North Schell Peak: 11,883', High Schells Wilderness, Eastern Nevada

We four were at it again - this time summiting the highest peak in the High Schells Wilderness to Nevada's fifth-most prominent peak. The rewards are solitude and a dramatic view of eastern Nevada mountain ranges and valleys.

Approaching Schell Creek Range summit ridge just under North Schell Peak.

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​Experiencing "Flow" - The Secret to Happiness

Trip Stats
Overview:  A short hike through a pristine aspen forest leads to a scramble over grass/talus to the Schell Creek ridgeline and then final ascent to the summit of the ninth-highest peak (11,883') and fifth-most prominent peak (5,404') in Nevada.  The trailhead approach is an easy drive from Ely, Nevada.
Location:  Highest peak in the Schell Creek range, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, mid-eastern Nevada.
Distance/Elevation gain:  6.2 miles out and back, 2,900' gain.
Prominence:  One of the "ultra-prominent peaks" in the lower 48 states at 5,403'.

North Schell T.H. QR code

Difficulty:  Moderate Class 1-2 on discernible but unmarked trail; scrambling and easy route-finding on firm talus.
Coordinates:  Trailhead = 39.40025  -114.61907.    Summit = 39.41332  -114.59959.
​Maps and Apps:  (see our tracks below).  Avenza High Schells Wilderness, Humboldt-Toiyabe Wilderness - USFS,  Stav Is Lost's hike description, USGS topo map
Date Hiked:  June 15, 2022.

North Schell Route Map

Our GPS tracks for 6.2 miles out and back to North Schell Peak.

Overview
​We four were at it again - quenching our drive and desire to reach hard-won rocky heights for that feeling of standing on top of the world.  On our last summit together, we stood at just over 13,000 feet on Wheeler Peak in Great Basin NP.  Now we set our sights on the highest peak in the Schell Creek Wilderness at almost 12,000 feet, and one of the "ultra-prominent" peaks in the lower 48 states. What was our motivation?  To prove that four 60- and 70-year olds still had the physical ability to conquer heart-pounding talus slopes and cold battering summit winds?  To cross more summits off of our bucket lists?  To REALLY enjoy the celebratory beer, burgers  and fries afterward?  We like the workout, but we love the sheer joy of reaching the summit.

Fred, Sue, Val and John on Wheeler Peak, 10/2021.

Nevada is a remarkable state for many reasons - Las Vegas is the "Entertainment Capital of the World", and Elko sponsors the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.  It also contains the most mountains of any state, most arranged in long parallel north/south trending ranges, with low valleys in between.  This is what I think of when I see Nevada:  the forces that made the earth spread starting 50 million years ago produced normal faults that formed horsts and grabens, making parallel valleys and raising mountains so we can hike them today.  This spreading and faulting has doubled the width of Nevada in those millions of years.

The Schell Creek range is one of those parallel mountain ranges in Nevada's Great Basin, and North Schell is its highest summit.  Most sources say its length of 140 miles makes it the longest mountain range in Nevada.  Once you summit North Schell Peak, you can hike the ridge southward, bagging Middle Schell, Taft Peak and Peak 11345 to complete a loop on the way back to the trailhead.  This range is seldom-visited so you get this stunning wilderness virtually to yourself.  Bare, windswept peaks with dramatic views rise out of valleys with large aspen stands.  This range is an important north-south corridor of uninterrupted land.

Right:  Map of Nevada illustrating north-south trending parallel mountain ranges as a result of extension, or spreading.  The Schell Creek Range is the longest and circled in red.  
 -  from Wikimedia Commons.

Our Hike
​A few primitive campgrounds line the good forest road whose end is the trailhead and a brown kiosk signboard.  Start walking on the road after parking.  It turns north (left) into a discernible path that ascends an aspen-forested valley and stays near the stream, crossing it a few times.  The aspen forest opens to the head of this creek and North Schell's western talus/grass slopes.  The trail, not marked is easy to follow.  Once we got to the head of the creek and the end of the dirt path, we took the steeper, rockier and shorter way to Schell Creek ridge, taking more of an acute right-hand turn heading east/southeast than we needed to.  When we descended, we stayed further north, following the grassy areas as much as we could just under the ridge to avoid the prolonged talus slopes (see map of our tracks, below).

The talus slope was filled with patches of abundant and robust wildflowers - mats of phlox and buckwheat.  We headed to the saddle left (north) of the dark North Schell summit and encountered freezing winds which required a slight wardrobe change into windbreakers and warmer hats (or no hats!).  A short walk on the ridge brought us to the summit block.  When we reached the summit, walking on a path through the rocks, wind was no longer a problem.  We identified Wheeler Peak in the Snake Range - the next parallel range to the southeast.  The Schell Creek range ridge south to the next high points - one of them Middle Schell Peak, looked inviting; follow it and you can walk on top of eastern Nevada for a few more miles!

The eye-catching view on the way down is that of the cirque above the headwaters of Timber Creek to the south.  Its U-shaped valley and the peaks above it look inviting.  We passed a few small snow patches in the grass/talus and then easily located the path along the creek to head back to the trailhead.

Val and John are training for Mt. Idaho, Idaho's seventh tallest peak.  Fred and I just hiked Mt. Nebo, the highest peak in Utah's Wasatch range.  Maybe we go a little bit slower than the 20-somethings, but we can get to the "top of the world" and savor it, if just for a few moments.​

"The greatest danger in life is not to take the adventure."
         -  George Mallory, took part in the first three British expeditions to Mt. Everest in the 1920's.

Never Stop Climbing Mountains!  Keep On Exploring!

The hike begins on 2-track road and shortly becomes a trail along the creek; follow this to its end and head east up North Schell's west ridge .

Discernible path along creek through aspen forest.

Trail ascending through aspens along shallow creek.

John ascending past tree line.

One of the few creek crossings (dry) to path on lower right hill.

Looking south to cirque that is headwaters of Timber Creek.

Reaching the end of creek, head east through talus and grass to the ridge.

Low-profile and abundant wildflower gardens - phlox and buckwheat.

Hiking up rocks to the ridge - Val in the lead.

Hiking up to the ridge.  North Schell Peak is to the right of this photo.

Fred approaching summit.

Looking at North Schell Peak from under its saddle.

Arriving at the saddle at about 11,500' on the ridge; looking at North Schell's summit that stands as Nevada's ninth highest peak.  See trail leading to it.  

Summiting!

Looking down into Spring Valley to the east and standing above everything else!

On top of Eastern Nevada, almost.  Wheeler Peak on the Snake Range (just to the right of top of photo) is over 1,000 feet higher.

Summit celebration!

Looking down Schell Creek ridge at Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park at top of photo.

Triangulation disc on North Schell's summit.  Notice the misspelling of "Schell".

At North Schell's summit looking south along ridge at other High Schells Wilderness peaks.

Heading back down.  Steptoe Valley, west of Schell Creek Range is below.

Almost at the creek we ascended.

Getting to tree line with a view of beautiful cirque.

 Corn lilies  and aspens near trailhead.

Concentric banding in quartzite

Reference mark disc

Some cool stuff on the trail.

 

Our GPS tracks from trailhead (south) to North Schell Peak.  The southern-most route was our ascent. The northern route was our descent; it avoided much of the continuous talus we encountered on our ascent.

References
High Schells Wilderness - Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest - 2013.  Avenza Maps.
The History of the San Andreas Fault and the Basin and Range.  Historical Geology.