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| Firefighters must have made that at Basin Peak. |
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| This is the reason the road to Stevens BM is in such good shape. But those days are gone. |
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| Aborted benchmark on MW Peak |
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| Register on Basin Peak el 8025 |
⦁ Hayes Canyon has a good road that accesses the northern peaks. Take highway 28 north from Gunnison for about 4 miles and turn at a sign for Fayette. Go a few feet on a paved road then left and follow the main dirt road. There are some private roads in the range but I didn't have to deal with any except at Stevens BM. It's easy to spot the public roads. They're the ones lined with beer cans. Posted 2021.
⦁ BALD KNOLL el 6682 is at the south end of the range. It seems the only named summits are a few minor knolls. Take the Redmond Lake Rd out of Redmond to a canal on the edge of public land where 3 crude roads go west. Take the far right one on the high ground for 3 miles to Bald Knoll. The road is good high clearance and ebikeable. The wuss route is to walk a shady drainage along the west base to a saddle then up. Nice hike but short. SALINA BM is nearby. Drive on up the road to a divide el 6450 then go left on an ATV trail to the summit. PEAK 7335 has an ATV trail to the summit. Drive back toward town to some metal tanks near point 5969 then go north. At el 6600 it will merge with the jeep road shown on the topo which is how I rode up. At el 6800 it got too rocky so I chickened out but 4 wheelers can make it. Posted 2021.
⦁ MW PEAK el 8319 is what I call the one just south of Stevens BM. It's the best hike in the range. A secret road then ATV trail goes up to the south rim of May Hollow. Take a topo app like peakbagger or similar. Take the Redmond Lake Rd out of Redmond to a canal on the edge of public land where 3 crude roads go west. Take the far right one on the high ground past Bald Knoll then over a divide el 6450. The road is good high clearance and ebikeable to there. Go right just past the divide on easy 4wd to el 6750 where an ATV trail goes on up to the rim el 7100. I walked up the rim and stayed right around the first bump to a saddle then walked level into May Hollow then up to a right fork that took me to the saddle west of peak 7685. Then it's an easy ridge walk to the summit at N39 03249, W111 59965. A no name witness BM there implies that the surveyors aborted this peak in favor of Stevens. MW 20 inscribed on a rock might be a logger a century earlier. I followed the ridge back down using the topo on my phone. 4 hours and nearly 2000 gain but hardly any is steep. This pj forest is as good as it gets. I can do the whole loop in shorts. I could have gone on to Stevens then down the east ridge to an ebike stashed there. Posted 2021.
⦁ STEVENS BENCHMARK el 8436 is the high point of the range. The easiest route is out of Redmond Canyon on a logging road to the west ridge el 8000. Go north from Redmond on highway 256 to 1100 North aka Sheep Lane. Go west to the end of pavement then go north along a fence for 50 feet then go left to power lines. Go north for .9 mile to pole #112 then go left into the canyon and on to a locked gate el 7150. There was no sign or tire tracks so I walked on up the main road to el 8000 on the west ridge. I went up the center of the ridge and over the west summit then to the reg at N39 03615, W111 59855. I went down the east ridge then dropped north at 03596, 59306 and down to 03715, 59251 then straight down to the road and back to the start. 2 hours, 10 minutes, 1400 gain. I wore shorts to the top and could have made it down in them. If the absentee landowner decides to start using the property, then the east ridge would be the best route. Posted 2021.
⦁ STEEP PEAK el 7354 is what I call the one at the head of Steep Canyon. The SW ridge looks to be the easiest. Drive north from the Cedar Pass road on the Japanese Valley road to a faint road at N39 10321, W111 58849. Go east on that to a fence in a fifth mile. I stepped over then went left into a canyon and soon came to a main fork. I went up between the forks and stayed along the right one. When that got too tilted, I moved to the right bank and walked cow trails to a road at 10209, 58231 el 6400. I walked on it to a T then left onto the SW ridge then zigzagged up to 10522, 57310 el 7150 where I turned toward the peak. The high point is at 10754, 57195. 3 hours, 1200 gain, good pj forest. Posted 2021.
⦁ BASIN PEAK el 8025 is what I call the one at the head of Basin Canyon. Elk and fire trails go up the north ridge. I followed the road out of Hayes Canyon then to Chris Hollow and then there's just one road going on to the saddle el 7550 a mile NE of the peak. It's easy 4wd and ebikeable. An elk trail goes level out of the saddle and on to N39 14257, W112 01638 el 7600 then onto the ridge. At the final ridge the trail splinters. A path at 13668, 01748 el 7700 leads to more trails then for the last tenth mile I stayed left of center to the reg at 13512, 01953. It needs a book and pencil. 2 hours with maybe 600 noticeable gain. Some light brush. SEVIER BENCHMARK el 8011 can be done on the drive out. The road makes a hairpin turn just south of it and an OHV trail goes up to the east saddle el 7600. I walked a trail thru scrub and drifted right of center to 16455, 01483 where I turned left on a faint path and on up to 16421, 01534 then at 16410, 01559 I angled back to the right and topped out then on to the summit at 16413, 01622. I only had to deal with light brush. Short hike. Posted 2021.
⦁ FAYE BENCHMARK el 7479 has a good road along the west side out of Hayes Canyon. Any route along there would work but I like the south ridge. It's the unsteepest and has a perfect pj forest and an ancient trail. Follow the road out of Hayes to a faint road at N39 13520, W111 58622. It ends in a fifth mile then just walk to a saddle el 6400 on the south ridge. Go up to el 6900 then skirt left around the only bump on the ridge. I got back on the ridge at 14308, 57843 el 7050 and went up steeper ground to the BM at 14677, 57782. The high point is another 300 feet. Cut trees indicate that the surveyors considered putting the BM there. I thought I was seeing a manmade trail on the ridge but couldn't find any cut wood until 14125, 57885 el 6950 on the descent where an axe was used. The trail descends east at 13788, 58025 el 6600. Maybe it was a horse trail for the whole ridge to Red Canyon. It's hard to see now. Some trees on the ridge have 4 foot trunks. This took 2 and a half hours with 1500 gain. Posted 2021.
⦁ RED CANYON PEAK el 7052 is what I call the twin peak on the north rim of that canyon. A good road runs north out of Hayes Canyon to a cattleguard el 6300 on the SW ridge. I followed the fence up to el 6600 then angled left to the saddle on the main ridge at N39 18353, W111 58147 el 6900. I walked north on the ridge to peak 7052 then south over the southern peak to 18180, 58142 el 7000 where I descended back to the start. 100 minutes, nearly 1000 gain, good pj forest the whole way. The road down Red Canyon goes to a hilly power road along the base. The main road goes on to I-15 but I didn't ride it. A local told me he got his car on thru to I-15 but that was years ago. Posted 2021.
