My longest trek was in 2006:
Trip Report
Trans Nevada Trek
15 September to 19 September 2006
Day minus 1 – Friday
The four of us headed up to Alturas, CA from home. In my case from Rocklin; a 290 mile run up I-80 to Reno and then US395 north to Alturas. It was cold and rainy north of Susanville and I started catching a bit of snow as I passed Madeline.
We had all checked into the motel by about 6:00. About 6:30 we decided to try a place called the Brass Rail for some Basque style food. About 2 hours later we were all stuffed. Pretty good food, good service, nice atmosphere.
Day 2 – Saturday
Saturday morning at 6:00 we met for the motels continental breakfast and were underway before 7:00. After a 22 mile highway run we stopped at Cedarville for a last chance fuel top-off and then another 8 miles across the Middle Alkali Lake causeway to the to the end of the pavement at the Nevada state line. A few photos of the trucks clean and the adventure began.
A well maintained graded road took us over Fortynine Creek Pass, past the site of Vya, past the Massacre Lakes and on into the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge. This part of the run is along the old Applegate Immigrant Trail. The road was fairly dry with perhaps 2 inches of snow in the brush alongside and a temperature of about 36 degrees. Along with a few cattle, we spotted a couple of coyotes, some buzzards, hawks and eagles. Everything else must have been still asleep.
Near Fish Creek Mountain we turned off the main road and headed southeast towards Summit Lake following Badger Creek. Near Mahogany Mountain the going got rougher and we stopped to air down the tires. They would stay this way for the next four days. After passing Tenmile Spring, Fivemile Flat, Onemile Spring and the Summit Lake Indian Reservation (pop. 7) we started up Mahogany Creek. We made a brief stop at an old abandoned camp called Stanley. From there at about 5800 feet we started a steep climb up to the top of the un-named pass over the Black Rock Range at about 7000 feet. During the climb we began seeing wild horses and antelope. Somewhere along here we stopped for a lunch break in an aspen grove, after having cut our way through some fallen trees blocking the trail.
A bit south of Bartlett Peak we turned off of our planned route and took an excursion down Pearl Creek passing the abandoned mining town sites of Bartlett Mine, Juanita Mine and Columbia Mine. At the mouth of the canyon we entered the northern end of the Black Rock Desert. Now we began to make some good time out on the flats. We passed through the very nice looking Leonard Creek Ranch, around Windy Point, across the Quinn River, past the Quinn River Crossing Ranch (where we crossed highway 141 to Denio), and headed towards the Bilk Creek Mountains. We’ve been spotting a lot of wildlife now, especially near water. The Quinn isn’t much of a River, at this time of year it’s a bit more than what runs down your gutter when you’re washing your car; but for Nevada in summer, that’s enough.
Coming off of the Bilk Range we dropped down into and crossed the Kings River Valley (less water than the Quinn) and then on over Thacker Pass between the Montana Mountains and Double Mountains. For about 2 miles the trail is part of paved NV283 (bummer) until we reach a turnoff near Sentinal Rock. We had a bit of adventurous trail hunting here as one option was to drive over a forty foot lava bluff a second was to try to navigate a 40 degree washout and finally the third which actually got us past Sentinal Rock and out into a huge sand flat along the west bank of the Quinn (yes, same river that has doubled back on itself a couple of times). After 12 miles and more than two hours we finally make it through the sand and reach highway 95. We do a quick 12 mile run up the highway to McDermitt, gas up and return back down the highway to where we originally left the trail.
At this point, because it’s getting very late, I decide to temporarily turn over the Trail Boss responsibility to Brian H. as he was in this area last year and knows the route to the campsite he used last year. It’s a spectacular run up the west face of the Santa Rosa Range. From the valley at 4400 feet we steadily climb past many switchbacks to the pass at Windy Gap at 7344 feet. Then it’s a lot of winding through spectacular scenery and finally arriving at Lie Creek Campground a bit above 8000 feet. It’s 8:00 pm, dark and very cold. We’ve done about 210 miles today. The tables are covered with ice and snow. All of us do a quick job of setting up camp and Brian M. sets about making dinner. Great job; barbecued ribs, beans and salad! We all get to bed very soon as it’s already below freezing.
Day 3 – Sunday
At about O-dark-thirty Brian M. starts his engine and we all get up. It’s about 26 degrees. We do two pots of coffee, down a bunch of muffins and frantically pack up, just to stay warm! Around 7:00, I think, we head out towards Hinkley Summit. A gorgeous, sunny, very cold morning! The scenery coming down from the summit (7838 feet) is spectacular. About an hour later we turn east at Paradise Valley (4528 feet). It’s a quaint little town with a very photogenic, but boarded up, saloon. A short picture stop, and then across the valley towards the Hot Springs range. The wildlife abounds; I spot deer, quail, pheasant, grouse, a coyote, eagles, hawks, and dozens of buzzards sitting on fence posts alongside the road.
A bit later we arrive at Chimney Dam Reservoir for a break and a chance for me to clean up a bit and change clothes. It was just too cold to undress this morning! Then we head north east along the South Fork of The Little Humboldt River towards the Little Humboldt Ranch. After a bit of searching near the ranch I eventually find the ratty little bridge that crosses the river. After I cross it, the rest of the gang decides it needs a bit of repair before they want to cross, so I wait for them on the bluff on the far side.
