Riverside Mountains Wilderness

Riverside Mountain

Mountaineer Peak

Bridge near the Mountaineer Mine

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•   RIVERSIDE BENCHMARK NO. 2 el 2254 is the highest peak in the Riverside Mtns. One route uses the washed out Calzona Mine road. Take US 95 to mp RIV 33.7 and go west on a gravel road for nearly half a mile then take a left fork. Go half a mile on easy 4wd to a foundation and park. The road turns nasty here and is blocked by a slide in less than a fifth mile with no turnaround. The quarry on the other side caused that slide. Walk the road  to where it crosses to the right bank about a quarter air mile from the start. Get off it there and use a more pleasant left side trail. It goes along the left bank under a cave dated 1907. Then the trail drops to the bed and goes up that for less than a tenth mile then resumes on the left bank again. Just keep going to the main saddle ahead el 1300. Now just turn right and go up the ridge. It looks rough but is class 2. A fifth mile before the peak is one craggy bump in the way. Game trails skirt along the west side and make it easy. The BM and reg are at N34 02153, W114 31092. The best way back is to use the mine trails. Walk the summit ridge to a viewpoint at 02002, 31145 where you can see an easy route down to the main trail. Just walk down the ridge a little more to a saddle then switch back left and then go down a rocky but stable ridge. Once on the trail, it goes thru a saddle el 1600 and splits. Stay on the trail going down along the right side of the creekbed. Go left at a hidden fork reading  02154, 30716 el 1200 and it gets you back the way you came, or for a more interesting route, keep going downhill a few more feet to the old road and walk down that to the end at a mine camp. This camp is where the Mountaineer Mine is shown on the topo. The wash enters a gorge just past the camp, but an obvious trail goes up the left bank and bypasses the gorge, but it only takes 20 minutes to walk down the gorge and hit the trail at the bottom. Follow that trail down to a steel cage and walk a road from there for about 400 feet to where the road starts uphill. Leave the road and cross the wash to a trail that goes uphill back to the start. That loop took me 3 hours, 1600 gain, but I didn't stop to rest much. Mountaineer Peak could be done as a side trip taking maybe 2 hours. MINE TOUR VERSION - an easier loop can be done by touring the mines and skipping the peak. Start out hiking the same as above. Walk the road  to where it crosses to the right bank about a quarter air mile from the start. Get off it there and use a more pleasant left side trail. It goes along the left bank under a cave dated 1907. Then the trail drops to the bed and goes up that for less than a tenth mile then resumes on the left bank again. Right there is where the Calzona Mine is in view. Go up to a trail at N34 02392, W114 30316 el 950 and circle up to the mine. Along the way the trail goes over  an overhang where a mine camp was set up. A tunnel at the mine goes into darkness. From there, walk down the west edge of the tailings for 100 feet and hit a trail which goes to a mine on the ridgetop. It seems to end at el 1300, but it switches up to the right on bedrock and goes about 200 feet to the mine el 1400. Just above the mine is a good view of the mine camp area including the Mountaineer Mine. Return down the trail and the next trail can be seen across the canyon, and it's a thru trail. About half an air mile from the start is where that trail crosses to the right bank then the trail forks. Take the right fork and cross the old road. The reading there is N34 02371, W114 30483, just west of the Calzona Mine. The trail goes north up the slope and ends at a tunnel. Come back from the tunnel a short way and angle up to a major saddle el 1250 on the ridgetop. Now another trail can be seen coming over from the road. It's tricky to get on. You have to go uphill from the saddle to get on it.  I walked it north to the end in a tenth mile at a shallow tunnel. Next you want to walk that trail back to the road then follow the road down to the mine camp at the Mountaineer Mine then return to the start as described above.   Posted 2016.
• RIVERSIDE BENCHMARK NO. 2 el 2254  via NE ridge - a trail goes up from a quarry to el 1550 on the NE ridge, just NE of peak 1814. Take US 95 to mp RIV 33.7 and go west on a gravel road for nearly a mile then park at the quarry gate ( hikers going up and down the same way could drive closer). Walk up the main wash then get on the trail on the right bank at N34 02763, W114 30044 el 700. It goes until the bank runs out then up the bed a short way then back on the right bank. It splits, the correct trail starts up at 02706, 30472 el 950. It goes past a tunnel then across a drainage. At el 1500 it dips a little then crosses the drainage and ends on the ridge at 02602, 30705 el 1550. Now it's easy to go up the ridge on game trails to the summit. A fifth mile before the peak is one craggy bump in the way. Game trails skirt along the west side and make it easy. The BM and reg are at 02153, 31092. The best way to loop back is to use the mine trails. Walk the summit ridge to a viewpoint at 02002, 31145 where you can see an easy route down to the main trail. Just walk down the ridge a little more to a saddle then switch back left and then go down a rocky but stable ridge. Once on the trail, it goes thru a saddle el 1600 and splits. Stay on the trail going down along the right side of the creekbed. Go left at a hidden fork reading  02154, 30716 el 1200 and it gets you to a washed out road that goes thru a saddle then down a canyon with the Calzona Mine. Look for cairns marking a trail on the right bank that parallels the road to the flats. Then it's  an easy walk back to the start. 3 and a half hours with 1300 of noticeable gain. This is the best route.  Posted 2017, 2020.
• RATTLER MINE LOOP - a good loop can be done starting near the Calzona Mine then on to the Rattler then over to near the Gold Rice then back by way of the Mountaineer. Take US 95 to mp RIV 33.7 and go west on a gravel road for nearly half a mile then take a left fork. Go half a mile on easy 4wd to a foundation and park. The road turns nasty here and is blocked by a slide in less than a fifth mile with no turnaround. The quarry on the other side caused that slide. Walk the road  to where it crosses to the right bank about a quarter air mile from the start. Get off it there and use a more pleasant left side trail. It goes along the left bank under a cave dated 1907. Then the trail drops to the bed and goes up that for less than a tenth mile then resumes on the left bank again. Just keep going to the main saddle ahead el 1300 where a trail can be seen in the distance going  SW up into another saddle el 1600. To get on that trail, keep going down the road for 350 air feet and turn right on a trail that cuts over to the trail that goes to the saddle el 1600. Go thru the saddle on the trail for .45 mile where the trail forks. Go left down across a gully then over to the Rattler Mine. Get on a trail there reading N34 01610, W114 31470 el 1350 and walk it to a boring dig at the end el 1600. Then walk south for 200 feet into a saddle el 1650 where a trail can be seen 300 feet below. For the easiest route down, walk the ridge to 01457, 31283 el 1650 and look down at the route. Go left a few feet then go down to the right. About half way down, it's best to cut left over white rock then on down to the trail el 1350. Walk the trail NE to a saddle el 1700 on the divide. The trail goes thru then down to the Mountaineer Mine, but a more intact trail is on the west side of the canyon. For that, walk north on the divide for a tenth mile to another saddle where the trail is obvious. Follow it down to the creekbed then go thru a short narrows then the trail goes up the right bank. Walk the right bank and soon an obvious trail goes up the left bank and bypasses a gorge, but it only takes 20 minutes to walk down the gorge and meet the trail at the bottom. Follow that trail down to a steel cage and walk a road from there for about 400 feet to where the road starts uphill. Leave the road and cross the wash to a trail that goes uphill back to the start.That loop took me 4 hours. Posted 2017.
• MOUNTAINEER PEAK el 1963 is what I call the peak north of Riverside Mtn. A class 2 route goes up the west side. Take US 95 to mp RIV 33.7 and go west on a gravel road for nearly half a mile then take a left fork. Go half a mile on easy 4wd to a foundation and park. Walk up the road a short way past a boulder barrier and get on a trail going left reading N34 02480, W114 29917 el 700. Follow it down to the main canyon floor and walk a road upstream to a mine sealed by a steel cage. Shortly past the cage is where the canyon bends left. The correct trail goes down to the bed at the bend and goes upstream a few feet and resumes on the right bank at a minor fall. Stay on the right bank and soon the trail climbs to a pass and drops a little to a mining camp. Get on a trail at 02135, 30359 el 1000 but only follow it a few feet then walk the easy left bank up the wash. When the bank fizzles, drop to the bed and stay in to 01917, 30652 el 1100 where you exit left up a trail. Now go straight up into a side canyon to 01852, 30584  el 1300 where you cross the bed and go up a shallow gully on the other side. The gully soon tops out and then walk nearly level on a sheep trail to a shelf at 01978, 30462 el 1500. Or, about 450 before the shelf, angle up to a saddle at 01942, 30436 el 1650. Either way, you'll be going up along side a big drainage all the way to the top of the summit ridge. Then walk left of center on a sheep trail around to the left side of the summit block then go up easy bedrock to it at 01949, 30278. On the return, I stayed in the wash thru the mining camp and went down the canyon back to the cage. The canyon has some easy class 3 spots and a countless small potholes in bedrock. The hike took me 3 and a half hours, about 1500 gain. Posted 2016.
• RIVERSIDE MOUNTAIN el 2100 is a twin peak with an easy route up the west side but a 10 mile jeep road around the north end of the range is the only legal way in. Take US 95 a half mile north of the county line then go west on easy 4wd. Stay right at one tricky main fork and go on to a block with petroglyphs and a maze of forks. Get on the correct one at N34 04458, W114 32968. Go south on a worsening road and stay right at forks until a fork about 1.26 air miles from the peak. I parked there el 950 but jeeps could go as far as 01092, 31699 el 1100. A washout is a tenth mile beyond that then it's not far to the Gold Rice Mine at the end of the road. From there, drop over to the east into a major wash. Use the flat right bank and when it ends just keep going over a low rise and the bank gets easy and flat again. Soon an obvious easy route to the high peak comes into view. Go up to the BLM BM at 00808, 30893. The other summit is shown to have the USGS BM, but I couldn't find one. It took me 3 hours with 1300 gain. Posted 2016. EASTERN APPROACH - I prefer to come in from the east and circle to the west side. Take US 95 to mp RV 27.8 and turn on a crude road. 2wd trucks might make the road, mtn bikes certainly would. Drive nearly 2 miles to a parking spot at the legal end of the road where it enters a wash. I call that wash Gold Rice Wash. There are 3 options. Either keep driving like everbody else, walk the road in the wash, or shortcut it like I did. Walk north from the parking spot for a tenth mile to the next wash and walk up that a few feet to a deer trail on the right bank. The reading there is N33 59149, W114 32351 el 600. Follow that and soon it crosses to the left side of the wash and thru a low saddle el 666 then down into Gold Rice Wash. Go up to a side wash and get on the right bank at N33 59804, W114 32630 el 750. Go up that for .13 mile and then cross over to the left bank. OHVs try to come up this fork but it's too rocky and they give up. Stay on the high ground to a flat of dark rocks at N34 00289, W114 32466 el 850. Walk north on that and soon the road is in view as it climbs out on the far side of Gold Rice Wash. Drop into the wash, which is now roadless, and go up it to a main fork. Go right a couple hundred feet to a mine trail at N34 00875, W114 31801 el 1050. The trail goes up on the high ground between the forks then comes back down to some ruins in the right fork where it drops into the creekbed. Go up the creekbed a short way then go up a little point to get on the right bank. Soon a sharp gully is in the way but it's easy to go up around it.  Stay on the right bank and then over a low rise and the bank gets easy and flat again. Soon an obvious easy route to the high peak comes into view. Go up to the BLM BM at 00808, 30893. For the return, I used the west canyon. Walk down the north rim of it to a saddle el 1600 then switch back left to get in the canyon. Go down and get on the left bank at N34 00812, W114 31269 el 1400. At a minor fall el 1050 , leave the canyon and cut left over easy flats to a faint trail at N34 00776, W114 31983 el 1000 that drops back to Gold Rice Wash then retrace back to the start. That loop took me 4 and a half hours with about a 1000 feet of noticeable gain. It's a top notch hike. Posted 2017. 
