Johnson GB: Johnson Mine, Pyramid Peak, and Baker Lake

Great Basin National Park

(redder lines, map link)

DAY 1 | DAY 2

I certainly needed a rest day after my short, but hard, trip up Eagle Peak. Since none of my backpacking food was sorted out, it was good to have that time to pre-make some breakfast mixes of couscous and spice and fruit and cheese for breakfast and discover that only one of my dried beans packets was in the car. Turns out not seeing it in the room doesn't mean it's in the car already. I decided to experiment with wasabi peas as a dehydrated legume. Then I had the time to weigh it all and decide that if it's 20 pounds, camera and all, I could certainly toss in a second coat. (Eagle Peak Campsites must be a cold spot because it didn't turn out to be any colder at Baker Lake, but one does expect a higher place to be colder generally.) I even had some time to write even if it wouldn't get posted until I stopped by the county library in Ely. Then I headed back up the rough and narrow, but still little car passable, road to its end where three possible trails awaited.

000: toilet, signs, garbage cans, trail, and parking area — The Johnson Lake Trailhead side of the Snake Creek Trailhead.

Great Basin National Park has a rather liberal policy for backpacking. You may not camp in the day use areas, the ancient bristlecone pine groves, or within ¼ mile of development or historic sites, and where you do camp, it must be by Leave No Trace principles. They encourage one to get a free permit (this may be mandatory for trips from the Baker Creek Trailhead) from the visitor center for safety and usage statistics. They discourage relying on finding surface water. My plan was to head up past Johnson Lake to Baker Lake, perhaps tagging Pyramid Peak on the way. Since Baker Lake is a lake, it seemed like a reliable source, but I would make every attempt to get water from one of a couple springs found about half a mile before getting to the lake. Next, I would travel the high country toward Washington Peak, expecting to tag it too, then down Snake Divide to return to the other side of the parking lot. This combines trails marked as maintained and not maintained on my park brochure. I had seen that maintained trails vary from raked to not raked and might have a tree or two down on them. I would learn that the unmaintained trails vary from clearly maintained in the last two years to likely never built. It's all part of the charm of the adventure, I suppose. I shouldered my 20 pound pack and slung the 1 pound camera around my neck and started up the Johnson Lake Trail, wondering what mining artifacts would be found on the way to the lake.

001: table in the sun — The single walk-in site of the Shoshone Campsites along Johnson Lake is sunny and warm, good for shoulder season camping.

003: bright yellow leaves, some in the air — What was left of the bright, yellow aspen leaves were coming down in the wind.

005: pointy peak over yellow leaves — Pyramid Peak isn't so far away.

006: brown and yellow and clear — Leaves floating in a tiny stream in the grass.

008: yellow topped trees and a long valley — Steady climbing leads to views down the valley.

I found other hikers as I passed signed junctions with the trails coming from Baker Creek. The signs look new, branded with the silhouette of the southern Snake Range where the park sits. The destinations promise the first of the mining artifacts coming up soon.

010: trees crossing the trail — It's very pretty trail, but it still has a couple trees down.

013: sign and log construction by the trail — Coming upon the Johnson Mill, which now has a fresh information sign to educate the public.

And so it was. I came upon the Johnson Mill site. Much of it is still standing and some of it and other buildings in the vicinity have been restored.

017: log structure — The Johnson Mill and one of the screens that was part of the machinery to mill rocks.

018: falling water — Lovely cascading water is in a few streams. It is dry in some areas below.

I admired the stables and wondered about various bits of rusting metal before turning and climbing again. The trail follows the old road and it is quite obvious and steep as it climbs from the mill toward the lake and more ruins.

022: steep and rocky and tree lined — Tree lined road continuing to the Johnson Mine.

Just short of the lake, a building is marked on the National Forest topo. (The NF does not generally map parks, but this is an artifact from when the park was NF and, more recently, was somewhat surrounded by a thin layer of NF). There is another informative sign about what is a lot more than a single building. A boarding house and other buildings were scattered throughout the trees. No trail has been established to tour these artifacts, but I had a look.

025: log built buildings — The boarding house and a cabin just below Johnson Lake.

030: window and door — Looking into another building.

