Hike Copper, Dupont, Salt and Pepper Mountains Loop Lake Mead National Recreation Area, NV

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This somewhat contrived loop hits a bunch of peaks that, if done alone wouldn't have been all that interesting, but as a loop worked quite nicely. I met up with Dan Glatz from Alaska, who was here in hopes for warm desert temperatures. Instead we were fighting wind for a fair amount of the day. We ended up doing Copper Mountain, Copper Mountain – West Peak, Peak 3205, Dupont Mountain, Salt and Pepper Mountain, Talus Mound, and Indigo Peak. For those more interesting in just getting the peaks and not really psyched on a loop, the Rockefeller Mine Road puts you basically right at the base of each of these mounds for easier access.

We parked at the end of a rocky dirt road (mid-clearance required), the turn off from the main road, located at 35.50522, -114.75254. Alternatively, you could drive along the Rockefeller Mine Road and start the loop with Indigo Peak by parking somewhere around 35.53392, -114.74013.

Assuming you start where we did, Copper Mountain is the first destination. A somewhat wide drainage leads west and up Class 2 to Copper Mountain's southern ridge. We followed the ridge, encountering one Class 3+ move. The holds were solid, but worth noting it's there. The ridgeline continued on Class 2/2+ the summit of Copper Mountain, where we got nice views of the route to come. We headed down to the saddle of Copper Mountain and Copper Mountain – West Peak and continued on Class 2 up to our second summit, then along the ridge headed generally north. The terrain was overall easygoing until the northern end of the ridge. Here some steeper Class 2 with a Class 3 move got us down to the saddle separating Copper Mountain – West Peak from Peak 3205.

Full disclosure here, Dan and I left off Peak 3205 on our visit, taking what I have no marked as "shortcut" on the attached map. A couple of years later I returned to go for Peak 3205, forming a much more visually-pleasing GPS track loop. I have written the trip report and included the stats that include Peak 3205. If you choose to take the "shortcut" route instead, you can remove about a mile and 900 vertical from the overall stats for this hike. The shortcut just follows wide washes to get to the base of Dupont Mountain, should you chose to go that way. But of course, I recommend going for Peak 3205. Anyway…

The ridgeline leading to Peak 3205 has a couple of bumps adding some vertical gain, and otherwise is straightforward typical desert hiking. There are a couple of short Class 2 scramble sections, but they aren't anything to worry about. The peak seems like a sheer face from its base, but wrapping around its west face and ascending via a Class 2 gully on its north side leads to a final Class 2/2+ move to gain the summit.

Backtracking slightly, the goal was to get down to Dupont Mountain to the east. Unfortuantely there really doesn't seem to be any easy way to get there, since the eastern slopes of Peak 3205 are frought with small cliffs and steep, loose rock. I was able to piece together a reasonable Class 2 descent. While steep, it wasn't particularly dangerous. A pleasant drainage continues east to the base of Dupont Mountain.

Once at the base of Dupont Mountain, we chose a gully that had a stiff pull move, but it's avoidable if you prefer to keep the route Class 2. The route up Dupont continues to a saddle shared with a hump on Dupont's southeastern ridge. Getting up was pretty straightforward: we stuck to the south side of the peak, passing an old mine with colorful rocks, before gaining a rock rib (Class 3) that led to the summit. Back at the baby saddle, we dropped down on the east side to continue our loop, working through the desert and crossing Rockefeller Mine Road as we began ascending Salt and Pepper Mountain. Class 2 volcanic boulders made the going a bit more interesting than we expected, and we were at the summit quicker than expected. A traverse from Salt and Pepper Mountain and Talus Mound included a Class 3 downclimb, followed by a short Class 2+ sub-peak obstacle, and then more volcanic Class 2 boulder-hopping. We continued along the ridge to get down from Talus Mound. We chose a slope to gain Indigo Peak, which was a grassy slope walk-up. The high point was unclear, but I'm pretty sure we got it. A Class 2 gully led off the west side of Indigo Peak and we traversed the desert back to the car.

