Trip report
Mar 4, 2020 — McCullough Mountain is a forgettable higher elevation desert peak south of Las Vegas. There seems to be two main approaches, a very bad road approach from the west, and a much more reasonable dirt road from the southeast, the route which I took. There are a few slightly rutted/rocky spots along this approach, but likely any car could make it if driving slowly.
The end of the road features an old wooden something-or-other likely meant for ranchers (I have no idea). I started a little before the end of the road to avoid additional bushwhacking to get into a major wash to the north. Once in this wash, I followed it to its head, keeping right at a major fork about 2/3 of the way up. The wash ended by turning into a slope, which I followed to a ridge. I could see McCullough Mountain in the distance from this ridge, but I first had to drop down to the north into another wash. You might be able to follow the ridgeline, but it looked a bit brushy for my taste.
I encountered a couple of Class 2 sections within the second wash, but it was easy to follow. From near the head of the wash, I started north up a steep slope to gain the summit ridge of McCullough Mountain. The views were okay. Overall this was a nice change in desert scenery, but not a favorite by any measure.