Mount Gilbert, Mount Mazama, Echo Lake Loop in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, NV

Hike Mount Gilbert, Mount Mazama, Echo Lake Loop Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, NV

Class 3 12.8 miles 5400 gain 8-11 hrs Loop Jul 28, 2022
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

Mount Gilbert, Mount Mazama, Echo Lake Loop GPX Track

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Echo Lake is a coveted lake in the Ruby Mountains, requiring a bit of effort to reach. Most hikers likely come at the lake via the Right Fork Lamoille Creek Trail, but we wanted to head up to Mount Gilbert first and then descend using the trail, creating a loop. According to maps, the trail leads right to Echo Lake, and the time we didn't know the trail actually doesn't exist past Goat Lake, found at around 9,300'. This was my second time to visit Echo Lake. About 5 years ago we made so many mistakes on that hike that I wanted to return to form a better route, plus tack on a couple of additional peaks, notably Mount Mazama, the smaller neighbor of Mount Gilbert. Both are Nevada 11,000-foot peaks. If your goal is only to reach Echo Lake, I recommend doing our hike in the opposite diretion by going up to Goat Lake and then continue around off-trail to the saddle to Echo Lake's south side. It would be a lot less dangerous and not include any peaks.

Starting from the trailhead just outside Camp Lamoille, we located the start of the Right Fork Lamoille Creek Trail, following it south on its western bank. There's a key junction that you might miss, where the trail crosses the creek and continues ascending along the eastern bank. There's a section early on where the trail climbs very steeply, then descends a bit as it enters the Ruby Mountains Wilderness, but past this it ascends at a leisurely pace. We had no difficulty sticking to the trail, but the summer underbrush hid a few rocks and caused Chris to go for a hilarious tumble. At around 8200' the trail emerged from the lush canyon and into the wildflower-filled valley above. Mount Gilbert had been visible for most of the hike so far, but now it was just ahead of us.

We left the trail once it started to continue south and away from the peak, choosing to ascend via the basin-like feature on Gilbert Peak's northeast side. Some light bushwhacking and a stream crossing got us to the start of the steep slope, where all sorts of obstacles awaited. For the most part the slope is steep enough that any rock outcroppings should be avoided, little grassy gullies and chutes between the cliffs serving as Class 2/2+ methods for gaining higher ground. It's likely you'll pull at least one Class 3 move to overcome a small cliff band here or there, but with careful route-finding you can avoid excessive danger. We enjoyed our ascent route choices, planning a few hundred feet ahead and picking the route we thought felt most reasonable, though there are many potential options. Eventually we made it out of the steep and grassy terrain and onto a Class 2 boulder field closer to the base of Mount Gilbert. Above we could see a hint of the bench/ledge that we were trying to get to at around 10,600', but asending the slope came first. On my last visit this was all snow-covered and was certainly much easier and avoided any looseness, but none of the moves exceeded Class 2+.

Now on the grassy bench, which is far more reasonable than it looks from below, we traversed west for a hundred feet or so until reaching a minor ridge on the peak's northeast side. Previously we ascended this ridge directly and it was fun Class 2/3 that took some concentration due to the occasional loose rock. This time, I chose to wrap a little past this ridge (while Chris took the ridge) and ascended via a wide gully just to the right of the ridge, which was all Class 2 except for a Class 3 move higher up. It was less exposed, but I don't think you could go too wrong with route-finding past the bench in order to reach the summit ridge. Once on the summit ridge, we headed southwest on easy Class 2/3 to gain the summit of Mount Gilbert. Much more familiar with the Rubies than last time, it was fun to pick out the peaks and lakes that I previously had no understanding of, boring Chris with my reminscencing as he took in the wonderful views. The southern cliff of Mount Gilbert is extremely cool, as are the rocky fins that stretch south away from the peak.