• STEECE MINE is on the east side of Mountaineer Peak. A good  loop can be done using mine trails connecting to the next canyon south. Take US 95 to an easy 4wd road about 50 feet north of mp RIV 32.41. Drive half a mile up the road then park and walk the road west on up the canyon for about half a mile and stay right in a right fork then the road switches up to the left to a flat area. Get on a road there going west reading N34 01534, W114 30090 el 700. A trail can be seen straight ahead. Walk the road to the trail and go up to a fork at 01462, 30214 el 800. The right fork goes to mines, but take the left fork into a creekbed. Go up the creekbed to an easy 6 foot fall which is the trickiest thing on this hike. Go left at a fork there for a few feet to a trail on the right reading 01399, 30290 el 850. Walk the trail up to the divide el 1100 then follow it down the other side into the creekbed. Walk down to a big fall at the mouth and go left around it to a gully that gets you down the fall. Now go down the creekbed  and walk thru a slot then make an easy exit on the left on a faint trail.Wallking directly back across the flats won't work because of deep trenches. Instead, walk up the rim along the slot to a gully at 01285, 29847 el 600 where a trail is in view on the other side. Walk it for nearly a tenth mile then it forks. Stay on the low trail and it will soon bend left to cross a side drainage then go back to the start. That is as colorful a canyon as I have ever been in. 2 hours with 300 feet of strenuous gain.  LOOP 2 - more trails are north of the Steece Mine. Start on a trail in the flats at N34 01589, W114 29554 el 500. It  goes up along a ridge to a dangerous vertical shaft in a wash el 950. I was going to come back in the wash, but I could see a drop below. So I went down at 01831, 29968 to get around the drop and on down the canyon then it was a short walk back. That loop took an hour and a half. A faster way back from the shaft is to retrace back on the trail for 2 or 300 feet to a fork and go right to another fork at  01636, 29976. Go right and it leads down to the road in the main canyon. Posted 2017, 2020.
•  MINE TRAIL TOUR - mine and Indian trails can be used to run north / south thru the best part of the range. Leave a car or bike on US 95 at mp RIV 28.8 then drive to mp RIV 33.7 and go west on a gravel road for nearly half a mile then take a left fork. Go half a mile on easy 4wd to a foundation and park. Walk up the road a short way past a boulder barrier and get on a trail going left reading N34 02480, W114 29917 el 700. Follow it down to the main canyon floor and walk a road upstream to a mine sealed by a steel cage. Shortly past the cage is where the canyon bends left. The correct trail goes down to the bed at the bend and goes upstream a few feet and resumes on the right bank at a minor fall. Stay on the right bank and soon the trail climbs to a pass and drops a little to a mining camp at the Mountaineer Mine. Get on a trail at N34 02135, W114 30359 el 1000 but only follow it a few feet then walk the easy flat left bank up the wash. When the bank fizzles, drop to the bed and stay in to a trail on the right at  N34 02003, W114 30616 el 1100 then go up shortly to a fork. Left goes to a foundation, but stay right to the divide el 1700 at the head of the canyon. Then walk south on the divide for a tenth mile to a saddle el 1700 to another trail. It goes thru the saddle on the divide then down into a mini gorge. Exit at the Gold Rice Mine on the left at N34 01228, W114 31477 el 1200. Use the road there to continue down along the wash to the Indian trail at N34 00722, W114 32166 el 950. The trail goes directly across the deep wash then into another wash. It fades but stay on the easy ground and pick it up again where it's cutting left at N34 00244, W114 31980 el 900. It goes shortly to another wash reading N34 00197, W114 31863. Go down that wash about a quarter mile and look for a tall cairn on the right bank. Right along there is where the trail goes on  the right bank for 300 feet then drops back in to pass a fall. Then  stay in the main wash going downstream to N33 59577, W114 31608 el 700. Exit on the left bank and the trail goes along the left edge of a flat thru a saddle at N33 59519, W114 31466 el 700. In a quarter mile the trail splits. Stay left across a wash then across a flat then thru a minor saddle and on to a fork. Get on the correct trail there at N33 59336, W114 30784 el 600 and stay on the main trail to US 95. It took me just under 4 hours with about 1000 gain and then a half hour to ride a bike back. It would be a 2 hour side trip to climb Mounaineer Peak of Riverside Mtn. Posted 2016.
• INDIAN TRAIL LOOP - this is an easy hike in the southern part of the range.  Take US 95 to mp RV 27.8 and turn on a crude road. 2wd trucks might make the road, mtn bikes certainly would. Drive nearly 2 miles to a parking spot at the legal end of the road where it enters a wash. I call that wash Gold Rice Wash. Walk north from the parking spot for a tenth mile to the next wash and walk up that a few feet to a deer trail on the right bank. The reading there is N33 59149, W114 32351 el 600. Follow that and soon it crosses to the left side of the wash and thru a low saddle el 666 then down into Gold Rice Wash. Go up to a side wash and get on the right bank at N33 59804, W114 32630 el 750. Go up that for .13 mile and then cross over to the left bank. OHVs try to come up this fork but it's too rocky and they give up. Stay on the high ground to a flat of dark rocks at N34 00289, W114 32466 el 850. Walk north on that and soon the road is in view as it climbs out on the far side of Gold Rice Wash. Drop into the wash, which is now roadless, and go up it to where an Indian Trail crosses at N34 00706, W114 32131. Climb up the right bank and follow the trail into another wash. It fades but stay on the easy ground and pick it up again where it's cutting left at N34 00244, W114 31980 el 900. It goes shortly to another wash reading N34 00197, W114 31863. Go down that wash about a quarter mile and look for a tall cairn on the right bank. Right along there is where the trail goes on  the right bank for 300 feet then drops back in to pass a fall. Then  stay in the main wash going downstream to another trail at N33 59580, W114 31647. Go west on that thru a saddle el 750 and on to N33 59715, W114 32046 and then shortly into another saddle with some diggings. The trail splits there, take the left one on thru another saddle then Gold Rice Wash is in view. The trail goes on to join the wash next to the low saddle el 666 near the start. That  walk took 2 and a half hours, add some time for rest stops. The area was covered with desert mule deer tracks. Posted 2016.
• ALICE MINE is in the north part of the range. One big structure survives. Take US 95 for half a mile north of the county line and go west on easy 4wd. Stay left at main forks in the actual road to the mine. Don't get tricked by tire tracks going up a side wash about 2 and a half miles in. ALICE MINE LOOP TRAIL -  a loop can be done using a trail that goes in from US 95. Cars can get at it. Take US 95 to mp 33.7 and turn on a good quarry road. Go about a third mile and turn on a road branching north then go another tenth mile and park at a gravel pit. It's suitable for RVs. Walk north from the pit on the road and aim for the trail at N34 03763, W114 29431 el 500. I stayed on the road until a half  mile from the trail.  The trail soon drops into the creekbed then goes up the bed thru some boulders and resumes on the left bank. Next, the trail tops out at a saddle el 950 and splits. Stay left then the trail drops into a mini gorge and goes up the bed for 100 feet then goes up the right bank. It then goes over into another wash then up the bed of that for about 300 feet and exits on the right bank el 900 and goes up thru a saddle.  It's easy to follow from there to a saddle at the mine area where the trail splits again. The high trail is easiest but the lower one passes the thru the mine area then comes back up to meet the high trail at 03262, 30636 el 1100. Shortly there is a tunnel then just keep going up the trail. It loses 60 feet crossing a  drainage then tops out at a saddle el 1350. It drops down the other side and gets steep. I broke out the walking stick there. The trail goes on down to the main wash and goes along the left bank. It climbs to a higher left bank at 02767, 30313 el 850 then eventually drops back to the main wash. Shortly after that is an overgrown road on the left bank that leads back to the quarry.  That took me 3 hours and not very steep. A lot of work was put into that trail. It will be up to hikers to keep it from fading away. I tried to get directly to the trail from US 95, but private land blocked me.  Posted 2017.
• GOLD DOLLAR MINE - Take US 95 for half a mile north of the county line and go west on easy 4wd. Stay left at a main fork in about a mile then go 1.7 miles and stay right then follow along the main wash for another mile and park where it turns into a rocky mess el 1000. Hike up the main wash on the washed out road for half an hour to a mine camp el 1250. The canyon has a main fork here. A trail goes up the left fork to el 1500 and 2 trails go up the right fork all the way to the crest el 2100. I decided to make a loop. I went up the right fork on the right bank but the trail on the left bank looked better. At el 1550 I came to a tunnel and a rock inscribed " G. Liljestrom 1903" at about the point on the topo where the Gold Dollar Mine is shown. I kept going up canyon to another tunnel el 1850 then on to the crest el 2100 where the trail faded on the north side of the range high point. That would be a short side trip.  I went north on the crest using sheep trails left of center at 02295, 31036 el 2100 to get around a bump. I came back to center in less than a tenth mile then went down to an obvious saddle el 1750 and dropped into the left fork. I went down the creekbed to a mine el 1500 and used a trail there to get back to the road. That loop took me 2 and a half hours with 1100 gain. Posted 2016.
• VABM 1284 is in the west part of the wilderness. Deer trails allow for various loops. Take US 95 to mp SBD 2.3 and follow a sandy road along power lines for 8 miles to a trail at N34 01824, W114 36956. It goes south to 01653, 36867 then to a guzzler in a wash at 00970, 36797. I walked down the wash then got on the right bank at 00889, 36730 and on to 00604, 36963 where I dropped into a wash and went SW up a fork to the main saddle el 1250. I then went left on a trail to get down to the main wash and went south down that to a trail at 00113, 37282. It heads south toward VABM 1284 which is a quarter mile away. I went to the summit then dropped down to a major canyon running NW and up to a fork at 00185, 37464. I went left to get thru to the west side flats and on to high ground at 00538, 37766. That leads into a canyon with an easy trail on the right bank. It goes thru a saddle el 1450 SE of peak 1709 then down to a main wash. I went down that to 01240, 37300 and took a left fork back to the power lines then it's 3/4 mile back to the start. That took 3 and a half hours with maybe 400 gain that isn't easy as pie. This is a good looking area. I rode SW along the power lines for 4 and a half miles to a metal signpost at BM 982. I turned north for 9 sandy miles and hit highway 62 at mp 113.6.This is all easy 4wd. Posted 2022.
• WEST RIVERSIDE MOUNTAINS HIGH POINT el 2667- a quick route goes up the west side. Take highway 62 to mp SBD 116.1. Go south on a sandy road for 4 miles and look for faint tracks going left to a main wash which reads N34 03016, W114 40405. Drive up the wash then start hiking the right bank at 03188, 39836. Go up to a rocky drainage and hike up along the right side reading 03240, 39215 el 1500. It leads to a gully of bright colored rock at 03306, 39023 el 1850. Go up that then move left 170 feet to a wide gully at 03358, 38957 el 2100. Go up that for a distance of 350 feet then move left  to the next parallel gully and go on up to the ridgetop el 2500. Go north shortly to the reg at 03456, 38878 with only a dozen entries in the last 3 decades but I couldn't find it in 2022. 3 hours, 1400 gain. GROMMET BM el 2121 is another peak of interest and easy to get at. Drive back to a 4-way a half mile before the highway and go east less than a fifth mile to another 4-way. Turn right on road #855 and go 2 and a half miles to the end on smooth sand. It's half a mile to the reg and a lot of survey junk at N34 04632, W114 39381 with 700 gain. Posted 2016, 2022.
  
