Silver Peak and Red Mountain

Tonopah Field Office BLM

(map link)

My plan for the day was an out and back to Silver Peak, a little over 3.5 miles distant for the crow. For myself as a land bound creature, it would involve some winding and negotiation of slopes. There are numerous ascents on Peakbagger, mostly involving long 4x4 drives to or near a radio tower south of the peak and a half mile walk up to the top. Some decide it's a bit rough or snowy and they might as well get a whole mile walk in. One sans-4x4 headed up a road a bit to the west that gets up pretty high. I decided on one a little less to the west that doesn't go so far, leaving more than half of the route cross country. But how hard could that cross country be?

After a short walk on the good road, there's this pair of tracks heading south.

The terrain ahead, but I'm going off to the right. Silver Peak is way in the back and a little further.

The road climbs a bit higher than I needed it to, but it's gentle. It gets its traveling done pretty efficiently.

Rhyolite Ridge, climbed yesterday.

Looking across the valley to the west, I could see where the other road climbs through the slopes.

There's a spring and ruins to check out along the way.

Iced over Valealda Spring in a patch of nude willows.

The water was piped off somewhere, once.

It took me a second try to find the ruins, although there may well be more to the map's marking than just this one ruin.

Past a lot of discarded cans is the nearly entirely collapsed building by the spring.

The road is rougher after the named spring and even starts to feel a little like it is struggling to find a space through the trees even though it is marked on the old USGS maps. I passed another spring that showed as a sheet of ice in the shadows. It was provided with a stool to sit upon and watch the ice, if one so wished. I didn't, so I proceeded to a non-descript spot where the road turns east and I would continue south.

Time to leave the road.

The cross country is just walking along the wash area at first. I wanted to cross a couple shallow ones to follow one in particular up. How to know it was the one? Well, the one I chose eventually did work out. The walking was easiest up on the left side.

Cross country often has game trails.

A cairn in the wash, one of two small cairns found on this route.

Things got steeper and the wash more like a canyon. The bottom was sometimes 20 or 30 feet down some steep, difficult terrain while walking on the side continued to be smooth and comfortable, at least until I started coming to the similar little tributaries.

Up under the cliffs.

Just a little bit of trouble to travel, but I found an animal trail crossing this chute.

So after a little bit of trouble and a lot of work just chugging upward, I made it to a saddle and the end of any real difficulty in getting to Silver Peak. Also some very fine views.

Across the bottom of the cliffs to view Red Mountain.

The valley off to the peaks at the top of Mineral Ridge. I walked from the edge of the tan bits so far.

To the northeast, Arc Dome is just visible in the day's haze. Toiyabe Dome is the wider lump to the right.

I started to find something like trails as I continued along, climbing higher, getting even better views.

Hidden Rhyolite Ridge is reappearing with the Columbia Salt Marsh.

A bit of trail around the side of one peak on the way to Silver Peak.

Around the other side of Red Mountain for a first look at the pools that are the United States of America's largest lithium mine.

Boundary Peak is still looking tempting.

Silver Peak and its northern shoulder.

Silver Peak and the radio tower where many start a much easier hike up it.

The White Mountains (including White Mountain itself in the middle) forming a very high bit of the rim of the Great Basin.

So I got to the top and the best view of it all!

All the way around from Silver Peak. (viewer?)

Well, except that the high point of the Silver Peak Range is actually nearby Piper Peak. I didn't even make it into the Silver Peak Wilderness Study Area that surrounds that high point. It's still a good spot.

North, back over the nearby shoulder to Rhyolite Ridge.

The White Mountains in the west. White Mountain to the left and Montgomery Peak and Boundary Peak to the right. Way to the left in front of White Mountain is Piper Peak. (peakfinder panorama)

Rough hills to the southeast. There's some active mines there.

Rhyolite Ridge and, at the far end of the range, Emigrant Peak to the north-northwest.

I finally let go of my grand spot at the top of Silver Peak and headed back the way I came. Except, do I really want to go back the same way? There's Red Mountain right there. There's practically a ramp of land right to its side. I could certainly go by it. I wouldn't have to do that last 600 foot climb up the steep sides. Although it would be a grand feather in my cap if I did go for it and got that second peak today. But I wouldn't have to. Either way, I would surely be back to where I'd already been by sunset. And so I talked myself into at least taking the different route back.

Look at that sweet, gentle ridge all the way to the side of Red Mountain. Who could say "no" to that ridge walk?

That stuff that was practically trail going to Silver Peak, it goes this way. It probably gets walked by all sorts, except bears. For some reason, the bears aren't keen to come into the Great Basin.

These three hills at the end have some steep slopes and do slow one down a little. Recommend going over, not around.

I got to the high point of vegetated lands beside Red Mountain a little later than I expected. I figured I could still go up. I'd surely get to the end of the road by sunset and back to where I'd been by dark. I wouldn't miss seeing anything, even if I went for the climb.

The slopes of Red Mountain.

I put my head down and got to picking my way up the rocks. I stuck to places where they weren't sliding much. Since the rocks darken with age, keeping away from the light ones can be effective for finding good footing. All the steps still need testing. A few spots will let you down.

Rhyolite Ridge from the side of Red Mountain.

Sun getting close to the plateau that is Piper Peak.

I arrived at the top and turned north for the high point, which has a benchmark according to the USGS map. I took a little time looking for it in the cold wind but only found the cairn. There should be a station and reference marks a little south of it and I mostly looked north and only a little. It was windy and cold and not conducive to poking around.

It's a very solid cairn at the top of Red Mountain.

Mineral Ridge and a lot of mining infrastructure. There's active mines on it too.

Rhyolite Ridge and the valley to get back to.

It was too cold to stay very long and I'd taken a bit longer to get up anyway. Now I was just hoping to get to the end of the road by dark. Well, I was pretty sure I could.

Leaving that cairn behind.

Heading north and downhill off Red Mountain.

I'm not sure the rocks were quite as stable for me going down as up. I still mostly kept to ones that weren't moving.

Everything descends into shadows.

Off the hard part. Looking back up the slope of Red Mountain.

The clouds colored by sunset over the lithium mine.

At the end of the road before dark.

I did in fact make it to the end of the road before dark. There were no recent tracks on it although every other road had recent ATV tracks, including this one where I left it. That worried me. There was a mystery junction, which didn't worry me. Turns out it gets shortly to a track that looks a bit like a pipeline coming from Valealda Spring to Mineral Ridge, so might have been a shortcut down. I stuck to the road. It didn't have tracks on it because the driver didn't notice where the road leaves a wash below. The road was fine for my travel all the way back, even as it got quite dark. I had about 3 miles on it, so that's good. I probably didn't miss that much view in the dark since trees cover much of it.

*photo album*




©2023,2024 Valerie Norton
Written 8 Feb 2024