Humboldt N.F NV-Alpine lakes Hike

 

North Nevada has so much outdoors activities to offer,and after a fantastic hike to Lamoille Canyon and the waterfalls we decided to hike in the Humboldt N.F to 3 Alpine lakes.

To get to the trail head ,take the scenic drive just before Lamoille (the town) till the end ,park the car next to the roundabout and look for the sign to Lamoille Lake.

The T/H and parking area from a high point

The hike starts from 8600’ altitude and climbs to 9740’ along 2 miles to the beautiful Lamoille Lake,some stretches are steep but many switchbacks make it easier to climb.

Many old trees and pads of snow are seen as we climbed ,sometimes we forget that we are in Nevada…

  

One mile after Lake Lomille at altitude of 10300’ we passed through Liberty Pass that was seen long before we reached it,now looking back on this it is fine but seeing the high climb towards the pass from far away was not exactly fun.

The Liberty Pass

From the pass it is only one mile down hill towards the most beautiful lake in the area- Liberty Lake at altitude of 10039’

The smell of the flowers,the cool breeze and the vistas made us almost drunk..we sat there grabbed a snake and got dizzy from the views, Nevada??? woow.

Continuing another mile towards Favre Lake at altitude of 9500’  to complete our 5 mile one way hike that took old geezers like us almost 5 hours with all the stops was not too bad, the way back took only 2 hours…,Newton and his gravity …

On the way back the wind was still and many unusual reflections were seen in the lakes,sometimes so perfect that was hard to tell if it is a reflection or the real thing.

Nevada is not only Vegas,Reno or gambling ,it has old small miner villages,waterfalls,blooming flowers even in late July,lakes,huge mountains and nice people,it was not a surprise for me but I am sure that it a big surprise for some.

Excellent hike ,Nevada sure moved up the beauty State scale for us.

Till we meet again

Elko NV & Lamoille Canyon

Some people advised me not to visit Nevada in July, August and I am so happy that I did not listen to them,NEVADA is amazing ,you just have to know where to look.

After visiting the East part we drove North to Wells and Elko.

Elko in a very nice town ,has all the services ,nice main street ,cowboy museums ,casinos and great restaurants.

   

But mainly Elko is a gate way to Lamoille Canyon also called “the Grand Canyon of Nevada”

Lamoille Canyon lies in the heart of the Ruby Mountains, Nevada’s wettest mountain range. This spectacular byway winds around the base of the 11,387-foot Ruby Dome, and climbs through the glacier-carved canyon to 8,800 feet. Four geology-interpretive panels lead travelers past meadows bursting with blazing wildflowers, abundant wildlife, waterfalls, and avalanche chutes. Mountain goats, big horn sheep and an array of birds can be seen carefully perched in the rocky outcrops above.

Today we hiked in the Canyon staring from site 31 in Tomas  Camp Ground all the way till the end of the Canyon,it took us 6 hours round trip with many stops along the way .A river runs all the way from the end of the Canyon to the C.G ,our starting point.

It is sure one of top 5 hikes ever,the majestic mountains,the smell of the flowers,the rushing falls make it a top hike.

   

The cherry on the top of a cake is at the end of the hike – A huge waterfalls feeding from the glacier .

 

At the end of the trail when we got close to the falls we saw a sign “wilderness from this point”, and the trail actually ended, but we made our way through the bushes passing few streams and made it even closer to this magnificent falls.

Start the hike in the morning not later that 9AM ,the sun will be at your back (good for pictures in front) and go back afternoon at around 3-4PM and have the sun again at your back (good for pictures in front ) ,ware good hiking shoes,take a lot of water ,sunscreen and of course a hat as the trail is mainly shade less.

We were surprised to learn that it was imposable to get a hike map or information about the area ,even from the tourist information in town,a guy that “knows” the area said that he thinks there is no water running in the canyon at this time….so to make it easy for ones that want to make this hike ,here are the directions:

Take Hwy 227 to Lamiolle and turn right to the scenic road just before the town (there is a sign) drive till Tomas Canyon C.G,enter the C.G and ask the host to park at the T/H,walk till site 31 and start climbing- ENJOY

There are many trails in the Canyon ,but for us it was an easy choice, we picked two hikes water related,to day it was falls and the next one will be to Alpine Lakes.

Wells NV & Angles Lake

Hwy 93 from Ely to Wells is really a nice ride,it took us two and a half hours to cover 120Miles stopping at the historic Pony Express Station.

 

I wanted to take the job that would cover some of my C.G expenses….

But learning about the hours and conditions ,I gave up this idea.

We felt so small parking next to the huge trucks.

Wells is a small town and has very little to offer,the main street is almost deserted and looked like a ghost town,bars are closed but some restaurants are operating, the only reason for our 2 night stop is to visit  Ruby Mountain in the Humboldt N.F .

The Crossroads C.G has full hook ups ,clean restrooms and reasonable WiFi connection,the sites are tight but it served our purpose.

The Humboldt N.F is a huge rough area ,many strenuous hiking trails can be found there with outstanding scenic drive and dry camp grounds .

At the end of Hwy 231 at the altitude of 8500’ there is a C.G and Angle Lake a very popular place because the fishing is good and the parking place is a only few steps away.

At this time there were still spots of snow at the peaks,although it is a dead end road there are very rough hikes beyond the lake witch at the this time we did not do.

It is a real gem and excisable for those who have a problem walking.

Our next stop is Elko NV from where we will explore Ruby Mountain Scenic Area next to Lamoille-lets hope for a good weather…

Train Ride,Pow-Wow,Renaissance Village in Ely NV

The day was divided into three parts:

Old diesel train ride from Ely along the White Pine Creek ,with great views and a ghost town on the way.

 

We passed tunnels and next to a Ghost Town

We wanted to have the old steamer pull the train ,but they use it only at the weekends and we could not make it then, it still was a great ride with this diesel pusher .

At noon the Shoshoni Indian Tribe in Ely were supposed to perform a dance at their Fandango (Gathering)  , we were there on time but learned immediately that “NOON” in Shoshoni language means between 12 and 1PM and every one takes it easy…at noon the drums were pulled from a van and some dancers were getting their outfit ready,but this is the pace and we went along with it.

It was a small gathering but nice to see how the tradition is passed from one generation to the next one.

In the evening the Renaissance Village in Ely opened the gates to the old houses left from the mining days,the held a silence auction,opened houses and artists exhibitions, there were two options to chose from :15$ per person where you get a wine glass at the entrance and can drink wine , beer and visit the the village or 25$ including a spaghetti dinner, we did not take the dinner as we had something to eat at the gathering.

What a great way to end our 6 days in Ely NV.