  
  

Anza Borrego State Park

Rabbit Peak basecamp

Rabbit Peak

COYOTE CANYON INDIAN VILLAGE LOOP - drive east a short way from Borrego Springs to Di Giorgio Rd and go north to the end of pavement. Keep going on easy 4wd to the signed third crossing where the road turns ugly. Hike upstream on a trail on the right bank. In a fifth mile the trail comes to a beach then goes left and soon crosses the stream twice. Those crossings can be bypassed by using the old trail on the right bank but it's a little more work. Either way, the trails merge and just keep going on the trail and then about about 1.4 air miles from the start there is a sign showing the trail going left. Stay on it and it meets the road where you go left. Leave the road at a gap in brush reading N33 22248, W116 26652. One grinding hole is nearby at 22304, 26687 and another is 75 feet east. Walk downstream from there along the rim to a historical monument then go past that to a low rock wall at 22360, 26371 on a smooth bench. Then keep going on an Indian trail on the bench for about .14 mile to a boulder with a metal post. Down below that is a bench with more grinding holes. The trail keeps going until the bench fizzles. You could go back to the monument and walk the road back or do like I did and walk off the end of the bench then up a little then down to the trail in the bottoms then it's a short stroll back to the start. 3 hours, easy. Posted 2016.

• PALM BENCHMARK el 2700 has a crude hiker trail up the south ridge. Take S22 to the Calcite Mine jeep road at mp 38.1. Drive that for nearly 2 miles to the mine el 1200, or as close as possible as it gets worse as it goes. Get on the trail next to the mine at N33 17983, W116 06675 el 1200 and follow  it up the ridge all the way up to the reg at 18472, 07570. The ridge has a few dips, the deepest one being 100 feet. Return the same way. The canyons on either side of the ridge have falls. 3 hours, nearly 2000 gain from the mine. A class 2 hike. Posted 2016.
• RABBIT PEAK el 6600 via SW ridge - Take S22 to Rockhouse Rd at mp 26.3. Go north about 6 miles on easy 4wd. I walked directly to the SW ridge, but the base is defended by rock fields. The smooth wash along the west side of the ridge is better.  Hike across the smooth flats for a mile and a third to a gargantic ocotillo reading N33 23281, W116 18480. Keep going up the main wash for .15 mile to a tricky fork. Stay right to waypoint 23434, 18187 then 23651, 17984 and from there it's easy to follow the main channel. Go up to a good basecamp near point 1546 on the left bank at 24194, 17034 el 1400. Day trippers have to exit along here up to the east rim, but backpackers have the option to continue in the wash that gets rockier and goes around a gooseneck to el 2000 and camp then climb up to a saddle at 24685, 16584 el 2200. That saddle is NE of point 2270. Either way, just keep going up the ridge to the 3800 level where a boulder field is in the way. Move right into a broad drainage and go up to 25427, 15687 el 4350 where you can easily go back up to the top of the ridge el 4550. Now another boulder field is in the way which is peak 4637. It's easy to go left around that then down to a saddle el 4450 then up a sheep route at 25890, 15236 el 4800. This is the steepest part. It tops out at el 6000 then go south to the reg at 25997, 14344. This part above 6000 has light brush. The whole hike is about 14 miles round trip and took 12 and a half hours with nothing harder than class 2. The round trip gain from the wash is about 5600 feet. The hike for me from the upper basecamp would be 8 or 9 hours, and an hour longer than that from the lower camp.There is little sign of humanity and no need to change that by building cairns. GPS is all you need. There is no water but there are plenty of barrel cacti. I've always heard that those are full of cold beer. Posted 2016.
• WEST BUTTE and THE SLOT - this loop is a tourist hike. Take SR 78 to mp 87.1 and go north on a crude road for nearly 2 miles to the parking area on the rim of The Slot. Stay left at a fork along the way. Hike north on the old road and then it shrinks to a trail. At N33 11353, W116 12382 there is a fork. The right one goes in 5 minutes to the summit area of West Butte. The map implies the high point to be at 11468, 12241 el 1200 but the reg was a tenth mile south. Back at the fork, keep going on the left fork and it drops down to a jeep road where you go left. For the sake of variety I dropped off the trail to the left at 11381, 12585 and went down a canyon. In a fifth mile I came to a large hole full of water. That was easy to step around then in another 300 feet I came to a small drop. Just before the drop is an easy way to cross over to the left to the next fork and walk that down to the jeep road. The reading at the jeep road is 11874, 13180. You want to follow the jeep road to a fork. The right one climbs out and back to the parking area, but you want to take the left fork that stays in the main wash and ends at the entrance to The Slot. It gets narrow for 5 or 10 minutes then pops you out at the parking area. The whole hike takes less than 3 hours with less than 1000 gain. Posted 2016.
• ROSA BENCHMARK el 5000 has an Indian trail to the 3200 level and a hiker trail the rest of the way. Park along S22 at mp 32.55 where you should be reading N33 17886, W116 11213 el 900. Any farther west means more rocks. An ocotillo exactly on the shoulder berm marks the spot. Walk a tenth mile to a smooth channel at 17973, 11202. Follow that to the west side of a hill and walk the channel along the base. Upon reaching the north side of the hill, move right a little to get in the main channel of Palo Verde Wash where you'll see a million footprints. Go on up the wash thru point 18536, 11111 then on to the start of the trail at 18873, 10748 el 1350. The trail goes up along the rim of a side canyon and be sure not to miss where it crosses to the left side of the creekbed at the 1550 level. It goes on up steeply to the top of the ridge el 2000 then down to the bed of  Smoke Tree Canyon el 1900. This is a good spot for a basecamp. The tanks are 5 or 10 minutes up a minor right fork. Go up the main canyon 400 feet as the crow flies and the trail exits right. It's fuzzy, but be sure to be on it where it levels off  at 19430, 09720 el 2250. It's easy to follow to a creekbed where it vanishes. Go up the bed for 300 feet and it exits left. The reading there is 19838, 09605 el 2500. It goes on to a saddle on the main ridge at 20321, 09622 el 3150. Follow it along the ridge then it gets fuzzy in nearly half a mile. Stay near the center of the ridge to 20743, 10025 el 3650 where the trail goes around the east side of peak 3800 and loses 50 feet to a saddle. Then it's easy to follow the trail the remaining 1400 feet to the BM at 21703, 10114. 8 hours, 4500 gain. I've been to the tanks a half dozen times and they were dry just once. The hike from the tanks would take 5 hours. I couldn't find any sign where the Indians dropped into Wonderstone Wash. They put a lot of work into this trail. There must have been some good looking squaws on the other side. Posted 2016.
• For VILLAGER PEAK el 5700, park at mp 31.9 on S22. Hike north around the right end of a low ridge then the trail angles left to where it starts up the main ridge at N33 19215, W116 11888. It's mostly an easy grade on a spotty trail to the peak at 23304,13152. Just before the peak, keep right near the top a of bump. 8 hrs, 5000 gain. Smooth spots for small parties to set up base camp start at 19943,12169 el 2200  then 20318,12366 el 2700 on the left then 20639,12552 el 3100 then 21301,12715 el 3800 then a rock wall enclosure 21351,12689 el 3850. There's one more a quarter mile further el 4000 then it steepens.
• COYOTE MOUNTAIN TRAVERSE el 3200- hiking from near Alcoholic Pass over the summit and south to Pegleg camp area takes 6 hours or less. Take S22 to Henderson Rd at mp 25.8. Go west on the Henderson Rd for about 2/3 mile and leave a car or bike at a mine road. Keep going west on Henderson to a T at Di Giorgio Rd then go north to the end of pavement then another mile on dirt and start hiking up the slope at N33 20644, W116 21872 el 800. Stay near the rim of the rocky gully on the right. It's steep for 700 feet then eases up. Keep going up the obvious ridge to the summit. The last third mile levels off and there are game trails right of center. The reg and BM are at 20605, 19728. Backtrack a third mile then go down a ridge at 20334, 19885 el 3000. Next comes a major saddle el 2300 then a big hill is in the way. It's easy to walk around the west side on game trails and then get back on the crest at 19710, 19320 el 2350. Follow a faint road from there on the crest to a trail on the right at 18222, 18570 el 1200. Take the trail down to a lower road then go 200 feet on that to another trail that shortcuts a bend in the road and keep going down the road and soon the last trail at el 800 comes into view. Go left there down to the Henderson Rd. 5 hours, 2600 gain. Posted 2016. EASY VERSION - the northwest ridge is easier but the shuttle is tougher. I ameliorated the shuttle with a second hike. The Rockhouse road is bumpy for 7 miles to the ridge. The last third needs high clearance. I started up the ridge at 22511, 19621 and just kept going up to the summit then on down the crest the same as the other hike. But at the end I opted to go on to Peg Leg camp but that took a little longer. That took 5 hours, 10 minutes. The next day I rode my Zizzo bike to the Achoholic Pass TH and followed it over to retrieve my cycle. That's a 2 hour hike. I got two good hikes for the price of one shuttle. A car and ebike can do all this. I put a track on peakbagger in 2024.