034: building and yard — The boarding house looks to have a courtyard on the other side, too.

After a good wander around, I continued on to Johnson Lake. There is a spring filling it, so I found it shallow but full. The trail goes right past the spring just before the end of official maintenance. I got some water from it before moving on. My eye was caught by a cable hanging across much of the huge cirque, glinting in the sun. An old tram system still in the air.

036: shallow lake below peak — Johnson Lake below Pyramid Peak.

038: sign — A sign marking that trail turns to route, but there is still old road for a little bit.

040: pond and opening in the moutnains — Looking back over the shallow Johnson Lake as the trail rises once more.

The lower anchor point for the aerial tram is near the trail, so it is easy to check it out. There's actually two cables and only one still stretches up to the mine above. At this end, there's also and motor and other parts of the tram and a cart hangs from that remaining cable.

041: debris among the rocks — Motor, cable, and cart of the failing aerial tram.

044: rollers on a cable — Well, part of a cart, anyway.

Up I wound on the trail. The road it follows continues on to the top of the tram cable while the trail turns the other direction. It looks like few people follow that spur. I didn't. I climbed to the huge saddle above.

045: green lake and white peaks — Johnson Lake with the ever growing view, including the white rocks of Eagle Peak to the left.

046: spur to mine — Although not well used, the spur to the high Johnson Mine looks easy enough to navigate.

047: trail in rocks — The well used trail, with Pyramid Peak in the background, has a rough patch just before getting to the top.

048: flat of rocks — That huge saddle at the bottom of Pyramid Peak.

Upon reaching the saddle at the top, I decided I did have the time to seek the top of Pyramid Peak, an extra 600 foot climb. This is a popular off trail route and trails are forming up the side of the mountain. I dropped the heavier portion of my gear next to a large cairn and old prospect before picking a trail to follow upward.

052: purple flower — Check in the most sheltered spots and there's still a Jacob's ladder or two.

After a bit of chugging, there I was, at the top.

054: lake and mountains — Baker Lake below Baker Peak and that below Wheeler Peak.

055: range surrounded by basin — The southern look along the Snake Range.

056: ridge line — A closer look at some of the ridge that will be tomorrow's hike.

I had to wander down the edge a little for the best views in each direction.

057: white topped peak — Looking down to the white rock topped Eagle Peak.

058: cliffs — Interesting landscape around Big Wash to the south. There's trail that goes there, but I'll not be on it this trip.

After a good basking in being at the top, I headed back down again. It wasn't quite the same bits of trail, but the bits don't totally connect. I grabbed my gear once more and headed for Baker Lake.

061: lots of shade in a sharp valley — A lot of shadow filling Baker Creek in the late day.

I found water at the first marked spring, which is the one closest to the trail, and grabbed enough for camping. Since I'd be back by it, I could leave getting the portion for hiking in the morning.

062: snow in a cleft — The snowy cleft with the moon above has a bit of flowing water hidden away.

065: flowing water — Nom, water. Icy, icy water. Also a view of the traverse to the lake in the slot left of center.

I decided to have a look for the other spring too. It didn't seem to be where it was mapped, but the flow of seasonal water from it that is also mapped was flowing, too. I could have carried my camping water slightly shorter, not that it mattered.

066: trees edged with water — A thin line of water from the lower spring circles the group of trees.

067: colors in the sky — The sunset is coming on.

068: valley to the saddle — Looking back up the valley.

I arrived at the lake, where another sign pointed the way along the "Johnson Lake Route" on this end. I found the lake very low and when I smelled it, I was very happy I'd found other water to drink.

070: lake splitting into many lakes — Logs lie where the shrinking lake has abandoned them at Baker Lake.

The dying light made finding camp a little hurried and the ultimate place was a bit compromised although well used and with a nice, flat spot for sleeping. There was also a pair camped at the south side of the lake. I wanted the north side for sun in the morning. For the evening, I had supper (with hard peas even when the 10 minute cook pasta was soft, so those wasabi peas aren't so great as dried legume) in the dark under lots of stars, some reflecting in the remaining water before tucking in for the night.

Same trip, next day ⇒

*the photo album*

©2023 Valerie Norton
Written 20 Dec 2023

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