Boundary Peak (Nevada Highpoint)

When I heard the forecast for Las Vegas (high of 85 deg and cloudy), I knew I was going to be in for a cold one at Boundary Peak. After finishing the CFA exam, I threw my gear in the car and headed north past Dyer, NV (a town so inconsequential for Nevadans you actually have to go into California to get to it), up a 13 mile dirt road (in the sedan), to the trailhead at 9000 ft. I didn't arrive until almost 11:00pm and the thermometer was reading a balmy 41 deg. I folded the seats down in the Saturn and tried to get some shut-eye.

I woke in the morning to this beautiful site. I also woke-up realizing I had forgot my boots in Vegas? There was no way I was going to make it up in my Adidas Sambas. Luckily, a group of three guys arrived as I was preparing to leave (~7:00am) and one guy offered me his pair of size 11 Montrails. Sweet providence!


This is a picture in the direction of Boundary Peak (not actually the peak) from the trailhead. As you can see, the conditions were going to be snowy.

This hike is only about 3.5 miles each way but the last two are very tough ones. Altogether the gain is around 4000ft. The walk along the valley floor was beautiful. The trail paralleled a creek and thick willows for more than a mile before heading toward the tree line. You can see from this picture that the blue skies didn't last. Most of the day was spent in and out of the clouds.


There was lots of bristlecone pine along the way.



The toughest part by far was getting to the saddle from the start of the treeline. The slope was downright sandy and steep. Steps forward were often lost as your back foot slide down mid-stride. Add that to the elevation gain in that stretch from 10k' to 12k' and I was seriously beat when I reached the saddle. I was also feeling the altitude. I was pretty dizzy and decided to take a break.

This picture was taken from the saddle. The trailhead is at the end of the canyon that stretches from the left to the middle of the picture. If you look really closely, you can see the dirt road in the distance as well. I don't know about you but I had no idea Nevada had places like this. Absolutely beautiful!


This picture was taken after summitting and as I started to head back down. The saddle is visible about 1/4 of the way from the left of the picture. This part of the climb was slow going (a combination of snow and altitude).


I finally summitted just before noon (5 hours for 3.5 miles? that should tell you something!). As you can tell from the picture, the peak was socked in with clouds so I didn't stay long. I had originally wanted to hike over to Montgomery Peak as well but my hands and feet were pretty cold, the weather was looking sketchy and I was feeling pretty tired!


I made it down in half the time and coasted my way into Dyer for a Gatorade and Dr. Pepper. I repented of the ridicule I had cast on this small town as I savored the sweet, sweet beverages and then made my way back to Vegas.

Bagged another highpoint!