• COOLIDGE BM el 2200 has a good view of the Salton Sea because it's the closest peak. From Salton City, go north on highway 111 for 8 miles to the Coolidge Springs Rd reading N33 23418, W116 02508. Go west for a third mile to a fork. Go left on a sandy road for 3/4 mile aiming for waypoint 23078, 03460 el100. When the road fizzles, walk a short way to the waypoint at the base of a steep slope. Climb the slope to the ridge top or go left up the canyon to get on the ridge top. I chose the canyon. Soon it makes a right turn then the left bank is easier to walk on. At a gully on the right reading 23061,03692 el 600 I went up to the ridge top then just followed the ridge all the way to the reg at 22936, 04635. 4 hours, 2300 gain. It's not as steep as it looks. A post near the reg has old flashlights attached to it, likely by surveyors. The south side of the mountain and Wonderstone Wash are blocked by the reservation.
• The FISH CREEK MOUNTAINS are near Anza Borrego State Park. For EAGLE BENCHMARK, the high point, I made a good one way hike up the NW canyon (which I call Whit Canyon) then down a mine trail on the NE ridge. Take Split Mtn Road from Ocotillo Wells to the RR tracks at the gypsum mine. Go SE on a sandy 4wd road on the north side of the tracks for about 4 miles to the mouth of the canyon near Whit BM. I left my pack there then went on another 3 miles and parked. I then rode my Zizzo back to my pack and went up canyon. I got on the left bank at N33 01470, W116 02320 and went up to a narrows el 500 about an hour in. A fall blocks the way so I went up the west bank and thru a saddle at 00448, 02134 then dropped down 50 feet to the top of the fall. I went on to the next fall and passed it on the east bank at 00080, 01961. I moved left there into a minor wash and up that thru a saddle then down to the top of the fall. I went on to a main fork el 1100 and the right fork is blocked by a fall. ALL REMAINING COORDINATES ARE W32. So just before the fork I went up a gully to gain the west bank at W32 59384, W116 01273 at the top of the fall. I went on up the right fork and got on the right bank at 59176, 01152 then in nearly a fifth mile passed thru the saddle that leads into Red Rock Canyon. A good sheep trail goes along the creekbed from the saddle. I went up canyon to the north ridge of the peak and dropped my pack. I went up a drainage there at 59078, 00345 then left to get on the ridge and up. It goes parabolic but stable. I returned to my pack and headed for the mine trail at 59224, 00312 and walked to where it starts down at 59510, 00040. Cairns mark the way and near bottom a decoy trail goes sharp right but a faint direct trail goes straight down then right to hit bottom. 6 and a half hours for the hiking part with less than 2000 noticeable gain. Half that is the side trip to the peak which I will skip from now on. The pristine canyon is the highlight for me.I put a track on peakbagger. Posted 2024.
• SPLIT MOUNTAIN EAST el 1690 is what hikers call the peak on the east rim of Fish Creek gorge. A hiker trail goes up then a good sheep trail runs the crest to peak 2121. The TH is the Wind Caves trail at the upper end of the gorge reading N32 59593, W116 07102. I walked that to the caves which are boring then the hiker trail runs up along the left and follows the rim of a canyon up. At el 1240 I leveled off to the left for 300 feet to a mine road at 59657, 06127. That goes down into the canyon and ends at a slide which is easy to go down then the hiker trail goes up the other side into the south saddle then up the ridge to the summit. A mine road is in view from the summit which I walked to peak 1668. It goes down there and would make for a shorter loop but I stayed level on the south side of the peak using a sheep trail at 59566, 05469. It goes all the way to peak 1704 but fades on the way up and then resumes at the summit and goes down to a saddle el 1250 at the base of peak 2121. I went up a bedrock gully at 58554, 04086 to a saddle el 1550 at the top and could see the summit. I dropped a little and followed high ground up to a drainage at 58319, 03735 el 1750 and then took a direct route to the summit. An obvious drainage on the left of the summit block is class 2. I retraced back to the bedrock drainage and kept going downstream but it's tedious. It's bound to be better to walk back on the crest and take the west rim of that canyon down then on to a mine road at 58417, 04952. That bends to a major wash at 58414, 05326 that winds thru gorgeous badlands back to the start. Along the way I cut a gooseneck at 58684, 06744. 8 hours, 2900 gain, 13 miles. I put a track on peakbagger. The road thru the gorge to the TH is easy 4wd just sandy. Posted 2024.
• GOAT CANYON TRESTLE is popular destination at the south end of the park. It's on private land but seems to be in " don't ask, don't tell " status as many have gone in there for years. The easiest hiking route is a sandy jeep road running north of Indian Hill. It's closed to vehicles but jeeps get around the barriers as usual. Walking that road to the tracks then to the trestle is 11 miles round trip and 4 hours. I made it more interesting by going in up an easy ridge to the saddle el 2850 south of the J on the topo. It's less miles but takes longer. The road in from point 920 on S2 is easy 4wd and I could have rode an ebike in that day. It's a bit over 5 miles to the jeep road NW of Dos Cabezas. I walked under a tiny trestle there then up the wash to a side canyon. I got on the right bank of it at N32 45082, W116 10159. I stayed low and let the easy terrain take me up to the rim on the right. I kept going up to a flat at 44796, 10019 then on to a saddle at 44668, 10355 el 2650. I leveled off to 44652, 10425 then down to the creekbed, That is soon cluttered so I got on the easy right bank then on to a wall of boulders. I went up on the right to 44535, 10611 then left to weave thru then dropped back to the creekbed and on to the last wall of boulders before the main saddle. I went right around those then had smooth ground to 44420, 10723 where I could drop down thru a few boulders then level off to the rim where the tracks were in view. I walked down to the right on the rim and hit an ancient road at el 2550. It's clogged with cholla so I went down a drainage at 44342, 10986 el 2500 and hit the tracks then on to the trestle. I returned to the start on the tracks and jeep road. I walked the trestles between the rails and to one side. Those outer catwalks will be the first to collapse. It took 2.5 hours and 3.5 miles to get to the trestle. Gain is 800 but all easy and rarely any boulder issues. Coming back took 2 hours and 5.5 miles.  All the tunnels and trestles were good except the last tunnel at Goat Canyon is collapsed but has a road around it. MOUNTAIN BIKE VERSION - riders are starting at the end of the legal road and it's about 6 miles to the trestle. The first third mile is soft then it firms up. A fat tire ebike might do it all. I would walk the trestles. Posted 2024.

Northeast Nevada Peaks

Spruce Mtn. Go south from Wells and turn left at the big rainbow. You can't miss it.

Toano Crag, aka Sams Rock

CHERRY CREEK RANGE NORTH PEAKS - an easy 4wd road goes up Cottonwood Canyon into the high country. Take US 93 to mp EL 16.6. Go west a mile and a half to a main fork. Go left there then left at the next main fork which drops into the canyon. Go up to another fork at N40 18123, W114 54466 el 7000. Right goes to a camp in a quarter mile, but go left for several miles to a fork at 15346, 53483 el 8200. Left goes up to the 8900 level then it's a short hike up to the 9200 peak. The right fork goes into a pass el 8400. I went on thru the pass another mile to where the road starts down into Taylor Canyon. One good looking hike I saw here is to walk the crest over to HIGH PEAK. The roads here are packed dirt and make for a good cycle ride. A road running NW from the pass is ultra steep. Posted 2015.

