Austin, Nevada

A rare double rock ring at Eagle Butte

Damele BM

The logging trail near Hickison CG

 

• Austin has gas and a mini mart but no grocery store. The Bob Scott Campground is $10 a night and it has well water. It's on US 50 at mp LA 30.6. Cheap campers can use the Hickison Petroglyph campground at mp LA 48.4 on US 50. It has no fee and Seniors get half off. What's half of nothing? Birch Creek has good camping. Take highway 376 to mp LA 15.1 and follow a good road to the mouth. Big rigs make it that far but water crossings beyond there might need 4wd. Posted 2020.
• DAMELE BENCHMARK is north of the Hickison Petroglyph Site. The south ridges can be used for an easy loop. Take US 50 to mp LA 48.4 and turn at the sign for the campground. Go right at the first fork then on a mile and a third to a saddle el 6700 on the south ridge with shady camps. A road forking to the right just before the saddle might suit hikers wanting to drive higher and not interested in the loop. With a mtn bike, keep going a mile or more past the saddle and stash it then drive back and hike up the ridge. At N39 28678, W116 45282 el there is a rock ring on a flat with an ancient logging road, maybe from the 19th century. Another is nearby at 28740, 45255. Keep going up to another ring at 28891, 45286 el 7800 then another at 29255, 45596 that must be 12 feet across. Next, a cliff band gets in the way. Go along the right side then up a stairway at 29384, 45688 el 7950. The last third mile is bald to the BM at 29985, 46281. The high point is another tenth mile to the NW. Then aim for the descent ridge with a good ring at 29449, 46562 el 7900. Stay on the main ridge down to another ring at 29267, 46527 el 7750 then another at 29099, 46775 el 7500. Another ring is on peak 7315 at 28891, 47147. Power lines are in sight so just walk the road along those to a better road that goes back to the start. That took 5 hours with 1500 easy gain. I had no shuttle. Give me more hikes like this. No brush, bugs, burns, burros, cattle or horses. Loggers made a minor impact. Damele is a kind of torquoise.  Posted 2020.
• EAGLE BUTTE el 8401 - a loop can be done from the Long Spring road up to the peak then over Damele BM on the return. Take US 50 to mp LA 48.4 and turn at the sign for the Hickison CG. Go right at the first fork then on about 7 miles to N39 30030, W116 50058. Turn there and go a mile and a quarter to a fork el 6600. It's easy 4wd that far. The left fork is the one but soon it's an OHV trail. Just park and head for the obvious ridge leading up to the east side of Eagle Butte then on to the summit at 31805, 48517. Then start walking the ridge to Damele. A rock ring is at 31750, 48384 then a double ring is at 31567, 48054 with two more nearby. Two rings are on the north side of peak 7798 at `31467, 47811. Then peak 7637 is in the way. I skirted along the right side of it then came to a cliff band. I walked a flat on the left side then went up at 30863, 47101 el 7800 and on up to 30818, 47172 to get on top. I strolled on to another ring at 30694, 47208 then stayed on the high ground to more rings at 30291, 47159. I went on to Damele BM at 29985, 46281. The high point is a tenth mile to the NW. Then I strolled down to the descent ridge at 29944, 47492 el 7600. But wait! There are more rings along the way. Who would have guessed? One is at 30013, 47146 then 29993, 47230 then 29994, 47341 and more besides those. When I went down the descent ridge I soon moved left into a drainage so it might be faster to start down in that. At bottom it's an easy stroll back to the start. Count on 6 hours with 2500 gain. I wore shorts but almost reached for the long pants at the cliff band. The Pony Express road is a goner. The BLM ruined it east of the pass by cutting the trees down. That's not even worth walking now. West of the pass is untouched other than light logging decades ago. Long Spring and Dry Creek Spring are in pristine condition. Ackerman Spring is covered with horse and cow shit. It's a sewer. Posted 2020.
• HICKISON LOOP TRAIL #3 - this peculiar trail may have been built by loggers but they didn't cut much. They moved a hell of a lot of rocks though. Take US 50 to mp LA 48.4 and turn at the sign for the Hickison CG. Go right at the first fork then on nearly 4 miles to N39 28727, W116 47467 el 7000 where the road tops out. The trail starts there and goes up to the saddle between peaks 7505 and 7437. A rock ring is there at 28260, 48071 and a better one is at 28162, 47976. The trail then drops down to Ackerman Spring but I turned back. Climbing the peaks would be an option. No motor vehicles. Posted 2020.
• HICKISON BENCHMARK el 7095 is across the highway from Hickison CG. Take US 50 to mp LA 49.8 and then it's 4wd for 2 miles to towers on top. Posted 2020.
