Boundary Peak

Road is accessible as of 27June2025, was able to get here with a regular two wheel drive vehicle, just a bit bumpy. Have to drive slow, if you plug this into Google maps, it will take you the wrong way and will have to walk to the trailhead. At the very last road split, go left instead of right. Or use the Waze app to navigate here

Boundary Peak is a real challenge for most, I can confirm that after we completed it yesterday.  For reference, if you've done Mount Borah, I'd say it's not as difficult as that.  The altitude can get you on this one if you're not accustomed to hikes of this sort or live at low elevation with little time to adjust. We took Route 6 to Queen Canyon Road and took that to the Queen Mine Trailhead.  You 100% need an SUV with 4 wheel drive if you're want to park at the trailhead.  There are many rough spots on the road, the worst of which is about 0.8 miles from the trailhead.  So if you don't have 4WD, that's as far as you'll be able to go, which will add about 1.6 miles to your hike RT. One reviewer mentioned snow and ice in the last 500', but we only saw some very small patches of snow.  No snowshoes or crampons were required for this one. Temperatures were cool, but comfortably so.  I did most of it in a t-shirt and light hiking pants, only adding a hoodie at the top when we were taking in the views and snacking. Navigation was mostly straightforward, though as you approach the final miles of the ascent, I'd suggest hugging the ridgeline for some scrambling over boulders as opposed to dealing with any scree on the sides.  There are plentiful hand and footholds for scrambling with nothing ever feeling unsafe. On the descent, the trail disappeared on us in the section before you reach the large rock by the Trail Canyon Saddle.  I wasn't checking All trails often enough and we veered off into one of the very large and very loose scree fields.  Once we realized it, we were able to take a hard 90 to get back on track. Beautiful views at the top, plenty of notebooks to sign your name in, and a harmonica if you dare.  You'll likely also have cell service at this point.  We were joined by the one other person hiking it yesterday, he had come up via the Trail Canyon route and said he was able to park at the trailhead, though I'd look for his review to confirm. If you're young and experienced, you can get by without walking sticks, but I'd recommend them, especially for the descent. I drank about 3.5 liters of water in all. Good luck!

Highest point in Nevada. It's a challenging all-day hike, but highly rewarding. 4-wheel drive needed to get to trail. The last mile is the most challenging as it's about 2,000 feet in elevation gain and easy to lose the trail. A bit of scrambling is necessary.

Such an incredible experience. I left at 6:30 am. 3 hours 50 minutes up. 1:45 down. I drank 3 liters. Very isolated. I passed four others. I highly recommend boots and not trail runners. My hiking poles helped me all the way to the ridge. Enjoy Nevada's highpoint.

Although to hike Boundary peak is not a typical hike on a clearly marked trail - it is worthwhile! The trail is overgrown (long pants are highly recommended) and it disappears in the shrub and reappears again. Similarly, on the final approach there are multiple options (requiring rock scrambling) which makes it fun. The trail is very lightly trafficked (compared to other state highpoints) - I haven't seen anyone all day long. I hiked from the Canyon Trail Trailhead approaching via Chiatovich Creek (the trailhead is not marked on Google maps for now, but can be seen on a satellite image). It took me 5 hours to summit (through the saddle) and 2 hours to descent (down the scree). The views from the summit are amazing!

Great day hike with lots of scrambles and scree. The camping at the trailhead was awesome, but you definitely need a 4WD vehicle.

4wd needed to get to trailhead. One hell of a view. We started at the Queen Canyon trailhead.

Unfortunately we left a little later in the day then I want so we missed some daylight adventuring but still worth the 2 hour drive but be back soon

The most challenging part of Boundary Peak was the 4x4 road leading to the trailhead. You will definitely need a high-clearance vehicle if you plan on reaching it without a lot of scraping! (I did it in a Jeep Patriot) The GPS coordinates for the Queen Mine, where most folks start, are: 37.889317, -118.317599 You can drive about another 0.5-1 mile past these coordinates and save yourself some hiking but I wouldn't do it unless you have a vehicle that is both High Clearance AND 4WD, the more clearance the better. (stuff like: Wrangler, Tacoma, 4runner, etc) I was too scared to do it with a Jeep Patriot. Anyway, Boundary Peak is the tallest mountain in Nevada and it's right next to the California border, but you probably already knew that. It's a fun and scenic hike. It's not really technical and the trail is surprisingly well-graded. I wish I had more time to traverse the ridge over to Montgomery Peak in California (which is slightly taller). I had to rush back to the airport though, and had to turn around. Views from the summit were great, dry desert all around and bluebird skies in all directions. Great little off-the-beaten-path activity Mid-Eastern California/Mid-Western Nevada. Just make sure you've got a gnarly set of wheels!