Hike King Peak via Overland Lake Humboldt National Forest, NV

Sep 13, 2020 — I don't think there's another Nevada range that comes close to the beauty of the Ruby Mountains. King Peak, a bigger peak set farther south from the main peaks in the range, was no exception. As a bonus, Overland Lake would add an alpine lake into the mix. I drove to the trailhead, accessible by any car (some ruts might cause minor difficulty to low clearance). The road continues from the large parking area, but there is also a wilderness sign, so I wasn't sure if I could legally continue, plus the road got rougher anyway so I started lower. I marked the end of this road extension as 4WD on my map, though I don't know if it's okay to park there. Either way, the trail begins from the end of the road and skirts the slopes of the sandy foothills. The wildfire smoke was overwhelming today, but it only gave my throat a tickle and added some nice orange diffusion to the sun. The trail was in excellent condition all the way to Overland Lake. The whole time I got some nice views into the desert below and the King Peak ridgeline ahead.

About a half mile before reaching Overland Lake, I hit a junction with the Ruby Crest Trail, which merged with the Overland Lake Trail. This is notable because I would continue following the Ruby Crest Trail past Overland Lake. The lake was blue and lovely, and some fall colors made the setting even more pristine. I headed around its east side (left) on the Ruby Crest Trail, which switchbacked up past a smaller lake and to the ridge above. The RCT continued south once at the ridge, so I left it and headed north. This was the least fun section of the day, where the slopes were brushy enough to irritate my ankles, but certainly not enough to call it a bushwhack. I made an ascending traverse, avoiding the ridge crest's rockiness, until I made it to Peak 10827 (Class 2).

Peak 10827 had great views of King Peak ahead. I dropped down along the ridge (barely Class 2), following the crest over a hump and along talus to just below the summit of King Peak. Keeping to the crest, or just below the crest, avoided the majority of the talus boulder-hopping. I continued up more Class 2 just east of King Peak and made it to the false summit. I noted the sketchy-looking true summit just north. I dropped off the false summit and traversed on boulders to the base of the true summit. The false summit can be avoided by leaving the approach ridge earlier and heading directly north (see map). Once at the base of the true summit, I headed up the Class 2+ very fun scramble to just below the summit. A single Class 3+ move with some exposure led to a short, narrow ridge to the summit block. I took in the smoky views and returned the way I came.