Worthington Peak, NV (8968')

pics by Harlan W.S.
April 20, 2012

This was a scouting trip for the roads. We went up Worthington to clear up unfinished business from a trip in a snowstorm last year.

We took fairly benign roads to a camp at 6700’. The two major dirt roads that encircle the range were in very good shape. The dirt road in from the NE side is in excellent condition to about 6000’, when it turns S. It’s still a pretty good road, and even the last stretch (where a faint fork goes to the WSW then W) is not too bad. The “camp” is just another fork, where you can turn the car around, and find several places to pitch a tent on the old mine road.

The hikes from the E side are mainly class 2, some mild class 3. You can always avoid the worst cliffs by side-hilling. The route up along the ridge has one winding around limestone pinnacles, but there is always a reasonable way. The route down is a pretty easy talus descent to the wash.

The summit register alluded to a route from the W. Indeed, there is a two-track, along the S side of a fence, heading due E from the location of the SUV symbol on the 2^nd (100k) map. We didn’t try that road at all.

Meeker, in the S part of the range, is really a more challenging peak. However, the eastern route to Worthington feels much lusher, has better roads, and allows one to camp higher in shade.

A gpx file is here, and a google earth file is here. DO NOT open the gpx file in your browser; right-click on it and chose the proper save option (or use the Mac equivalent mouse/keystrokes).

24k topo map of hike and roads in to camp at ~6700’.	100k topo overview of the roads on the E and W sides of the range.	The camp spot at ~6700’; view N up the side mining road.
View NE as we head up the ridge route.	View SW to peak. There are some bristlecones in the gully at L.	Even the worst talus on the ridge is pretty stable.
Limestone pinnacles on the ridge usually have a side bypass.	Troy Peak is in the distance N.
	Zoom N to Troy.	We’re approaching the rimrock on the SE side of the peak.
	Now we’ve crossed the rimrock, and walk a benign 200’ vertical to the peak top. The sharp peak to S is Meeker.	The mild canyon on the R (W) side of photo may provide an alternate route.
View ~ NNW, with Quinn Mts. in center, and Troy at R.	The Quinn Mts.to NNW.
	I went to the N end of the summit block to scout other routes down. Not today.	Great Basin Park is indicated by the snow-covered peaks on skyline.
		Down the gully route.
	Quartz-calcite veins in limestone.