Hike Fortification Range High Point Fortification Range Wilderness Area, NV

Jun 07, 2023 — The Fortification Range High Point is a big lump in the Great Basin Desert, totally easy to overlook because there's really not much to even look at. Forested and with minimal views, this Nevada peak has over 2000 feet of prominence, so it steals the attention of peakbaggers that perhaps other peaks out here should receive, such as Fortification Peak to the north. The drive is annoyingly long since the best way to access the summit is from the east side of the range, far from the highway. Leave the highway here (38.77356, -114.56865), heading east. Follow this excellent road until turning right here (38.58987, -114.39360), where passenger vehicles likely will struggle due to some light rutting. Make a left here (38.58944, -114.42261), where decent clearance is needed.

I started hiking along a very old roadbed. I parked where I did because it seemed clear to me that the road was trying hard to let the desert reclaim it. The wilderness boundary was only a short walk away anyway and it was a nice wildflower-filled walk. I left the old road and continued west through surprisingly difficult to navigate terrain because it's featureless. The surrounding slopes were boring and didn't serve as good landmarks, so I just wandered for a bit until I located a lightly running stream. Ultimately, I thought this stream and the bedrock surrounding it was the most interesting part of the hike. So, I guess, enjoy it?

My first goal was to reach a minor ridgeline that runs north, a feature that seems to be the standard route. I followed the stream for a while since it was generally leading in the correct direction, then took a right up a side drainage and located a steep Class 2 slope that I used to gain the minor ridgeline. From here the going was easy and route-finding trivial. Taking the crest, the grade steepness was consistently at an angle that's a little uncomfortabe, but not enough to kill my quads. Mostly just a dirt slope with trees I needed to dodge, I found the bushwhacking basically nonexistent. There were short portions that were rocky and even had a couple of short spurts of Class 2.

The ridge bent to the left and made a big arc toward the high point. I'll note that on the way down it might be easy to get off-route since the arc is hard to discern on this featureless humped ridgeline. Along the way I got a nice view of the northern portion of the Fortification Range where the more interesting terrain can be found, otherwise the ascent continued to be nearly viewless. The last quarter mile to the summit was a bit more brushy and the ridge was wider, creating a less ideal environment for mindless walking. Generally I kept left of the crest using the slope. There were large clusters of brush that I managed to avoid easily, but I can see this becoming a more tedious area if you choose a route poorly. The high point had views mostly toward the desert expanse and countless pines, but I got some nice sunset views to the north where I could see the Snake Range.