After passing Four Mile Butte (don’t you just love these creative names?) we enter the Owyhee Desert. For the next 75 miles we’ll be crossing this desert; it’s nothing but sagebrush and sand: deep sand! Also the BLM and other agencies have widened the trail, actually making the trail worse, to use it as a fire break to stop the Tuscarora Fire that burned this area a month ago. As I recall, the fire consumed about 400,000 acres. We will be passing through burned land for the next 100 miles. We are spread out with almost a mile between each other as that is what it takes for the dust and fire ash to settle after each truck has passed. After about 35 miles we stop for lunch at the burned out Winters Ranch.
There is nothing left of the ranch except for the blackened stone walls of the buildings. The spring is still flowing nicely and a few cattle are grazing the creek bottom vegetation that didn’t burn. After lunch we head towards the Bull Run Mountains; passing the IL and VN Ranches. The cattlemen are in the midst of a roundup, probably to move the cattle that survived the fires to better grazing lands. We eventually arrive at Deep Creek; then over Chicken Creek Summit and start looking for the night’s campsite at Jack Creek.
The bridge near Jack Creek is burned so we cross the creek at a ford. All the way up the creek and on across the Independence Mountains all of the campsites are burned out so we decide to head on up paved NV225 for Wild Horse Reservoir. We find a nice BLM campsite and set up at about 4:30. We’ve still got more than an hour of sunlight; it’s relatively warm and plenty of time for a leisurely dinner. Brian H. treats us to some great barbecued pork loin, rice, salad and wine. Brian M. breaks out the cigars and another bottle of wine. Life is good!
Day 4 – Monday
Next morning we’re up just before dawn. It’s a bit warmer; maybe 33 and we’re doing much better packing up. Coffee and muffins again and we’re on our way. We head up to Mountain City to gas up then turn around and head back to where we left the dirt trail.
It’s past Goicoechea Ranch, Riff Ranch, and Heguy Ranch and on to the Bruneau Meadows. Passing the headwaters of the Bruneau we cross the southern end of the Jarbidge Mountains and head towards the Marys River. The whole mountain range in this area is burned. Navigation gets to be a bit tricky as fire roads keep intersecting the trail that I’m trying to follow. Eventually we wind up on top of a cliff at about 7200 feet looking down at the valley 2500 vertical feet below. We back track about a mile and turn onto a steep rutted, rocky trail down a narrow canyon heading for the bottom.
Reaching gentler slopes at about 6000 feet, Gary finds that he’s got a blown tire on the trailer. We jack it up and pull off the wheel. It appears that maybe we’ve just unseated the bead. With a strap around the tire, two of us pushing on the bulges and Gary’s high pressure tank we get the tire to reseat. Whoops! The side wall on the inside of the tire is slashed. We experiment with some tire repair stuff to no avail. We put the Disco spare on the trailer and head out.
Upon reaching the valley we find that the Marys River Ranch has posted the entire length of the valley with NO TRESPASSING signs on their barbed wire fence. We traverse the fence in both directions for several miles and come to the conclusion that we’ll not be crossing here. We find a trail on the maps that looks as if we can go north-north west about 16 miles crossing the Hanks Creek and then the headwaters of the Marys River and then east again for about 19 miles and come back onto our original course.
The trail isn’t very difficult. The Hanks Creek crossing is down a four foot cut bank through about 8 inches of water on gravel and back up the other bank. We find a shortcut trail that should cross the Marys River. It looks as if the trail hasn’t been used for at least 10 years. We get to the river and find a 45 degree rocky descent for about forty feet then a 4 foot vertical drop to the water and the water is about 4 feet deep. If that wasn’t enough; we can see no sign of the trail on the other side of the river. We turn back and head toward another crossing about 5 more miles north west. At last we come to a bridge. Hoorah!
Now it’s north up the Hot Creek Valley, east around the north end of the Snake Mountains, past Horse Creek and Antelope Creek, across Sun Well Creek and then across a pass south of Cold Springs Mountain. Eventually we arrive at north-south running highway 93. We stop to do an inventory of gas supplies, remaining daylight and remaining run miles. We will definitely need to make a run up to Jackpot for gas. It’s already pretty late in the day so that by the time we got to the Utah border where we had planned on camping it will be dark. We take a consensus: It’s 4 to zero that we go get a motel in Jackpot, get a good shower and have a restaurant dinner!
The rooms are cheap and pretty decent at the 93 Casino at $47. The shower is great; I use it for 20 minutes at least. We go across the street to the Cactus Pete Casino for the buffet. It’s about $8 a piece and excellent. I eat about $30 worth of their food.
Day 5 – Tuesday
We meet for breakfast in the coffee shop at 6:00. We’re on the trail by about 6:45 with Brian M. as temporary Trail Boss. Its easy going for the whole sixty some miles to the border. At times we’re within a few hundred yards of the Idaho border but never actually cross it. At about 2 miles before the Utah line, Brian asks me to lead us across. Thanks Brian. Running up the bottom of Goose Creek I come to a gated fence at 41 degrees 57.834 minutes North by 114 degrees 02.427 minutes West. We’ve made it!
We shake hands all around, have a sip of brandy and take some photos of the rigs and us. We have come 624 miles from the California state line. Then it’s a 1 mile drive south in Utah, cross the border back into Nevada and begin following the California immigrant trail back to the highway at Wilkins, NV about 60 miles away.
The trail is mostly graded gravel with a couple of easy creek crossings, a couple of Trail Monuments to stop at, and half dozen very lonely ranches. We pretty much follow the courses of Goose Creek, Rock Springs Creek and Thousand Springs Creek much as the emigrants did some 110 years ago. We stop at Wilkins (nothing there except the highway) and pump our tires back up. It has been almost 700 miles since we aired them down.
Now it’s all highway back to California. By the time I reach Rocklin again it has been 1494 miles since I left.
“Rocky” Ron Cunningham
Trail Boss
