Trip report
May 17, 2020 — Accessible by any car, the trailhead for Shingle Peak immediately gave me the sense that this might be a slightly more serious undertaking than I thought it would be. Shingle Peak's northern cliffs look intimidating from above, the the trees and general (relative to NV) lushness along my route made me wonder if I was going to regret this hike. It ended up being a remote and scenic trip into a new and interesting area.
It is tempting to follow the old dirt road from the trailhead, but instead keep right, heading south, down into the major drainage on the north side of Shingle Peak. Basically just walk straight toward the peak, initially. There was some tree-dodging and a small hill to ascend to get into the drainage. Following the drainage wasn't difficult, though it did require some minor bushwhacking (nothing I'd even call unpleasant) and zig-zagging around to find the path of least resistance. It took a much longer time than I predicted it would to hike up the drainage. Rock outcroppings came into view after a while and the brush slowly gave way to gravel and wider sections for more convenient walking.
I made it to the ascent ridge on the right, an initially very steep slope with some bushwhacking, but most brush is avoidable and it really wasn't bad. The steep slope brought me to the ridge crest, where the grade mellowed out and the trees and brush were minimal. The ridge ascent was steep enough to not be called easy, but it wasn't quite so much of a quad workout as the start. Also, the views were really nice. I felt very alone back here, and really had a pleasant time, so much so that I *gasp* hung out at the summit for a while.