Page Type:
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Mountain/Rock |
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Lat/Lon:
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39.14650°N / 116.2513°W |
County:
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Nye |
Activities:
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Hiking |
Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
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Elevation:
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10080 ft / 3072 m |
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Overview
Nine Mile Peak in Nevada is the highpoint of the Antelope range was once known as Sharp
Peak according to the book "Place Names in Nevada" by Helen Carlson. It took its name from Ninemile Canyon which is found on the north side of the peak.
With a nice lofty elevation of over 10,000 feet, it is one of the highest peaks in the area and is garnering attention from prominence peakbaggers since it is the 122nd most prominent peak in Nevada with almost 2300' of prominence.
It is in an area frequented by hunters and cattle ranchers but is isolated enough to see few others since the roads in the area are primitive and require high clearance and 4WD.
 Dropping down from pass |  Sheep Spring ahead |  Cross county from end of road |
Getting There
Getting to this peak:Until Andy Martin posted a trip report on how he and Mark Nichols found a great way to access the peak from the north side, we had thought seriously about trying to find a way in from the west. Kudos to Andy for providing his info on the prominence yahoo group as it made a world of difference to our route finding efforts. We were able to find our way over from Moody Peak but the easiest way to get to this mountain area is as described below:
From Eureka, drive 10 miles easterly on US 50 to the signed "Duckwater/Currant" road, which is on the south side of US, just past milemarker 47. Head south for a bit over 8 miles on paved road and when you come to a fork in the road, take the right fork that swings around the south side of the Fish Creek Ranch. From the fork to key junction (1) shown below, it is roughly 14 miles. Note that the pavement ends at the fork but the dirt/gravel road is good as it heads west toward the Fish Creek mountain range (do not take the road that enters into the Fish Creek Ranch). Follow the road up into the small range (the road was rough in spots due to washouts) as it traverses it to the next valley where you need to find this key junction:
(1) 39.2718 -116.1604
This is where you leave a major dirt road and start
a long drive south on lesser roads. It is 6 miles to Number 4 Spring, making sure to take a left fork that goes uphill at an elevation of 6850'. Continue on this road, with a switchback at the 7400' mark. Number 4 Spring is found at 7600',
(2) 39.20145 116.2036 / 7600'
Continue past Number 4 Spring and head another 3 miles to a pass at near the 8400' foot level. The road gets rougher as you head for the pass. If you have encountered any snow, or see any snow on the road as it drops down, this would be a good spot to park and not push your luck.
(3) 39.16875 116.2304 / 8400'
If you continue on and drop down the hill, you'll lose about 200 feet before heading up toward Sheep Spring. We went past the spring and parked at the first decent wide spot about 8800' where we could park two trucks rather than pushing up the road any further. We then walked up the road and took a left fork to the end of the road where we went cross country from. Waypoint for where we parked was 39.1545 116.2481. All my waypoints are lat/long nad 27
Overall, it is about 10.5 miles from (1) as listed above. This is an isolated area so alert others of your plans and have plenty of fuel, water and good maps. Topo maps were a big help to us even though we had pretty decent directions from what Andy Martin had provided.
 Looking back at 9 mile canyon |  Summit up there |  Working my way up |
Route
Simple routefinding for this one will do the trick if you are able to drive up past Sheep Spring. If you park before Sheep Spring, it is just a matter of following the road till it ends and working your way up cross country from there.For us, it was a round trip hike of about 3 miles with over 1300' of elevation gain.
We found a register on top that gave proof that this was another of those truly neglected Nevada mountains. The register was placed in 1994 by Gordon MacLeod and Barbara Lilley but there was an additional sheet included. This sheet included signatures from 1989, 1991 and 1992. The peakbaggers we knew went like this:
1994 - Gordon MacLeod and Barbara Lilley
2004 - Tom Roundtree
2006 - John Vitz
2013 - Brad Boester / Andy Martin / Mark Nichols / Dennis Poulin / Myself
2014 - 4 more (see peakbagger.com)
2015 - 2 more
Several locals (hunters) had signed the register off and on over the years.
 Dennis getting closer |  History on a paper |  Dennis looks for benchmark |
Red Tape
No red tape on this one as the peak is located on BLM land. We found no gates to open and close and did see three hunter's trucks on the way in so be aware that it'd be a good idea to wear orange during hunting season.Need more information? Try the BLM field office in Ely
Ely District Office
Employee Directory
702 North Industrial Way, HC 33 Box 33500
Ely, NV 89301
Phone: 775-289-1800
Fax: 775-289-1910
Email: eyfoweb@blm.gov
Office hours: 7:30 am-4:30 pm, M-F
District Manager: Rosemary Thomas
Or in Tonopah
Tonopah Field Office
1553 South Main Street
P.O. Box 911
Tonopah, NV 89049
Phone: 775-482-7800
Fax: 775-482-7810
Office hours: 7:30 am-4:30 pm, M-F
 Register |  Witness marker |  Just getting to summit |
When to Climb & current weather conditions
It is probable that this mountain could be climbed during any season depending on the snow pack and road conditions. If raining, save this one for another day.
Click for weather forecast
Click for weather forecast
Camping
Car camping is allowed on BLM land. Pick your campsite wisely and with an eye to creating minimal impact. There is a BLM office in Tonopah  Looking North |  Looking SW |  Looking south |