Hike Aztec Mountain and Aztec Wash Peaks Loop Ireteba Peaks Wilderness BLM, NV

Oct 29, 2021 — Located just south of Nelson, NV and the more pretty and only slightly more frequently visited Eldorado Wilderness, this loop visits a few obscure, smaller peaks at the base of the Ireteba Peaks. The peaks surround a feature known as Aztec Wash, where apparently there is a spring and a small set of petroglyphs. I didn't check out the narrow section because today was a nice little lesson about hiking with not enough water in the desert heat. I'm not sure why I thought 2 liters would be enough when it was in the 80s, but I made it back and the iced beverages I inhaled when back in civilization made my dehydration discomfort worth it. The trailhead starts along Aztec Wash Road. The road is overall in very good condition, and sedans might only have some trouble if driven by a conservative operator. I continued east along the road and headed into a major wash that led south. The wash was sandy and as it began to narrow, introduced some light thorny brush. I left the drainage and asended to Peak 2963, a quick detour on mostly pleasant terrain. I could see the other, more significant peaks for the day. It was my first time seeing Little Hands Peak, a surprisingly pretty-looking and unexpected granitic mound. I was looking forward to it, but first I wanted to hike over to Peak 3235.

From Peak 2963, I backtracked along the ridge and navigated the lumpy landscape into a wide and major drainage system called Aztec Wash. I encountered only some light Class 2 to enter Aztec Wash, but the walking was straightforward as I headed south across the wash. I made my way up to a minor saddle where I crossed an ATV road and some power lines before ascending to the south within a drainage. This drainage would lead to the saddle of Peak 3235 and Little Hands Peak, but I left the drainage and ascended the least steep-looking slope up to Peak 3235, Class 2.

Little Hands Peak was next, the highlight peak of the day. I scouted a route from Peak 3235, noting two major obstacles. The first would be a hump along the ridgeline between me and Little Hands Peak, which I decided I would ascend and then side-hill just below its top. The second was the sheer-looking granite on the east face of Little Hands Peak directly below the summit, which I would avoid by ascending via the peaks's southeast side instead. I headed to the saddle of Peak 3235 and Little Hands Peak's little sub-bump, then continued on Class 2 side-hilling and overall pretty pleasant rock-hopping as I headed west. I could have just gone up and over the sub-peak, but instead wrapped around it on its north side. I don't think this really saved much effort. I was now at the base of Little Hands Peak and I started up more Class 2 as the rock transitioned from typical Lake Mead scree/talus to a more rare (for this area) granite that is more similar to Spirit Mountain, also nearby. I kept to the left of some major pinnacles and entered Class 2/3 boulder-hopping territory as I neared the ridgeline above. Once I got to the ridge, I could see the summit of Little Hands Peak just to the north. More Class 2 as I wrapped around the east side of the summit block brought me around to the peak's north side. A Class 2/3 move on a couple of fun granite boulders led to the summit.

Aztec Peak was now visible just to the west, a less-cool-looking summit, but the tallest one of the day. I backtracked along the ridgeline from Little Hands Peak and descended to the west on more granite. I did pull a Class 3 move here or there because the terrain was a bit more riddled with boulder clusters, but you might be able to keep the route Class 2 if you're so inclined. Aztec Mountain's east ridge looked difficult and loose, so I decided to side-hill into a major gully on the peak's northeast side and ascend via this route. It went at Class 2/3, and was overall quite fun. There are a couple of easy dryfalls to avoid within this gully. At the top of the gully I wrapped to the left around a rock outcrop that I soon would find out was the summit block. I continued northwest from Aztec Mountain's summit, out of water and pretty excited to be out of the desert. A notch led down a Class 2+ move to reach the overall very pleasant and clear of brush and rock northern spur ridge. I made it to the bottom of the ridge and continued in a wash to the same ATV road I had passed earlier, except now I was farther west. I followed the road a very short time and then continued north through the open desert. I stumbled on a (likely illegal) singletrack dirtbike trail that led me pretty much exactly the direction I wanted to go, which made hiking a bit easier. The route here was a little annoying, lots of ups and downs through rivulets and general desert lumpiness. However the singletrack seemed to continue leading me where I wanted to go, up to the saddle on the west side of Eagle Peak.

I briefly considered skipping the peak, dangerously exhausted and long out of water, but I couldn't help myself. It was right there, a short walk on pleasant terrain. The sumit block required a Class 2/2+ move over a broken ledge. I wasn't sweating anymore, and was pretty sure I was going to die. I mean not really, but I wasn't thrilled with my choices. I made my way back down to the saddle and continued along the singletrack trail. You'll notice this is where I marked a purple line on the left leading to an old cabin. This route follows a series of ATV roads, and adds a mile to the hike. I included a photo of the cabin if you care to go this way, or you can just take the major wash leading northeast (orange line) through the desert. Either way you'll be on Aztec Wash Road, an easy walk back to the car.