• GRIMES HILLS HIGH POINT el 7489 is near Hickison CG. Take US 50 to mp LA 50.5 and turn south on a good high clearance road. Go 3 and a half miles to a fence. A jeep road runs along the fence. I rode it a mile and a half then walked left into a valley then up the left rim to a rock ring at N39 24563, W116 38837 el 7400. The summit has a huge cairn at 24459, 38807 but no reg. A high point with no reg? I should get a trophy for finding such a thing at this late date. It took an hour to get to the summit with 1000 gain. I wandered around in the nice forest for an hour but didn't find anything. This peak would be an easy 8 mile mtn bike ride from Hickison CG. CAMEL BENCHMARK el 7534 is 7 miles to the SW. Keep going south on the main road for nearly 6 miles to a 4-way el 6383. Then turn west and soon there is a fork. Both go, I used the right one and parked at a T el 6400 then walked to the easy NE ridge at 20448, 43131 el 6450. I went up to a possible rock ring at 20351, 44083 el 7080 then stayed at that level to get past a bump then on to 20027, 44326 where I skirted along the right side of the last bump then the BM is on the next peak. Surveyors hauled a lot of wood up there. 2 hours, 40 minutes, 1200 gain. The flats around these peaks have some light brush. Posted 2020.
• KING  BENCHMARK el 8213 can be done from the Bob Scott Campground. Take US 50 to mp LA 30.6 . At the cattleguard at the entrance, go right thru a gate then take the next right fork to a fork at N39 27502, W116 59317 el 7300. Stay right for a mile and a half to the end el 7900 where the whole hike is in view. The reg is at 28478, 57581. 70 minutes, 200 gain. The roads are easy 4wd for now but ruts are forming. Posted 2020.
• PEAK 8530 is an easy one north of Austin. Take the Midas Canyon Rd at the west end of town. It has the USFS office along it. Pavement ends then stay left at a main fork on FR 184. It's a smooth road up to el 7300 or so then easy 4wd to N39 32768, W117 02968 el 7650. A faint road goes up from there to a flat spot el 8100 on the west ridge of Yankee BM. The peak is nearly half a mile north of the BM. It's the highest peak for miles. FR 493 runs east along power lines to the paved Grass Valley Rd. It has some brush and rough spots but no problem for a jeep. Posted 2020.
• MOUNT PROMETHEUS el 8057 is an easy one north of Austin Summit. Go north from the summit on high clearance for a mile then stroll up to the BM at N39 29761, W117 02704. OHVs can stay on the road to a gate then go left on a grassy road that goes by Mud Spring then almost to the summit. Posted 2020.
• BATES MOUNTAIN el 9070 is a huge plateau with 4wd roads all over it. Take US 50 to mp LA 29.2 and turn at the sign for the Grass Valley Rd. It's paved then graded to N39 34206, W116 55514 where road #226 forks toward the mountain. It goes along the outside of a ranch fence then it's obvious how to follow it up onto the north end of the mountain. The worst spot on the road is a steep hill at 35591, 48281 el 6900. Any rig with a locker can make it up. I made it with one wheel drive and no locker. How hard can it be? At el 8700 is another steep hill but an easier road forks to the left and crosses a valley and on to the high point at 34060, 44698. Vitz placed a reg there in 2013 and one other had signed in since. The road goes on north a third mile to a fork. Right goes out to the east rim and is mostly smooth. A road can be followed to the south point as well. The rims make for good camping. There were no gates to fool with. The OHV community hasn't discovered this. Posted 2020. 
• NORTH TOIYABE PEAK el 10793 - the main NE ridge is a pleasant route and 4wds can get to el 8000. A decent road goes up Birch Creek and another one comes in from Austin Summit into Birch Creek. At N39 23731, W117 02906 el 7336 along the Birch Creek road is where a grassy road starts up the ridge. A half mile to the west is another road starting up. They both merge and it's hard to judge which is better. They're steep but not eroded much. Skilled drivers get to el 8000 and maybe the end at el 8200. Then it's a matter of hiking up the ridge to the main ridge and on to the reg at 21571, 04514. The last third mile has minor crags that are easily passed on the left. It's a 4 or 5 hour hike with at nearly 3000 gain, no brush. M&L placed the reg in 1992. The Birch Creek canyon has a good stream and shady camps below el 7000. Posted 2020.
• AUSTIN SUMMIT BIKE RIDE - the town touts bike rides but they're too hilly, except for one which they overlooked. Ride south from the summit past cell towers then follow the main road into scenic Birch Creek and on down to mp LA 15.1 on highway 376 where you have a second car. No second car? Then I would start out by parking where 376 meets US 50 with a sign asking for a ride to the summit. It's 13 miles of mostly hard packed dirt road. Even an old coot like me could do this ride. Posted 2020.