The next step was to descend from Mount Gilbert. Bob Burd reported an option leading off the northwest side of the peak that works nicely. It mostly ended up being Class 2 with a couple of Class 3 moves. Just at the bottom is a cliff steep enough that we didn't want to attempt dropping down (maybe Class 4?). Instead, a short detour on the right led up for about 20 feet and over a rock rib, then dropped down to the floor below. We then turned south and headed along the base of Mount Gilbert's west face. The route was Class 2 along the slope, but slowly narrowed and steepened. We noted a long fin ahead along the ridge crest that needed to be avoided, requiring us to drop about 50 feet down the slope on the right in order to continue traversing. It's all quite neat. We reached a tree along the now quite narrow ledge. It's likely possible to just continue wrapping along the ledge and use the tree for support. However, it was hanging over a cliff, so we used a Class 3+ alternative just to the left, but this was pretty exposed too. Ahead was a gully that, on my previous go at Mount Gilbert, was snow-filled. Last time we headed into the gully and used the crevasse formed by the melted snow to ascend. Now it was loose and crummy-looking, so we decided to try keeping to the steep terrain on the gully's left. I highly recommend not doing this, or at least being sure the route you choose is better than our garbage. The gully would have been a much better option. We encountered some dangerously steep hardpan and otherwise loose rock and I wasn't having fun on it.

Once above the gully and now on the ridgeline, we looked back and saw the formidable south face of Mount Gilbert, a pretty amazing sight. We kept to the left of a steep rocky hump (Class 2) and found ourselves at a notch overlooking Echo Lake, yet another gorgeous sight. To reach Mount Mazama, we dropped a hundred feet or so on a Class 2 talus field and wrapped around a cliff at Mazama's base. From here we ascended more Class 2/2+ talus to reach the southern slope of Mount Mazama. Class 2 got us to the summit from here on a relatively grassy slope.

To get to our next peak, No Echo Knob, we headed back down from Mount Mazama and stumbled along Class 2 talus as we traversed the wide boulder field on the east side of Echo Lake. We had to think a bit ahead to avoid steeper sections and little rock outcroppings, but it was pretty straightforward overall. We ascended Class 2/3 to reach the north ridge of No Echo Knob, then pleasant tundra got us to the summit.  From the summit we peered to the west at the saddle just south of Echo Lake. Maps led us to believe that the Right Fork Lamoille Canyon Trail's upper reaches leads down to Echo Lake from here. We saw only a hint of the trail, so it was clear that it was basically no longer in existence. Instead of descending to the nonexistent trail, we thought it best to just make a descending traverse from No Echo Knob's summit, wrap around its southern ridge, and then hopefully bop onto the trail, if it even existed at all further along the way. The ridgeline proper seemed to have enough rocks to be annoying, so we decided to side-hill and it wasn't bad. The views were excellent to the south as we continued our wrapping descent. Confident we couldn't see even a hint of the trail below, we just kind of gave up looking for it and continued to the saddle on No Echo Knob's east side on pleasant terrain. I was a little disappointed the trail was no longer since it would have really made the entire hike from Echo Lake quite nice.

I definitely thought we'd at least be able to pick up the trail once at the saddle, but all that remains even here are some cairns that someone has placed. We did our best to follow the originally laid trail placement, but there were sections that were washed out with boulders and it made more sense just to stick to the tundra. The next goal was to reach Goat Lake, the small lake below. The trail (or what's marked as the trail on a map) does a horrible job leading there. Instead of doing our weird wrapping thing to reach Goat Lake's western side as it appears on my map, I recommend just descending directly to the lake and finding your own route. We had to cross a marsh and bushwhack a bit, which was far from ideal.

I should also note that I added a dark blue line to my attached map of an exposed Class 4 descent option from Echo Lake. I don't recommend doing it, but I included it as a reference since it's what Shawn and I had used on our last visit to the area as a last resort since it was getting dark.

Anyway, once at Goat Lake we were thrilled to find a very obvious trail on its north side. I guess most hikers stop at the lake and turn around, so it made sense a trail wouldn't be maintained all the way to Echo Lake. We even passed a few people on the way back. The rest of the hike was gorgeous and wildflowers filled our view. We enjoyed the nice trail after being on weird terrain all day and quicky made our way back to the trailhead. I think it was really fun to relive this route as a more experienced hiker years later.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
Mount Gilbert
11120 ft
480 rise
2
Mount Mazama
11040 ft
360 rise
3
No Echo Knob
10882 ft
322 rise