• CHINA MOUNTAIN el 8380 is the high point of the Granite Range. KNOLL BENCHMARK el 8760 , the high point on Knoll Mountain, is nearby. Take US 93 to mp EL 116.4 and turn on a good road going up Knoll Creek. Go nearly 4 and a half miles to a ranch. For China Mtn, go on up the canyon for a mile and a third then turn left up Hanks Creek. That  turn is at N41 38681, W114 43700. Go a little over 3 miles on easy 4wd to a cattleguard then turn left there and follow the high road to the end at el 8050 about half a mile from the peak. The reg is at 41844, 45060.  For Knoll BM, go back to the ranch and go south thru a gate into Bloody Gulch and go nearly 7 miles to Tiser Spring reading 36872, 39305 el 7200. The road had been bladed most of the way to the spring. At the spring, an eroded road can be seen going up the ridge to a fence at el 8100. It's less than a mile from there to the BM at 37168, 37936. I did this hike first then went north from Tiser Spr and  dropped into Knoll Creek then went down to Hanks Creek and up to China Mtn. A road runs the crest from China Mtn to MIDDLE STACK MOUNTAIN el 8104. It's too rutted for 4wds, but cycles have it easy. From the cattleguard in Hanks Creek, ride to a 4-way at 41446, 42363 el 7450 then go left. The road soon swings north and is packed sand to Middle Stack then it goes steep up into the high saddle el 7750 between the summits. The reg and BM are on the east summit. Cycles can drop down west at 47595, 39136 el 7050 and get to US 93 at the bridge south of Contact, but that route is overgrowing. The only way I saw that 4wds can get to Middle Stack is up from the east. I could see recent 4wd tracks going up into the high saddle. A road goes north from Hanks Peak and down a canyon and on to US 93, but it was a disaster. Posted 2016
• DOLLY VARDEN MOUNTAIN HIGH POINT el 8500+ is a nameless peak with a 4wd road to towers on top. The huge Victoria pit mine is NE of the peak. The 4wd road departs from the mine at N40 19715, W114 32946 el 7300, right on the edge of an active claim. I rode in from the west and thru the pass to the mine, but that road was severely gouged out by storms in July 2015. Use the better road coming in from the east. The reg is at the south end of the summit area. SHARP PEAK el 8400 can be seen across the pass to the north. I parked at the pass el 7700 and followed the crest to where a horse trail tops out at 20497, 33525 el 8200. The trail crosses a minor saddle then drops a little and goes along the west side to get  around a bump. Then it crosses another saddle and goes along the right side to a saddle at 20902, 33220 el 8300. Then it's just a short way up the ridge to the BM. The reg needs a new book. That's an easy hike of under 2 hours from the pass, if you can get there. Hiking to the pass from the mine wouldn't be a big deal.  Posted 2015.
• ELKO MOUNTAIN el 7500 has a good road to the top, but I couldn't tell if it is public. There are no gates, just some vague signs. Take exit 301 at Elko and follow signs to Lamoille on SR 227. When you come to the junction with SR 228, keep going on 227 another mile and a half and turn left at a sign for the Sage school. Now you're on Boyd Road. Go east on that for 5 miles then the main road curves left and goes to the summit in another 7 miles.
•   GOSHUTE PEAK el 9610 is the high point of the Goshute Mountains. It got harder in 2015 when roads washed out. Turn off Alt 93 at mp EL 34.3. Go several miles on easy 4wd, much of it in Felt Wash. Stay left at a couple of tricky forks to reach a road forking up  Felt Canyon on the right at N40 28901, W114 12899 el 5700. It's washed out for the next half mile. ATVs can get thru. One thing that might work is to take the left fork going up the ridge then hike west of peak 6225 over into Felt. I rode a 125 up Felt and parked at a shady side canyon at 28509, 16428 el 6800. You can either hike north up canyon or use the west ridge of the canyon. I went up canyon for a mile then it steepened and turned left and put me in the saddle on the ridge at 29459, 17030 el 8100. There are patches of scrub on the ridge, but I went wide right around those to get to the reg at 29967, 17734. The crest looked enticing for the return, so I made the loop. 4 and a half hours, 3000 gain for the loop. I wore shorts all the way, but got lucky. What about the road going into the north saddle from the west? It's gone at el 6200 and it's not easy to get that far. I didn't check the Serviceberry road. Posted 2015.   MOUNT PISGAH el 8999 is near the south end of the range and has a trail. Turn off Alt 93 at mp 30.2. Stay on the main road for a bit over 4 miles to the end at the sunny TH el 7000. I saw cars in there but I wouldn't. The trail is easy to follow until a T near the top at a bird watchers camp. Go left a few feet to an outhouse then take a right fork. The reading there is N40 25442, W`114 16208 el 8900. Now it's a short distance to the reg. 3 hours, 2000 gain. A road connects over to the Goshute Peak hike, but it's washed out. FERGUSON MOUNTAIN el 7700 is accessed from the Pisgah road. Turn at a jeep road reading N40 26241, W114 12796 el 6200. The first couple of hundred feet got chewed up by 2015 floods. It gets better. Drive or hike the road and don't take any left forks. I rode in nearly a mile to a mine el 6700 then walked north to the SW ridge at 27044, 12292 el 6900 and just kept going up to the reg on the south summit. It took me an hour with 1000 gain. A pleasant hike.  MORGAN PASS has a jeep road running thru it. Turn off Alt 93 at mp EL 45.8. Go nearly 4 miles to a 4 way. Go left across a wash to a fork on the south bank. Go right for several miles to another fork at N40 37851, W114 15254 el 6500. Go left to the pass. Some nice peaks are in this area. Nameless hills are on the east side of of Alt 93. A long mega terrace, no doubt created by Lake Bonneville, caught my eye. A road goes from the highway at mp 45.8 to a saddle then it's a short hike south to a class 3 crag at N40 38336, W114 06313 el 5200 which seems to be the high point. This is a mile inside the air force range. Posted 2015.
• HOLE IN  THE MOUNTAIN PEAK el 11300 is the high peak in the East Humboldt Range. A jeep road goes to the 8400 level at Lizzie's Basin on the east side. Take SR 232 to mp 8.6 and turn at the sign for Weeks road. The first 3 miles are 2wd then it gets nasty. I wouldn't try it without a locker. Turnarounds are scarce. The road ends on a ridge and an overgrown trail keeps going up the ridge for a quarter mile then drops down the north side at N40 56500, W115 06310 el 8700. It drops 200 feet to the creek and gets lost in brush. It's better to start up to the left on open benches just before reaching the creek and walk the benches above  the brush then cross the creek at 56728, 06607 el 8950. The ascent gully is obvious. It goes parabolic but not loose.  The first good spring I found in the gully is at 56883, 06645 el 9200. The last one is at 57010, 06823 el 9900. The gully tops out at el 10300 then it's less than half a mile to the reg at 57044, 07332. 5 hours, 3200 gain. Light brush is abundant until the spring at el 9200. The only place I saw for backpackers to camp is on slabs at the creek crossing. Another option is to camp at Winchell Lake and try running the crest. The lake is above brush line.  WINCHELL LAKE is another hike on the east side. Use exit 351 at Wells and follow signs toward Angel Lake on SR 231. The TH is at a curve at mp 1.9. The first part of the trail is  trashed by cattle, but not so much at the lake.  Posted July 2015.
• INDEPENDENCE BENCHMARK el 8300 is the high point of the Wood Hills. The road in from the west was washed out at the 6400 level by floods in July 2015. Take US 93 to mp EL 67.6. Go east on 4wd for nearly a mile then left at a fork. Drive to another fork at N41 00989, W114 53860 el 6300. Go right for a fifth mile and the road is washed out. I rode a cycle on up to the crest el 8100. A rocky horse trail goes from there along the west side and soon the peak is in view. The BM is at 00802, 49913. I had an easy hike but 4wds will have a 4 and a half mile hike each way. Another road comes in from Moor Summit to the north but it looked unused. Posted 2015.
• LEPPY PEAK el 6716 is the high point of the Leppy Hills at Wendover. Take exit 410  off I-80 and get on the north frontage road. Go east a tenth mile then turn on a gravel road and go north a bit over 3 miles to a pass el 5650. Keep going another half mile then go left on an easy 4wd road. Go half a mile and park at el 5800 right where the road drops to a guzzler. Hike up the canyon south of the road all the way to the crest then go left to the reg at N40 46934, W114 04311. The south summit has a fallen tower that now serves as a reg. 80 minutes, 1000 gain. This is a good looking peak and too easy to pass up. Posted 2015.
• MURDOCK MOUNTAIN el 8312 is the high point of itself. There is a smooth 4wd road to the 7700 level on the SW ridge. Take SR 233 to mp 6.4 and turn on a major dirt road. This is at the north end of a guard rail. Take the dirt road to a RR crossing and cross over then follow the tracks west for 3 and a half miles on a pothole road to a fork at N41 08324, W114 26011. The roads from here on are smooth with not much erosion or brush. Go right at the fork and stay on the main road to a 4 way at 11490, 25531 then go right and the road goes up the SW ridge. It's a short hike from there to the reg at 13268, 21979. This is a nice area with scarce brush and not much impact from cattle or horses. Posted 2015.
