Bristlecone Wilderness High Point in Bristlecone Wilderness BLM, NV

Hike Bristlecone Wilderness High Point Bristlecone Wilderness BLM, NV

Class 2 5.2 miles 2300 gain 2-4 hrs Out + Back Jun 8, 2023
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

Bristlecone Wilderness High Point GPX Track

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The Bristlecone Wilderness High Point is located near Ely Nevada, but the steep terrain and lack of trails means it gets little visitation, plus it's surrounded by gorgeous and taller peaks that are more interesting. With poor weather forecasted I knew I only had a few hours to hike in the area, so it made sense to check this less committing peak out. The summit is best reached from the west. To reach the trailhead, keep right here (39.46952, -114.98202), leaving the good dirt road. I parked where I did because the road got rutted shortly after and with potential rain I didn't want to risk getting stuck. You can cut about a mile or so round trip from the hike if you drive higher, but I wasn't upset to hike the road alongside pretty meadows and wildflowers.

My first goal was to reach the ridgeline, but to do this I needed to ascend the absurdly steep west slope. I'm not sure what the best option is for reaching the summit is since it's a steep slog anywhere you go, but at least it was slightly less so to the northwest of the peak. I took the dirt road up until it curved north, where I left it and continued cross-country on initially easy terrain. This steepened and since the brush was sparse and easy to avoid, I actually got some lovely views for most of the ascent. I picked my way up the slope and the ground became riddled with scree. Isn't it super fun to slip up a mountain? I found it was best to ascend while traversing rather than go up directly since doing so kept the grade a bit more gradual.

The ridge crest above seemed potentially rocky, so rather than head all the way up I stuck to just below and side-hilled on pretty chill terrain. Along this section I recommend keeping a bit low or risk running into little outcroppings that you'll need to bypass by dropping back down. About a half mile from the summit I decided to head up to the crest and off the slope, where I got a great view of the high point ahead. Taking the ridge from here, I encountered some Class 2 on solid limestone and some minor undulations along the ridge. The summit view was really nice, but I was chased off by a particularly scary-looking cloud.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
Bristlecone Wilderness High Point
9541 ft
1946 rise

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Hiking along the dirt road that others may prefer to drive.
Hiking along the dirt road that others may prefer to drive.
View back into pretty meadows.
View back into pretty meadows.
Bristlecone Wilderness High Point seen top right.
Bristlecone Wilderness High Point seen top right.
Another shot back higher up.
Another shot back higher up.
Following the road to the base of Bristlecone Wilderness High Point's west slope.
Following the road to the base of Bristlecone Wilderness High Point's west slope.
I left the road and continued cross-country.
I left the road and continued cross-country.
It got steep.
It got steep.
View back as I continue ascending.
View back as I continue ascending.
Ascending and side-hilling a bit to keep the grade more gradual.
Ascending and side-hilling a bit to keep the grade more gradual.
Silly scree slope.
Silly scree slope.
View back down at the steepest portion of the ascent, shortly before reaching the summit ridge crest.
View back down at the steepest portion of the ascent, shortly before reaching the summit ridge crest.
Ridge crest, view toward the summit.
Ridge crest, view toward the summit.
Heading over to Bristlecone Wilderness High Point, some light Class 2 along the way.
Heading over to Bristlecone Wilderness High Point, some light Class 2 along the way.
Approaching the summit.
Approaching the summit.
Bristlecone Wilderness High Point, view north.
Bristlecone Wilderness High Point, view north.
Bristlecone Wilderness High Point, view south.
Bristlecone Wilderness High Point, view south.
Close-up south.
Close-up south.
View west toward the trailhead.
View west toward the trailhead.

Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I’m not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!