25 miles of hiking • 5500' elevation gain • 3 nights
I had 3 days to get to Lake Tahoe for a climbing trip, so I decide to explore some desert peaks and look for petroglyphs in the Great Basin.
1) Diablo Peak. This is east of Summer Lake of Oregon. Stopped at Picture Rock pass to find a panel. 9 miles 1700 feet. 2) Warner Peak at Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. This was my favorite. Started from the hotsprings campground. Saw plenty of antelope. Walked Barnhardy road( gated until August) to a saddle below the peak. From there it was a steep scramble up the north side of the peak. There was a fire here two years ago. some of the aspen and mountain mahogany groves have burned, but not all. However, all of the sagebrush burned, and the whole area was now covered with knee to thigh high waving grasses and wildflowers. 10 miles, 2450 ft eg.
I meant to hike Pueblo Mountain, but it was just too hot when I got there at 10 am. Drove on to Nevada
3) Grimes Point near Fallon NV- 6 miles, 1200 ft eg. Walked an interpretive trail, with many petrogpyphs. Went beyond to adjacent ridges, and saw a few more. Sketched on a ridgetop looking out at the great basin topography.