• PILOT PEAK el 10700 is a pile of talus 6000 feet high. The BLM has a route up the south ridge roughly from point 6382 in Miners Canyon.  Take I-80 to exit 4 and go north a mile and a quarter then take a left fork that goes 3 miles to Leppy Pass. Keep going toward the peak for a dozen miles to a cattleguard. Turn left on easy 4wd. One tricky fork near the mountain goes both ways, but right is the better road. A shady camp is up in the canyon. A sunny camp el 6200 is after that which is where I parked. The BLM route starts up a north canyon at N40 59710, W114 04304.The creek was running from the mouth on down a good distance. A backpacker's base camp would be feasible here for those with 2wd. Soon the canyon is pure talus, so I bailed on that route and went up onto the right ridge at N40 59990, W114 04171.el 6900. Going straight up the ridge worked good and at el 7600 the BLM route merged. It was pretty simple to go up the ridge center. The ridge is more bedrock and dirt than talus until the last 1000 feet where it is pure talus. One thing I did at el 8900 was walk level along the right side into the trees at N41 00647, W114 04536 and weave up under those. The reg is at N41 01266, W114 04646. It took 4 hours, 20 minutes to go up, 3 hours to come down, 4600 gain. This is the most tedious peak in the state. I was here in the 90s and the reg book had an entry by a researcher in Aug 1979. He said you could look at the salt pan and see a dark streak coming across. That was created by the Donner party churning up the sediments. I could see it then, but not on the 2015 trip. But the same book was still there. Miners Spring had a small flow. Posted August 2015.
• SOUTH PEQUOP BENCHMARK el 9249 is east of Wells near I-80. A 4wd road goes up Sixmile Creek (dry) to the crest at el 9100. Take exit 378 and go south a mile and a half to a major dirt road on the right. Stay on that and it will carry you right into Sixmile canyon. A new mine may be blocking access, but there's a way around it. Go west on the freeway frontage road for over a mile to a gate. Go thru then follow that fence south to the Sixmile road. At the first main fork in the canyon, stay right and go up to another fork reading N41 00066, W114 33762 el 7000. There are some good shady camps along this stretch and it's the prettiest part of the canyon. Go left at the fork and it gets grassy. At the 7900 level there are deep ruts that last a third mile then there is a left fork that bypasses the rest of the ruts. The road levels off and here is where I stayed on the south road to peak 9163. But it might work better to circle to the west side of peak 9163 and hike horse trails from there. Either way it's an easy 2 mile walk to the summit. For the last mile a horse trail goes along the west side of a hill that's in the way. The reg and BM are at N40 55451, W114 35372. Some wreckage is along the trail right before the top. PEAK 8333 has a cycle trail to the 8000 level. At the fork in Sixmile canyon el 7000, go right and stay right at forks and you swing around to the west side and up a canyon where the road shrinks to a trail heading for the peak which is at N41 00659, W114 34042. The trail goes on down the north canyon and morphs into a road in half a mile. Stay right at the mouth to get out. ROCKY POINT el 8274 is north of the highway. It has towers and the North Pequop BM.  It is owned by the Pequop Conservancy and so you're supposed to go online and get a free permit. Take exit 373 and get on the north frontage road. Go west on that and stay on the main road to the unlocked gate at the Conservancy boundary el 7500. If you don't want to deal with that headache, there is a smooth road on the crest to come back to the highway with some towers along the way. Another drive at that exit is to get on the south frontage road and go west. The road will go up a canyon and on up to towers on easy 4wd. The Quop BM is shown to be along this road at N41 03516, W114 35207 el 7575 but I found no BM, just a lot of survey junk. A small, shady camp area is near this exit at N41 04382, W114 33846. Posted 2015.
•  SPRUCE MOUNTAIN el 10200 has a 4wd road to towers on top. Take US 93 to mp EL 38 and follow a good road to a fork at the base of the mountain reading N40 33032, W114 52334 el 7000. Both forks go, but the left one is for OHVs. Take the right fork to a major pass el 8600 north of the summit. An obvious steep road switching up from there goes to the towers. The BM is a few hundred feet south. The main attraction here is to hike the high ridge a couple of miles to the bald south peak at 31543, 50461 el 10070. The last mile and a half is a horse trail. It took me 75 minutes to get there. Surveyor junk is on that summit. One option for 2wds is to hike the road from the 7000 level to the towers then run the ridge to the south peak then come straight down. There are a lot of old mine cabins here.  VALLEY MOUNTAIN el 7460 is across US 93. Go back and cross the highway then over a cattleguard. Take the left fork then left again shortly. The road goes to the 6800 level on the east slope. It's half a mile to the BM at N40 33110, W115 01325. This is quite a nice little peak. The roads are packed dirt but eroded. Posted 2015. 
• TOANO RANGE PEAK 8037 is the high point of the range north of I-80. It has an easy 4wd to the west base el 7100. Take I-80 to exit 387 then go north on a crude road to the west base of the range. If that road is blocked, get on the north frontage road and go east a mile and a third to a gravel road on the left. Take that to transformers then it's a crude road from there to a better road running along the west base of the range that soon merges with the other road in. A gravel pit for RV parking is before the transformers. Drive to a fork at N40 59001, W114 19404 and go right to the end of the road at some shady camps. Angle up thru a pleasant pj forest to the south saddle at N40 58382, W114 18773 el 7800. Now just go left a third mile to the reg. 70 minutes, 1000 gain. I took a shortcut down and hit brush and talus. TOANO CRAG el 7735 is what I call that thing a mile north of peak 8037. Some hikers call it Sams Rock. It has a route on the north side and one on the south side. Drive around to a viewpoint on the north side at N40 59847, W114 18943 el 7100. Look up and you can see the route to the east edge of the summit. It is class 2 and has light brush and mahogany. I prefer the south route with a pleasant pj forest but it has some class 3.  Go up thru the trees on the south side toward the saddle east of the summit. Just before the saddle is a gully at N40 59639, W114 18781 el 7500 where class 3 starts. This gully is visible from the flats below. The main thing is a chokestone 8 feet high. Two can get up it, I used a ledge on the left. I didn't think it dangerous. The gully goes on up to the east edge of the summit. I went down the north route then around to the west side where I parked. The whole affair took 90 minutes. Take a folding saw to clear saplings.  NORTH TOANO BM el 7984 caps off the north end of the range. Stay on the main road running along the west base to a fork at N41 03097, W114 19141. Turn right up a canyon to the 7400 level where the peak comes into view. It's a half hour hike to the BM at N41 04217, W114 17375. These roads aren't rocky and make for good cycle rides. PROCTOR BM el 7602 is on the south side of the highway. A 4wd road goes up to el 6800 on the west ridge. Get on the south side frontage road at exit 387 and go east to a bridge over the RR tracks. Go over the bridge then take a right turn for a third mile to some buildings. Go left there on 4wd for a couple miles to a fork. Go left there and the road winds its way down to the canyon bottom. Go left down canyon and the road will circle up to the west ridge and fade at el 6800. It's a nice short hike thru a pj forest to the BM at N40 52369, W114 17631. Another nice cycle ride. ARNOLD LOOP is the name of that 6 mile long hairpin turn in the RR tracks on the east side of the range.  Posted 2015.
•  WHITE HORSE MOUNTAIN el 8077 and SUGAR LOAF PEAK el 8025 are at  the southern tip of the Goshute Mtns. They are separated by a 600 foot deep saddle and can be done as a loop from the east. Take Alt 93 to mp EL 24 and get on the old highway and go north a quarter mile then turn east on a decent road. Follow it for half a dozen miles or so around to a crude road on the east side at N40 17120, W114 13709. Take the crude road for a third mile into a canyon el 6350 then hike up canyon to the easy south ridge on the right at 17219, 14697 el 6600. Just keep going up to the BM at 18436, 15013. Surveyors hauled up 2 heavy steel fence posts to make a pole. The route over to White Horse and back down is obvious. The reg is at 17522, 16162. 4 and a half hours, 2400 gain. Outstanding pj forest hike.  White Horse has a more dramatic route from the west but roads are not as good. A 4wd road goes up a west canyon to el 6700. Turn off Alt 93 at mp EL 21 and take the old highway south for half a mile just past a point of rocks. Turn on a crude road and go about 3 miles to a fork reading N40 17256, W114 18699. Go left for nearly a mile to a fork el 6100 at the base of the mountain. Go right for 2/3 mile along the base of the moutain to a guzzler, then left just after that. The road fades at el 6700, ignore a right fork near there.  Just go up the easy slope to the left of the road to get on a main ridge. At el 7700 the rest of the route is in view. A bump is in the way 4/10 mile before the summit. Go up nearly over it on the right side. The reg is at 17522, 16162. 3 hours, 1400 gain. Posted 2015.

