Miller Mountain in Candelaria Hills BLM, NV

Hike Miller Mountain Candelaria Hills BLM, NV

Class 2 8.2 miles 2300 gain 3-5 hrs Out + Back Apr 8, 2022
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

Miller Mountain GPX Track

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Miller Mountain is a pretty easy to overlook peak, appearing to be just a wide and boring hump. This might be the case, sure, but it's got some cool highlights via the route I used. I believe another route exists via the south using a poor road, but Dennis Poulin seems to have established this option and others have noted it's probably the most reasonable and pleasant. Leave NV-6 and head north here (38.01586, -118.24313). This road is suitable by Crossover vehicles and leads to where I parked pretty directly and without much concern. Note that I used a different map base rather than my typical Google Maps terrain imagery. This is because a few of the maps I tested actually have incorrect imagery, resulting in my GPS line appearing to place me incorrectly by about 500 feet. So, if you're using any sort of GPS to navigate, just keep this imagery distortion in mind.

I headed east into the major drainage and followed this for about half the hike. It's overall very nice walking, starting with some cool cliffs lining the drainage's faces and eventually introducing some lightly-colored volcanic features. There was some volcanic slickrock, a small spring, and even a short slot canyon. There are a couple of quick Class 2 scramble sections within the drainage, but overall the obstacles are minimal. You could likely follow this drainage all the way to a saddle on the south side of Miller Mountain, but I chose to leave it before that point and start ascend on Miller's southwestern ridge. This allowed me to get some views of the White Mountains as well as start ascending a little earlier and more directly to the summit.

The ground along the ridge is mostly free of brush and rock, and I found myself really enjoying this hike. Since nothing was particularly steep or required much thought, I was able to just enjoy being on a remote mountain in western Nevada. There were two short sections of Class 2 along the slope, less than a hundred feet each of trivial talus. While the views from Miller Mountain's summit were somewhat obscured by trees, Boundary Peak's snow-covered summit poked out to the southwest, and the large humpy form of Piper Peak was visible to the south.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
Miller Mountain
8729 ft
2449 rise

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Starting through a major wash. Miller Mountain is up there somewhere, but it's just a big slope so hard to tell the summit from here.
Starting through a major wash. Miller Mountain is up there somewhere, but it's just a big slope so hard to tell the summit from here.
Within the wash.
Within the wash.
Continuing up the wash.
Continuing up the wash.
The wash narrows a bit.
The wash narrows a bit.
Some pretty volcanic slickrock within the drainage.
Some pretty volcanic slickrock within the drainage.
A shot within the volcanic section of the drainage. Boundary Peak is poking out on the left over there.
A shot within the volcanic section of the drainage. Boundary Peak is poking out on the left over there.
A nice change, some cool rock textures.
A nice change, some cool rock textures.
An (avoidable) Class 3 slot canyon option within the drainage.
An (avoidable) Class 3 slot canyon option within the drainage.
View back into the volcanic region of the wash.
View back into the volcanic region of the wash.
Onward within the wash, where trees become more prevalent.
Onward within the wash, where trees become more prevalent.
Another narrow section of the wash.
Another narrow section of the wash.
Looking back through some pretty narrows.
Looking back through some pretty narrows.
More wash walking. I left the wash shortly after this and headed up a slope on the left.
More wash walking. I left the wash shortly after this and headed up a slope on the left.
Ascending the slope. Miller Mountain up there in the center.
Ascending the slope. Miller Mountain up there in the center.
View back into the drainage I ascended from.
View back into the drainage I ascended from.
Along the pleasant terrain (mostly), making my way to the summit.
Along the pleasant terrain (mostly), making my way to the summit.
A shot back the way I came, the drainage seen sort of in the center.
A shot back the way I came, the drainage seen sort of in the center.
Hiking up to Miller Mountain.
Hiking up to Miller Mountain.
A shot back along the ridge, Boundary Peak visible in the distance.
A shot back along the ridge, Boundary Peak visible in the distance.
A short Class 2 section coming up ahead.
A short Class 2 section coming up ahead.
View back, higher up on my way to Miller Mountain.
View back, higher up on my way to Miller Mountain.
Nearing the summit area, which is pretty wide.
Nearing the summit area, which is pretty wide.
Miller Mountain summit, view east.
Miller Mountain summit, view east.
Miller Mountain summit, view west.
Miller Mountain summit, view west.
Miller Mountain summit, view north.
Miller Mountain summit, view north.

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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!