Pilot Peak, Nevada

West of the Great Salt Lake across the Bonneville Salt Flats lies a mountain known as Pilot Peak, which is located about 20 miles north of Wendover.  Whether coming from the east or from the west along I-80, this mountain is quite noticeable on the horizon when approaching it.  During pioneer times it served as an important guide for explorers seeking a shorter route through the Great Basin on the way to California.  When the Donner Party crossed the inhospitable expanse of the Great Salt Lake Desert, they found life-saving water from springs at the base of Pilot Peak.  Later it became a reference point for surveying the Nevada-Utah boundary in 1870.  With over 5,700 feet of prominence, steep talus slopes, and no established trails; Pilot Peak makes for a challenging climb that requires most of one day.  It proved to be one of my most difficult hikes when I took it years ago with several others – mainly due to the dry conditions, afternoon heat, and the fact that I ran out of water on the way back down.  Based on my experience, I would recommend taking this hike during the autumn months when temperatures are cooler and take at least one gallon of water per person.  Most of Pilot Peak lies on public land that is administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) with the majority of private land located along the west side.

For our hike, we approached the west (Nevada) side of the mountain.  The reasoning behind this was to make our ascent during the cooler morning hours as the mountain shaded us from the sun.  Our starting point was accessed from I-80 by taking the Pilot Road exit (Exit 398) in Nevada and turning right (northeast) on a road that curves and parallels the freeway for approximately 1.5 miles.  Past this point the road curves to more of a north-northeasterly direction where we continued for another 11.1 miles past a quarry located off the right (east) side of the road.  Just past the quarry, we turned right (east) onto an unimproved road and drove about 1.7 miles to a junction where the road forks left (northeast) across a drainage.  Here we took the left road and continued as far as possible towards the mountain before parking.  To reach the Miners Canyon starting point from I-80, take the Bonneville Speedway exit (Exit 4) in Utah and turn north along the paved road for approximately 1.2 miles to the junction.  Take the left (west) fork and continue northwest along the Leppy Pass Road, staying left (west) of the utility building at about 4.5 miles and crossing the cattle guard into Nevada at about 7.6 miles where the pavement ends.  At approximately 17.0 miles from I-80 just before the second cattle guard crossing, turn left (northwest) onto the unimproved road and continue as far as possible towards Miners Canyon and Pilot Peak.

Pilot Peak viewed from the west
(Nevada) side near our starting point

Reaching the top of the
southwest ridge of Pilot Peak

From where we parked our vehicle, we followed the road a little further until it faded out.  Beyond this point we made our way along a drainage that veered to the left (north) of a less-obvious drainage.  As we got further up the canyon, the process became more tedious as we worked our way through bushes, trees, and rock.  We kept an eye out for possible rattlesnakes hiding in the thickets, but remarkably we never came across any.  In the upper reaches of the canyon we encountered talus slopes, which made for slow going up the mountainside.  Here it becomes essential to wear proper hiking boots and use extreme caution when crossing the loose rock to avoid sprained ankles and injury to other hikers.  A much-needed rest came when we reached the top of the southwest ridge at just over 9,000 feet elevation.  Upon reaching this point, spectacular views to the east and southeast were unveiled before our eyes.  Our climb continued up the ridge for a ways, and then we traversed to the right (east) some to avoid a rugged rocky section with exposure not far from the summit.  It was early afternoon when we finally reached the 10,716-foot summit of Pilot Peak.  Along with a summit registry, there were portions of rock walls that were most likely part of a U.S. Coast & Geodetic survey station.  While the west approach was beneficial for us during the cooler morning hours, it became quite hot and miserable for us as we descended during the afternoon.  With the sun beating more directly upon us, we found ourselves drinking just as much, if not more water than we were when we were going up.  Before I knew it, I had run out of water about two-thirds of the way down, and by the time we reached our vehicle I was quite thirsty and close to having heat exhaustion.  So much for hiking this mountain in July!  Distance from where we parked to the summit of Pilot Peak is approximately 3.5 miles one-way with an elevation gain of about 5,000 feet.  The Miners Canyon route is about one mile shorter (2.5 miles one-way) with an elevation gain of approximately 4,450 feet.

Pilot Peak as viewed from the
top of the southwest ridge

At the summit of Pilot Peak next to the
summit mailbox – Photo credit: Joe Harline