Deep Creek Range Area

Flat Top

Haystack Peak seen from Toms Creek camp

Birch Crag

Smith Creek Peak

A graded roads runs along the east side of the range for 100 miles starting from the paved Ibapah road to a gas station on US 50. Toms Creek has the only shade along the road. I left the Ibapah road near mp 28 and went thru Gold Hill then on south to Baker. It's bumpy for the first 35 miles to Callao then it's a wider, smoother road. I was told that a smooth graded road goes east from Callao for 50 miles to a paved road that connects to Delta. Baker and Wendover have VZ cell service, but in between a signal can only be had on high points. At the southern end, I poked around in the north Snake Range. That info is posted on the Moriah page. Posted 2015.

• DUTCH MOUTAIN el 7700 is right on the edge of the Salt Lake Desert near Gold Hill. Turn off the graded road at N40 10348, W113 50835 and follow a good road into Pool Canyon. Turn right on a jeep road at 11799, 50623 el 5700. It has bad spots but there are turnarounds. Park at a fork reading 12138, 51108 el 6000 and hike the left fork up the main canyon. Take a right fork at 12171, 51488 el 6300 and follow that up to the main saddle then up the ridge. For the last mile you're on the crest. There are some minor bumps but they are not an issue. The reg is at 13406, 50664. 3 and a half hours, nearly 2000 gain. Nice pj forest. A more direct route would be from the Silver King Mine, but it's sunny, steep and a lot of driving. Posted 2015.
• OCHRE MOUNTAIN el 7500 is an easy one. Go south on the main road from Gold Hill and stay right at main forks. At a 4 way reading N40 06003, W113 52749, go north on easy 4wd for half a mile then go left and stay on the road until it tops out at el 6800 on the west ridge. It's 3/4 mile to the reg at 07979, 53149. MONTEZUMA PEAK is across the valley but the road up it seems to be overgrown. Overland Posted 2015.
• TOMS CREEK CAMP is about 4 miles south of Callao reading N39 51489, W113 46449 el 4800. It makes a good hub for OHVs to get at the various hikes. There is no outhouse.
• GOSHUTE CANYON has a road that starts at Toms camp. Take the road going north and it leads right into the mouth where it turns pure rubble. I stopped there at a cabin. BIG CANYON is the next canyon south but it's dry. Posted 2015. 
• HAYSTACK PEAK el 12020 has a trail to the 10150 level on the crest from Toms Creek. From the camp on Toms Creek, go north on a good road for a mile and a half to a 4 way reading N39 52710, W113 47023. Go left and and shortly there is a fork where you go right.  Go on up another mile and a half or so to a key fork at el 5900. The right fork goes to Middle Canyon, but you want to go left on 4wd and stay on the main road all the way to the closure in Toms Creek at a shady camp el 8500. There was heavy cattle impact in this area. The road is packed sand with occasional bedrock and is closed at el 7500 from Nov 1 to June 1. From the end of the road, hike the old track to the end at a saddle reading 52618, 55040 el 10150. Now a crag is in the way, so go up the left side thru a notch then it's clear sailing. It's easy to pass crags on the left side until a line of crags forces you up into a saddle el 10700 which is on the north side of peak 10828. Walk along the right side of that peak, dropping a little, to get into the saddle south of it which reads 52135, 54781 el 10700. Then it's easy to walk the crest passing crags on the left side to get to the final bald slope. Angle up that to a viewpoint at 51313, 54541 el 11500. Now you can see an easy passage under the west side of Ibapah Azimuth. Just drop a little to get on it and soon a faint game trail makes it easier. The peak soon comes into view reading 50864, 54291. 7 hours, 3700 gain. It looked easy to walk the crest center over to Ibapah Peak. This is for certain one of the best peak hikes in the Great Basin and it never gets very steep. There is a road out of Toms Creek at the 7400 level that goes over into Indian Farm Creek to some cabin ruins el 8000. The road is smooth but there was an eroded section about 100 feet long.  A Nissan Xterra made it to the TH. How hard can it be? Posted 2015.
• ROCKY PEAK el 10748 is the next peak north of Haystack and uses the same TH. The route is visible from there. You can walk the old track to the crest then run the  crest to the summit. I made a loop thru Scotts Basin. I went down the old road into the basin at el 7800 then used cow trails to get near Chimney Rock. I veered north there up an open fork to a tiny spring at N39 53925, W113 53916 el 8900. I filled up with cold water then it was easy to get to the SW saddle at 54559, 54071 el 10200. The BM is at 54701, 53843. A rusted out can a few feet north must have once held a reg. On the way down I walked the crest. At the SW saddle I had to drop south to get around a big talus pile. The crest has a 600 foot deep saddle to cross before getting to the track that runs back to the start. It took 6 hours with about 3600 gain. There is light brush but it's not a factor with long pants.  A million animal trails weave thru the brush. Posted August 2015.
• FLAT TOP el 8676 is what I call the dramatic peak on the south rim of Big Canyon. A man made trail goes into the SW saddle next to peak 8305. Drive the same as for Haystack Peak but only as far as the key fork at el 5900. Go right there and follow the jeep road into Middle Canyon. The road is packed sand as far as the 6900 level but for one tricky spot near a spring. At the 6900 level begins intermittent rubble. At 53131, 51493 el 7850 is where the TH is. There is room for 2 or 3 jeeps if they can make it that far. Hike the trail to the saddle el 8150 then go up the ridge straight  toward  peak 8305, which is a small crag. As you come to it, veer around the right side to get behind it in a clearing at 53526, 51171. I stayed too low and had to fight dense trees. It's easy to keep going to the first cliff band at 53632, 50777. Here I went left along the base of the cliff to an easy break then straight up and right a little.  I stayed on the easiest terrain and topped out at 53714, 50720 but had to climb some class 3 rock near the top. The terrain on this upper part will guide you to the right of where I topped out then bring you back left, as there aren't any alternate routes in that area. I left cairns there. There was a surveyor pole still standing on the north rim of the peak. That north face is 1000 feet high. 3 hours, about 1000 gain. It could be a 5 hour hike if you park where the rubble starts. I rode my 125 past the TH to the 8000 level then lost traction.  Posted 2015.
• INDIAN FARM CREEK has a road out of Toms camp. It's the one south of the creek going up the hill. It's packed sand to the end just inside the mouth. Some nice camps are here and a foot  trail goes a short way. Posted 2015.
• GEORGE H HANSEN PEAK el 8500 is the high point of the Fish Springs Range. A jeep road goes to the 5800 level on the west side. The Weiss Highway is a graded road that crosses the southern tip of the range and connects Delta with the Deep Creek Range. From Toms camp, go south a half mile to get on the Weiss road. Go east to a crude road at N39 42234, W113 35045. I turned here but a better road is farther east. The crude road will merge with that better road and you just keep going north to 44604, 32976 then go right to a corral where the erosion starts. Keep going to a T, then go left to a road at 45035, 30960 on the north side of a wash. Go up that road for a mile and a third to a washout el 5250. Jeeps can get around, cycles and ATVs can make it. Go on nearly 2 more miles to where the road fades el 5800. Hike up and cross a low rim at 43996, 27868 el 6050 then walk the base to the west ridge at 43498, 27573 el 6300. Go up the ridge to the 7600 level where cliffs force you to angle up to the right to the reg at 43513, 26407. Scree and talus above the 7600 level are the major headaches. Long pants are needed. Brush is thin but it's like coat hanger wire. 5 hours, nearly 3000 gain. Posted 2015.
• RED CEDAR CREEK has a road into the mouth to el 5700. Turn off the graded road at N39 48601, W113 47039 and follow a smooth 4wd road to a T. Go right and then stay left. A short section has rough bedrock. You can return by going north along the granite to a T in a wash. Right goes out, left  goes to Indian Farm Creek road but has tricky spots. Posted 2015.
• IBAPAH PEAK el 12087 is the high point of the Deep Creek Range. A trail goes most of the way. Turn off the graded east side road at a sign for Granite Creek reading N39 46684, W113 47994. The road goes up the canyon to a gate at el 6500 which is locked from Nov 1 to June 1.  The road gets tougher for the next half mile and then comes the worst spot el 6800 where a Dodge truck was parked. This was where the road was once closed, but it didn't stick so they closed it again farther up.  Jeeps can make it on to the end of the road but not with their paint. The road ends and trail starts at 47794, 53737 el 7350. The first backpackers camp on the  trail is at about the 8000 level where the road once ended, but it might be hard to get at the creek. The trail soon goes parabolic. The last camp spot is the springs where the creek begins at 48530, 56049 el 9900 and then the trail tops out in a giant meadow el 10200. Now you leave the trail and aim for a bald spot on the crest at 49283, 56049 el 11000. Now there's just one bump in the way. I went around the right side to 49284, 55681 where a trail appears and soon gets to be a good trail all way to the summit at 49690, 55186. 7 and a half hours, 4700 gain. Taking a filter is best since there is water to the 9900 level. This is the best overall hike I've seen in the Great Basin. You get a lovely forest, a lovely creek, lovely meadows and a spectacular peak. You DON'T get cattle, horses, brush or bugs ( at least no bugs in late August ). I saw cars make it to the mouth of the canyon. Posted 2015.
• COTTONWOOD CANYON is the next one north of Granite Creek but it's dry and sunny. A smooth road along the base connects the mouths of the two canyons. Posted 2015.
• TROUT CREEK has a trail to the 7400 level. Turn off the graded east side road at N39 44828, W113 48411. It's a crude road that has long sections covered with little rocks. The road is closed at the 6400 level but it's easy to walk the old road for a mile and a half until it starts fading. There is a foot trail that goes on up creek but tricky to follow. I turned back at 45843, 55223 el 7600 where it was getting too overgrown. It's a nice forest and creek, no cattle. Posted 2015.
• BIRCH CREEK has an overgrowing constructed trail. The turnoff is at Trout Creek ranches on the north side of a church reading N39 41078, W113 50026. It's about 6 miles on easy 4wd to the end of the road. Some sections are covered with little rocks. An ATV track goes on a short way then it's a foot trail into a gorge. At 43549, 55208 the trail gets tricky and goes along the far right edge of the canyon floor. At 43788, 55703 el 7100 is a spring on the left bank where I filled up. Then I went over to the right bank in tall weeds where the trail soon resumed. I went all the way thru the gorge and stopped at a main fork reading 43966, 56552 el 7500. I couldn't tell where the trail was at that point. A base camp could be set up here for Trout BM and other peaks. The hike took me 5 hours. Long pants are needed. It's the best creekside hike I've seen in the Great Basin.  But it's going bye bye unless it gets adopted. Hedge clippers would go a long way. Posted 2015.
• BIRCH CRAG el 8970 is what I call that nasty looking thing at the mouth of Birch Creek. There is a class 2 chicken route up the NW side. Turn off the graded road at N39 40852, W113 51456 and follow a good road for 2/3 mile toward a landfill then veer left on a bumpy 4wd road into Wood Canyon. Park at the last turnaround reading 42030, 55660 el 6300. The road soon fades in a thicket. Walk the right bank around the thicket and go on up canyon on a faint logging road to el 7500. Look right and you'll see a talus gully. Walk to it at 43181, 56052 el 7900. Go up that to the main saddle el 8500. Don't get tricked by a decoy saddle just before it. Walk thru the saddle then up a little to a viewpoint reading 43145, 55812. Here you can see a wide shelf ramping up along the north side of the final ridge. It merges with the ridgetop then it's a short walk to the high point at 43028, 55568. 5 hours, 2700 gain. No sign of humanity. Posted 2015.
• TROUT CREEK RADAR STATION el 6900+ sits on a peak SE of Partoun. A graded road goes up, but too soft for 2wds. Turn off the main graded road just south of Partoun at N39 38117, W113 53715. Go east on another graded road that swings north to a fork at 39478, 48064. Go right and that road swings south up a long canyon to the top where a sign says el 7075. They're off by over 100 feet. It's a nice ride/drive with sweeping views. That black volcanic formation along the way is the Smelter Knolls. It looks like Lake Bonneville shorelines at the base. Posted 2015.
•    GOVERNMENT PEAK, TIN SPRINGS MOUNTAIN and KERN MOUNTAINS HIGH POINT can all be done in a day. Turn off the main graded road at Gandy onto a good road reading N39 27511, W114 00000 and go NW. For Tin Springs Mtn el 7473, turn off the main road at 32588, 06958 and drive down into a main wash el 6100 and park. Pick a ridge to the top reading 33357, 05128. I used the one as seen left of the summit. 2 hours, 1300 gain. For Govt Peak el 7872, keep going on the main road to a cattleguard reading 33773, 09186. Go south on easy 4wd to a low pass el 6800 which is NW of the peak. Turn toward the peak on a road that soon ends at the Government Peak Wilderness boundary. You could park sooner and walk the north ridge. The summit is at 31352, 09180. No sign of humanity. That's a 2 hour hike with 1000 gain. For Kern Mtns high point el 9600+, return to the cattleguard and  go north on easy 4wd for 2 and a quarter miles to a tricky fork. Both go, I went right and stayed on main roads to a fork at 39046, 09641 el 7600. I went right to a road forking left up a drainage reading 38609, 08027 el 7800. It's hard to say how far a jeep can go up this road. It's not washed out, just narrow. I rode all the way up to the 8800 level then took a left fork that went right to the base of the peak at el 8900. It's a short but steep hike to the reg at 39833, 07567. The roads here are mostly packed sand and dirt until the 8000 level in the Kern Mtns where some rocks occur. Posted 2015.
• WARM CREEK is at Gandy and has lukewarm soaking pools. Go west on a graded road reading N39 27242, W113 59919 for 2 and a half miles to a sunny camp area. It's another fifth mile on chalky 4wd to the pools. I filled jugs at the upper pool. SPRING MOUNTAIN el 6387 towers over the pools. An easy 4wd road goes up the north slope to the 5700 level. A foot trail starts there. It soon forks and the right fork goes onto the spine and that can be walked to the BM. Some minor bumps are along the way but easily passed on the right. The survey pole was still standing after 6 decades. Posted 2015.
• SMITH CREEK PEAK el 9372 is what I call the massive peak on the north side of Smith Creek in the Snake Range. The north slope has forested routes with hardly any brush. Take the main graded east side road to the turnoff for Smith Creek at N39 18538, W114 00380. Go 2 and a half miles to a main fork. Go right and stay left at main forks to a faint road at 22609, 04091. Turn west to the wilderness boundary el 6400. These roads aren't rocky but have some sharp dips. Hike west on the old road and it soon fizzles but it's easy to walk on top of the low ridge to the right. Stay on that until it turns toward the mountain then cross a dip to get on the easiest ridge at 22669, 06994 el 7200. I made a loop by going up this ridge and over to the saddle west of peak 9049 then came down the canyon east of the ridge, but that involved some contouring into the saddle but it was easy to walk the south side of peak 9049. If you just want to go up the canyon, then only go up the ridge to the 7500 level then contour into the canyon at or above a chokestone reading 22398, 06922 el 7400. Stroll up on smooth gravel to a left fork at 22116, 07108 el 7700 and take that. At el 7900 a minor fall is in the way. I went around the steep east side of it, but I didn't check to see if it was climbable as I was descending. Keep going south in the correct drainage at 21714, 07112 then into the high saddle at 21575, 07197 el 8950. It's a stroll from there to the high point at 21154, 06564. It had nothing on it. The loop took me 6 hours with about 3000 gain. It was easy walking in a thin forest. I could have done this in shorts, but peak 9049 had some light brush that would require a lot of weaving. The ascent ridge had mine claims dated 1986 at the 8000 level. A top notch hike in a real wilderness. If you're looking for a wuss wilderness with well manicured trails and lots of yuppies, then skip this. Posted 2015.

