Hike Crown Point, Slide Mountain, Kettle Peak Loop Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, CA

Aug 12, 2024 — This loop within the Hoover Wilderness visits some incredible scenery and summits three peaks: Crown Point, Slide Mountain, and Kettle Peak. There are numerous spots to bail if necessary, and the only true Class 3 scrambling we found was on the summit of Kettle Peak. The rest of the day can be kept on trails or with easier scrambling. There are other peaks nearby that would have been nice to include on this loop, including Cirque Mountain and Eocene Peak, but those seemed better combined with other peaks nearby as separte outings. So this loop felt like an efficient way to reach various summits while maximizing the amount of scenery we could see in a day.

We parked within Annette's Mono Village, just before the pay station. We confirmed it was fine to park there as long as we weren't staying overnight. If you're concerned you might return late, you may want to park outside the private property in one of the pull-outs on the north side of Upper Twin Lake. It took us a minute to find the Robinson Creek Trail because it's really just a dirt road leading through the campground and then into the forest. The first few miles were uneventful forest walking, but at some point the road became a true single track and the scenery improved drastically as the granite slopes to the west came into view and the terrain alternated between forest and meadows. This is a popular trail for backpackers, and we passed many parties on our way.

After a bunch of switchbacks we reached Barney Lake, a crowded resting point. Crown Point was visible ahead, still quite a distance. We continued onward, taking the trail on the north side of Barney Lake and ascending more switchbacks until we hit another junction. Keeping right would lead to Peeler Lake, but we kept left and headed south along the Robinson Creek Trail. We passed the Robinson Lakes at the base of Crown Point and continued onward to Crown Lake. We could see a sheer granite face feature called "The Juggernaut" on the north end of Slide Mountain, which was our second peak for the day later. The granite around here started becoming really dramatic, a great backdrop for the green tundra and vibrant lakes.

Past Crown Lake, the trail ascended a bit more until reaching a junction with the Mule Pass Trail. Even though we did not pick it up here, we would reach it farther up after summiting Slide Mountain later. If necessary, it could serve as a good bail point after doing Slide Mountain. We continued along the now-labeled Rock Island Trail, which led past Snow Lake and up to Rock Island Pass.

Just before the pass was when we decided to head north up to Crown Point. The slope was pretty steep and sandy, though not unpleasantly so, and a fair number of large boulders forced us to zigzag to find a reasonable route up, of which there are numerous. Along the southwest ridgeline of Crown Point are ample boulders and our our ascent we followed the crest, but on the way down it was certainly easier to stay north and away from all the boulders on the crest. This allowed us to just hike on a tame sandy slope, but the views were inferior than sticking to the crest. Farther up, the terrain steepened and we had to work through a maze of small scraggly trees. The summit block required some Class 2/3 scrambling, but you could easily get into more difficult stuff if you chose a less optimal route. From the summit, we had excellent views of Tower Peak to the northwest, Sawtooth Ridge to the east, and Slide Mountain, which was next. I'll note that I sort of wish we had approached Crown Point from Peeler Lake, as its northwest ridge looked reasonable and this would have made for a nice little loop. However, I wasn’t upset with the beautiful scenery along the Robinson Creek Trail that we would have missed had we approached from Peeler Lake.

We backtracked from Crown Point and located a steep and rocky gully that breaks through the granite face on the west side of Slide Mountain. This went at easy Class 2, even though it looked dangerously steep from afar. Once above this slope, we continued east towards Slide Mountain, but tons of random little granitic bands and large boulders made the going a bit slower. We definitely pulled a Class 3 move here and there, but you could work around any difficulties if you prefer.

Eventually, the terrain became easy walking up to the base of Slide Mountain, then steepened into a sandy slope. We found a definitive weakness through the forested upper slope in order to reach the summit. We had more excellent views from up here, with Sawtooth Ridge positioned directly east of us and Matterhorn Peak resting prominently at its end.

Our descent from Slide Mountain was quite fun, including a really interesting, direct steep sandy slope through a garden of granite pinnacles, followed by a rocky slope that led us down to the Mule Pass Trail. Taking the Mule Pass Trail west would lead us back to the Robinson Creek Trail, but we headed east instead to extend the loop further. We reached Mule Pass, and I was amazed by the view into the valley below. Honestly, I think this section was my favorite part of the day. The trail winds around a granite wonderland with expansive views of the surrounding mountains, eventually descending into a drainage south of Kettle Peak.

Leaving the Mule Pass Trail, we made our way north through open grasses in order to reach Ice Lake Pass. This was a really pretty and trail-less valley hugged by the steep faces of the adjacent slopes, with interesting slabs strewn out between large stretches of tundra. We could see the cluster of towers that marked the summit of Kettle Peak above. To reach the summit, we followed a trickling watercourse through the granite maze in a nearly direct northern route that made the going pretty straightforward. Ahead, we could see a sandy slope dotted with trees, a weakness we could use to access the summit. We stumbled on a social trail which led us in an ascending traverse up the steep sandy slope and through this weakness, nothing exceeding Class 2. After some easier hiking, we reached a steep and sandy slope that required some huffing to ascend. We reached the base of the summit block of Kettle Peak, accessed by keeping right around some initial cliffs and approaching from the northeast using another sandy slope. Class 3 scrambling on gigantic flat plates of granite brought us to the summit.

On our way back, we chose to wrap around Ice Lake on the south side and traverse the cliffs on the lake’s east side. However, I’d recommend trying the north side of the lake instead, as we encountered some notable obstacles with cliffs on either side. Further research later revealed that there may even be a social trail on the north side of the lake. Regardless, when we reached the Ice Lake Pass Trail we found it to be far less easy to follow than we anticipated. There's a ton of talus, and only cairns mark the way for the upper portion of the trail. This is a beautiful canyon, and the view up toward a climbing destination called "The Incredible Hulk" was impressive. Just know that it will take longer than you’d think to descend the Ice Lake Pass Trail. The trail descends pretty steeply for a few thousand feet in order to rejoin the Robinson Creek Trail. The last mile or so includes a much easier section of hiking after leaving the higher talus fields behind. We crossed Robinson Creek on a downed log and followed the trail back to our cars.