The landscape was really weird in this area, the big volcanic dome-like peaks rising out of the relatively steep slope leading to the Colorado River. The land seems mostly flat when you're walking on it, but from above where we could tell the peaks' scale, it's a much more obvious ramp.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)

Peaks on hike

Elevation

Prominence

Copper Mountain

3209 ft

584 rise

Copper Mountain-West Peak

3061 ft

436 rise

Peak 3205

3205 ft

351 rise

Dupont Mountain

2438 ft

404 rise

Salt and Pepper Mountain

2700 ft

994 rise

Talus Mound

2291 ft

331 rise

Indigo Peak

1874 ft

434 rise

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From our parking spot, heading up the eastern major drainage to gain Copper Mountain's south ridge.

Looking back at our progress up the drainage.

Along Copper Mountain's south ridge, Copper Mountain visible top right. Copper Mountain - West Peak visible left.

Looking back as we continue along the ridge.

Class 3+ move along the ridge. Solid holds, but worth mentioning it's here.

Cholla forest on the way to Copper Mountain.

Fun navigation along the ridge to Copper Mountain.

We kept just left of the ridge crest for the majority of the last half mile to the summit of Copper Mountain.

View back along the south ridge where we ascended.

Making our way up Copper Mountain.

An arch along the crest.

Copper Mountain ahead.

Copper Mountain summit, view back along the ridge. The cars are somewhere left of center in the desert.

Copper Mountain summit, view toward Salt and Pepper Mountain.

Copper Mountain - West Peak is next, visible on the right.

Copper Mountain - West Peak ahead.

View back toward Copper Mountain.

Hiking along the ridge, heading north. Salt and Pepper Mountain visible top right.

View back toward Copper Mountain - West Peak (right somewhere), and Copper Mountain (left).

Peak 3205 ahead (right). Class 2 with one Class 3 move down the north ridge of Copper Mountain - West Peak to the saddle below.

Class 3 move.

View back toward Copper Mountain - West Peak.

Onward to a false summit of Peak 3205.

View back. Copper Mountain visible right of center.

Peak 3205 comes into view, the pointy guy on the right.

Approaching Peak 3205.

Nearing the base of Peak 3205. Keep left of the summit cliff and wrap to its north side.

Glass 2 gully on the north side.

Class 2+ move to gain the summit.

Peak 3205 summit, view north. Copper Mountain visible center.

Backtracked a little, now to find a way down the east side of Peak 3205.

Steep descent, but nothing too scrambly or dangerous. Dupont Mountain visible on the left.

View back up at the Class 2 descent.

Entering a pleasant drainage that led to the base of Dupont Mountain.

View back toward Peak 3205, up there on the top right somewhere.

At the base of Dupont Mountain. Class 2 to the saddle above.

Heading up Dupont Mountain.

View back toward Copper Mountain (top left) and Copper Mountain - West Peak (top center).

Just past some old mine remains, this Class 3 scramble led to just below the summit.

Dupont Mountain, view south. Copper Mountain top right, Salt and Pepper Mountain on the left. We descended from Dupont to the saddle in the center bottom of this photo, then dropped left to get over to Salt and Pepper Mountain.

On the way to Salt and Pepper Mountain.

Ascending Salt and Pepper Mountain, view back toward Dupont Mountain.

Class 2 up Salt and Pepper Mountain.

View back again. Dupont Mountain far right. The ridge we descended from to get down from Copper Mountain - West Peak's north ridge is visible far left.

Salt and Pepper Mountain ahead, a bit of a flat rocky walk.

Salt and Pepper Mountain, view toward the Colorado River.

Salt and Pepper Mountain, view toward Talus Mound and Indigo Peak behind it.

Class 3 down from Salt and Pepper Mountain.

View back toward Salt and Pepper Mountain as we ascend a minor Class 2+ sub-peak on the peak's east side.

Descending from the minor sub-peak, Talus Mound next.

On our way up Talus Mound (Class 2), view back toward Salt and Pepper Mountain and its little sub-peak on its east side.

Another shot back as we ascend to the high point of Talus Mound.

Talus Mound, view toward Indigo Peak. I recommend staying on the ridge. It's Class 2, but less steep and loose than descending off the slope.

Ascending Indigo Peak via a grassy ridge.

After ascending Indigo Peak, there was a bit of flat walking to the summit. This is a view back toward Copper Mountain (left) and Salt and Pepper Mountain plus Talus Mound (right).

Indigo Peak.

Class 2 gully to get down from Indigo Peak, followed by a walk through the desert to reach the cars.

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