Independence Mountains Area

Hawk chicks hanging around near Saval Ranch.

Jacks Peak (left) and Chicken Creek

SR 225  runs along the east side of the range. The only gas after leaving Elko is at Owyhee. There is a lot of private land in this area that might get closed off at any time. Posted 2015.

• SWALES MOUNTAIN el 8068 has a jeep road to the top. Turn off SR 225 at mp 39.1 and go west to a fork at a cattleguard reading N40 56531, W115 58228. The easy road ends here. The  right fork goes to the top but it's eroded. There was no one big thing to stop a jeep, but it will take all day. I rode a cycle to el 7250 where the road goes parabolic for the last half mile. The main tower on top has a hand crank so it can be raised. An array of household TV antennas is perched on the west side. Maybe they were picking up the Reno transmitters. Now the only thing working seems to be a radio repeater using 2 solar panels. Posted 2015.
• EAST TWIN BM el 7475 is in the southern part of the Adobe Range. It has a 4wd road to the top. Take SR 225 to the Adobe Ranchos Rd at mp 39.8. Follow the road up to the saddle between towers. The towers on the left have the BM. Posted 2015.
• NANNIES PEAK el 8780 has an OHV track to el 8300 on the SE side. Take SR 226 to mp 3.7. Turn south on a good road and go past the Reed ranch to a fork at N41 09450, W115 56861. The right fork goes to a big spring in 2/3 mile where I filled bottles. But take the left fork, now 4wd, and follow it around the base of the peak to the OHV track at 06873, 57326 el 7150. 4wds can go a short way up the track. I rode a cycle to el 8300. The summit is defended by brush on the east and north. Walk the crest from the south to stay left of the brush. The Lone BM is at 07587, 58574. There are roads going high north of the peak, but it looked like a lot of brush to deal with. That big spring is shown as hot but it's not. Posted 2015.
• ADOBE RANGE HIGH POINT el 8135 is not far west of SR 225. I turned off on the Coal Mine Rd at mp 59.6. I hit 3 gates in less than 2 miles so I got mad and found another way to cut over to the road but it was bad, so deal with the gates.  Coal Mine Rd goes over Coal Mine Pass and down to I-80. At the pass, take the obvious 4wd road going toward the peak. Right before a spring, go left on a faint track and park at the end el 7200. It's easy to angle up the west slope and get on the bald crest and walk to the reg at N41 06817, W115 42502. The whole hike takes an hour and a half with 1000 gain. The part of the Coal Mine Rd that I was on was in good shape. Posted 2015.
• WHEELER MOUNTAIN el 9054 has an easy 4wd road to el 8500 from the north. Turn off SR 225 at mp 63.5 and go west for 6 miles on a graded road. Take a right fork, FR 56868 , just before the Saval ranch.  Stay on that road all the way to the crest overlooking a huge pit mine. Creekside camps are 4 miles along the way then it turns to easy 4wd. Go south on the crest to the peak. I walked thru a notch at N41 17773, W116 01321 then up the ridge for less than half a mile  to the BM at 17604, 01728. There was some brush but it wasn't very hard to get thru. After that I rode a side road up to the 8600 level on peak 8826 a couple miles north of Wheeler. That's a decent road but grassy. On the ride out I stayed north on the crest to where the road splits 3 ways just south of a cell tower. I went far left for a tenth mile to another fork where I went right then on to CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN at 23161, 57487 el 8524.  I didn't see a good road out from there so I backtracked to FR 56868 and was lucky to get traction on a steep hill. All the roads here were packed dirt. The ride/drive is the main attraction. A mtn bike would work as far as the crest. Posted 2015.
• DOUBLE MOUNTAIN el 8147 has a jeep road up the north ridge. Take SR 225 to mp 69.6 and turn at the sign for Double Mtn. Go about 4 miles on a graded road then turn north on a 4wd road that goes up Water Canyon. The reading there is N41 21420, W115 43945. Go north to a T at 25495, 43525 then go right onto the north ridge. I wouldn't take a 4wd any higher than a flat spot at 25666, 42736 el 7800. An OHV made it to the top. The BM is on the east summit. Posted 2015.
• DIVIDE BM el  7580 is not far east of SR 225. Three different 4wd roads go up. The north ridge is a good ride or drive. Turn off at mp 81.7 and go east on a graded road for about 1.6 miles then go right for nearly a mile to a fence. Go left along the fence on easy 4wd and then it starts climbing and passes thru the fence and goes up the north ridge to a rock outcrop  el 7350. Hike right over the outcrop then go left around the second one then climb back up to the ridge center and then it's obvious to the BM at N41 29998, W115 46411. It's about a 3/4 mile hike each way and an easy grade. Posted 2015.
• McAFEE PEAK el 10438 is the high point of the Independence Mtns. Turn off SR 225 at mp 82.3 and take the graded road that goes up the north fork of the Humboldt River. The graded road ends at a ghost mine then a lesser road continues on to the pass  el 7850 which is the 2wd TH. A steep but not eroded 4wd road goes up from there. Cycles can go over the pass to the creek and use an eroded road that goes up along the creek and merges with the road up from the pass. At el 8650 is a tricky fork. Stay left but I wouldn't take a 4wd past N41 32653, W115 58537 el 8900. Hike to the end of the road at el 9100 then angle up the slope aiming for a major saddle on the high ridge at 32013, 58402 el 9850. I stayed below talus as much as possible but couln't avoid all of it.  Go up the ridge and stay near center because there aren't any bumps to deal with. The reg is at 31300, 58407. I stayed on the ridge for the return but talus is on that route too. Snow was here into August. 3 and a half hours,  1600 gain. The best camps I saw were about a mile inside the forest boundary on a spur road. Some hikers are using the road up to the tower, but I couldn't find a public road across the private land. The likely road is at mp 76 but a sign says private. Posted 2015.
• JACKS PEAK el 10200 is a short hike but the prettiest in the range. A 4wd road goes up Chicken Creek to the 9100 level. Use the 2wd road (not graded) that cuts across the range north of the peak. I got on it from SR 225 at mp 82.3. Drive to N41 32273, W116 02027 el 7000 and turn south. Keep right at the one fork and park at the end of the road. A mtn bike would work but the road gains 2000 feet in 3 and a half miles. I went up into the saddle left of the peak then up to the summit at 29192, 00381. I came down the saddle right of the peak.  The hike took an hour and a half with 1100 gain. Many springs are near the end of the road. Cattle rarely wander up there. It looked like it would be easy to run the crest south to peak 9734. Posted 2015.
• TABLE MOUNTAIN el 7500 is 3 miles east of SR 225. Turn off at mp 88.8 onto an easy 4wd road. Keep right at a fork in half a mile then left thereafter to a hidden fork at N41 37032, W115 46219 el 6400. It shrinks to an OHV track and goes on 2 more miles almost to the survey junk on top at 37311, 44132. A mtn bike would work here. Posted 2015.
• MERRITT MOUNTAIN el 8792 has a jeep road up the east side. Leave SR 225 at mp 106.7 and go 3.3 miles on a good road to a fork. Go left there on road # 236 for a mile and a half to a another fork. The reading there is N41 49365, W115 53665. Go right there on road # 934, now easy 4wd, for several miles to a road on  the left at 51310, 49150 el 7700. Take that road to the top. It is rougher but a jeep wouldn't have a problem. The reg is at 52113, 50450 and the BM is a quarter mile south. A loop for cycles and OHVs can be done from SR 225 near Wild Horse Res. Start at mp 92 where there is RV parking. Go north on a graded road for a mile then turn left on road # 226. Soon comes a tricky fork but stay left and keep going several miles to a fork at N41 47970, W115 52254. Go right there on road # 935 for a bit over 2 miles to the fork with road # 934 mentioned above at N41 49365, W115 53665 then follow that route to the summit. Come back down to the fork at el 7700 and go left and then there is only one main road to follow all  the way to a T at road # 931 reading 53367, 46401. Go south there for miles to a T then go right a short way to another T at road # 226. Go left back to the start. This will all make sense once you're out there and can see the layout. The roads are rarely  rocky except the side road going to the summit. Posted 2015.
• PENNSLYVANIA HILL el 9100 has a jeep road to the top. Turn off SR 225 at mp 105.8 and go south on a graded county road for 7 miles to road # 590. The reading there is N41 42514, W116 00664 el 6000. The road goes to the 9000 level in 4 miles. Jeeps would still fit on it as of August 2015. The first quarter mile has some ruts across it. After that it's just a matter of traction. The road goes on past the BM for over a mile then drops down which is where I turned around. The forest map shows it goes down to the county road but there is a short stretch of posted private land right before the county road.
• PORTER PEAK el 9200 is one that has no public road up from the east side. The only hope for that one is the west side.
• WILSON PEAK el 8500 has a 4wd road from IL Summit to the east. Turn off the county road at the summit and follow the 4wd road to a fork at N41 36915, W116 10376 el 6750.  A private land sign is on the left about a mile in but the BLM map shows no private land at that spot. Go left at the fork for less than a fifth mile then start hiking up the ridge to the left.  There is some light brush to deal with but it soon thins out. The reg is at 36718, 11523. The hike took me 130 minutes with 1700 gain.  I could see an unmapped road coming up the SW side to the 7000 level. That might be a better route if it's not blocked. Posted 2015.