in one of the west canyons 