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Camp Lamoille. Mount Gilbert seen right of center.
Camp Lamoille. Mount Gilbert seen right of center.
After hiking along the Right Fork Lamoille Creek Trail on its right side for a short time, the trail crossed the creek and ascended steeply to the Ruby Mountains Wilderness sign.
After hiking along the Right Fork Lamoille Creek Trail on its right side for a short time, the trail crossed the creek and ascended steeply to the Ruby Mountains Wilderness sign.
More hiking along the Right Fork Lamoille Creek Trail, portions of it a bit overgrown, though still easy to follow.
More hiking along the Right Fork Lamoille Creek Trail, portions of it a bit overgrown, though still easy to follow.
Ascending out of the drainage.
Ascending out of the drainage.
And up into the valley, Mount Gilbert seen top right.
And up into the valley, Mount Gilbert seen top right.
Looking south toward the direction we'd be returning from later.
Looking south toward the direction we'd be returning from later.
We left the trail and ascended up the basin-like feature on Mount Gilbert's northeast side.
We left the trail and ascended up the basin-like feature on Mount Gilbert's northeast side.
View back, the trail comes up in the center.
View back, the trail comes up in the center.
Steep slopes, usually grassy enough that you can avoid any serious scrambling.
Steep slopes, usually grassy enough that you can avoid any serious scrambling.
A likely avoidable, though fun, Class 3 cliff band on the way up.
A likely avoidable, though fun, Class 3 cliff band on the way up.
Another shot back as we make progress up the steep slope.
Another shot back as we make progress up the steep slope.
Lots of Class 2, but also plenty of open grass. It's just a lot of vertical in a short amount of time.
Lots of Class 2, but also plenty of open grass. It's just a lot of vertical in a short amount of time.
Mount Gilbert comes into view. From here, we headed toward the center of this photo (where the little snow patch is), then traversed right on a bench/ledge feature. The little ridge on the far right is what Chris chose to use to ascend.
Mount Gilbert comes into view. From here, we headed toward the center of this photo (where the little snow patch is), then traversed right on a bench/ledge feature. The little ridge on the far right is what Chris chose to use to ascend.
View back after ascending the slope, now on the bench/ledge.
View back after ascending the slope, now on the bench/ledge.
The ridge Chris is ascending on is to the left, while I walked a bit past it and decided to use this slightly less exposed option.
The ridge Chris is ascending on is to the left, while I walked a bit past it and decided to use this slightly less exposed option.
View back down.
View back down.
A Class 3 section higher up.
A Class 3 section higher up.
On the summit ridge of Mount Gilbert.
On the summit ridge of Mount Gilbert.
View back as we gain the summit. The trail is far below in the center.
View back as we gain the summit. The trail is far below in the center.
Mount Gilbert summit, view south. Mount Mazama right of center. You can see the gully we ascended in the center with a tiny bit of snow it it. Well, we should have used it, at least.
Mount Gilbert summit, view south. Mount Mazama right of center. You can see the gully we ascended in the center with a tiny bit of snow it it. Well, we should have used it, at least.
Mount Gilbert summit, view north.
Mount Gilbert summit, view north.
On the peak's northwest side, we descended using this Class 2 (with some Class 3) gully/slope.
On the peak's northwest side, we descended using this Class 2 (with some Class 3) gully/slope.
A Class 3 section.
A Class 3 section.
View back up.
View back up.
Right at the bottom, the gully/slope cliffs out a bit, so we located a rock rib to get over (where Chris is) in order to reach the ground below.
Right at the bottom, the gully/slope cliffs out a bit, so we located a rock rib to get over (where Chris is) in order to reach the ground below.
And then we headed south along the cliff base of Mount Gilbert.
And then we headed south along the cliff base of Mount Gilbert.
Close-up toward Mount Mazama.
Close-up toward Mount Mazama.
View back at our progress.
View back at our progress.
The slope we were traversing along narrowed into a ledge. Once we cleared the south ridge of Mount Gilbert, we had to drop to the right a little bit.
The slope we were traversing along narrowed into a ledge. Once we cleared the south ridge of Mount Gilbert, we had to drop to the right a little bit.
And then we were able to continue traversing toward the gully. See the tree ahead? You might be able to use it to keep the following section Class 2/3 (with some exposure), but we chose to use the rocks to its left for a Class 3+ set of moves.
And then we were able to continue traversing toward the gully. See the tree ahead? You might be able to use it to keep the following section Class 2/3 (with some exposure), but we chose to use the rocks to its left for a Class 3+ set of moves.
