Star Peak is located in the Humboldt Range in north-central Nevada in Pershing County, about 30 minutes north of Lovelock. It is the highest point in Pershing County, and on of only 57 peaks in the mainland United States that exceeds 5,000 feet of clean prominence - an 'Ultra' peak, by that parlance. Although from below Star Peak looks like a rather unremarkable peak, it is truly a hidden gem. A poor-quality four-wheel drive road goes most of the way up the mountain but most people will likely hike the peak instead. The top is a boulder-capped summit amid hillsides of sage and brush. Fir, pinon and juniper woodlands populate the lower elevations. Views from the summit are outstanding!

Star Peak is to the left (photo by Dean Molen)

Getting There

Exit Interstate-80 at the Humboldt Exit (#138, I believe), about 30 miles north of Lovelock (nearest full-service town) and about an hour south of Winnemucca. The interstate here runs essentially north-south. Get onto the east side of the exit and follow a frontage road south a few miles to where it ends. Proceed eastwards along a reasonable-quality dirt road into El Dorado Canyon. Most passenger vehicles should be able to get to within the canyon near some abandoned buildings at approximately 5,700 feet elevation in dry conditions. The last mile or so has some boulders in the road. On my visit here in 2002, I found the route with no troubles but did note there were other roads criss-crossing herein, so pay attention and stay on the main route and you should be fine.

(Have the USGS "Rye Patch Reservoir South" and "Star Peak" maps handy to trace your route)

Depending on your vehicle, courage or lack of good judgement, you can continue up this road to almost 9,000 feet, from whence the summit is just a simple one-mile trek amid open sage slopes. However, most people start hiking from somewhere farther down.

Red Tape

None. All open, public land.

When To Climb

In dry conditions (Generally May - Oct) it is an easy, steep hike, nothing more. Since one hikes a road and the slopes up high are generally gentle, this peak can potentially be hiked in snow conditions assuming one allows for the snow to settle a bit.

Camping

I did not see any developed camping nearby. There seems to be some active mining in the area. On the other hand, car-camping in out-of-the-way areas might be possible.

Lovelock is a small town but is the county seat of Pershing County. It has groceries, hotels, gas and restaurants.

Updated Trailhead Information (2005)

Dean Molen reports that the El Dorado Cyn Road has been washed out and may be impassable to most vehicles. You could start low and make a huge dayhike of the peak.

Petter Bjorstad's Star Peak report has an alternative route that appears to be viable, and includes some excellent links to photographs

Dean's route from the NE. We followed the road shown coming from the W. (Image by Dean)

External Links

• Pershing County (NV) Highpoint Trip Report This is a description of my hike in 2002, with more photos.

• The 57 Peaks with 5,000 feet of Prominence in the USA (Greg Slayden's www.peakbagger.com site)

• Locator Map of Nevada's many 2K Prominent Peaks A nifty and well-done map put together by Aaron Maizlish

Images



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