Chris and I decided to not get into the gully (which you can see on the left). I recommend getting into the gully when you can. As you can see, this is some horrible and dangerous stuff that we dealt with instead.
Chris and I decided to not get into the gully (which you can see on the left). I recommend getting into the gully when you can. As you can see, this is some horrible and dangerous stuff that we dealt with instead.
At the top of the gully, a view back to Mount Gilbert.
At the top of the gully, a view back to Mount Gilbert.
At the top of the gully, a view toward a Class 2 traverse to avoid a rocky hump.
At the top of the gully, a view toward a Class 2 traverse to avoid a rocky hump.
And then we got a view of Echo Lake. No Echo Knob seen on the far left. We dropped down a bit, then headed to the right toward the grassy slope (seen far right) in order to get to Mount Mazama.
And then we got a view of Echo Lake. No Echo Knob seen on the far left. We dropped down a bit, then headed to the right toward the grassy slope (seen far right) in order to get to Mount Mazama.
Class 2+ to the grass seen on the left.
Class 2+ to the grass seen on the left.
View back toward the notch we descended from, now heading up to Mount Mazama.
View back toward the notch we descended from, now heading up to Mount Mazama.
View back as we make our way to Mount Mazama.
View back as we make our way to Mount Mazama.
Mount Mazama ahead.
Mount Mazama ahead.
Mount Mazama summit, view north. Mount Gilbert seen on the right. Also, the cliffs at its base were pretty amazing-looking. We had just traversed above them, holy moly.
Mount Mazama summit, view north. Mount Gilbert seen on the right. Also, the cliffs at its base were pretty amazing-looking. We had just traversed above them, holy moly.
Headed down from Mount Mazama. We now had to traverse the boulder field seen center. No Echo Knob seen top center.
Headed down from Mount Mazama. We now had to traverse the boulder field seen center. No Echo Knob seen top center.
View back toward Mount Mazama (top) as we traverse the boulder field.
View back toward Mount Mazama (top) as we traverse the boulder field.
Echo Lake below.
Echo Lake below.
Another shot back toward the end of the traverse, Mount Mazama seen on the left.
Another shot back toward the end of the traverse, Mount Mazama seen on the left.
Ascending Class 2/3 to the north ridge of No Echo Knob.
Ascending Class 2/3 to the north ridge of No Echo Knob.
No Echo Knob ahead.
No Echo Knob ahead.
Almost to the summit, a wide shot of the whole area.
Almost to the summit, a wide shot of the whole area.
View north from No Echo Knob's summit.
View north from No Echo Knob's summit.
We made a descending traverse on the peak's west side to avoid the rocky-looking ridgeline. We originally intended to drop down to the trail and just take that, but it clearly didn't exist.
We made a descending traverse on the peak's west side to avoid the rocky-looking ridgeline. We originally intended to drop down to the trail and just take that, but it clearly didn't exist.
The side-hilling wasn't too bad.
The side-hilling wasn't too bad.
Wrapping around to the south ridge of No Echo Knob, seen ahead.
Wrapping around to the south ridge of No Echo Knob, seen ahead.
View back, a cute little unnamed tarn seen on the left. Liberty Peak seen in the distance.
View back, a cute little unnamed tarn seen on the left. Liberty Peak seen in the distance.
At the saddle on No Echo Knob's east side. Still no trail, though we did expect there to be one. We started the descent to Goat Lake.
At the saddle on No Echo Knob's east side. Still no trail, though we did expect there to be one. We started the descent to Goat Lake.
Looking back up toward the saddle.
Looking back up toward the saddle.
Attempting to stick to the old trail bed, but only the occasional cairn existed. I recommend just finding your own way down to Goat Lake.
Attempting to stick to the old trail bed, but only the occasional cairn existed. I recommend just finding your own way down to Goat Lake.
Goat Lake below. As you can see, we had to deal with some marsh to get there.
Goat Lake below. As you can see, we had to deal with some marsh to get there.
Goat Lake.
Goat Lake.
Goat Lake, view up toward Mount Gilbert.
Goat Lake, view up toward Mount Gilbert.
View back at Goat Lake once we picked up the Right Fork Lamoille Creek Trail.
View back at Goat Lake once we picked up the Right Fork Lamoille Creek Trail.
Mount Gilbert seen top left.
Mount Gilbert seen top left.
Descending the valley.
Descending the valley.
View back up as we make progress down the nice trail.
View back up as we make progress down the nice trail.
Image 61 from gallery
View back shortly before reaching the spot we'd left the trail earlier to ascend to Mount Gilbert.
View back shortly before reaching the spot we'd left the trail earlier to ascend to Mount Gilbert.

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