Boundary Peak Nevada TH

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CoHi591
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Boundary Peak Nevada TH

Post by CoHi591 »

Hey all,
I'm thinking about trying to hit Boundary peak on my way out to Bishop in July, and was hoping for some info on getting to the TH. I hate relying on Alltrails. Everyone seems to say that the roads upto either trailhead are really tough. I'm wondering if anyone has been up there and could tell me if the drive in is Subaruable. Or at least, can I get my car close enough to the TH to only add a few miles, are there pullouts/safe places to park a car along the road when it gets tough (as opposed to it being surrounded by private property) etc. Thanks for any info!
The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations, I have really good days.
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719BR
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Re: Boundary Peak Nevada TH

Post by 719BR »

Which trail head?

Queen Mine is easy. When we did it there was a Camry parked at the mine. And I did it in either a 370z or BMW 335i (don't recall which one I took, but it was pre-Subie).

The last tiny bit to the saddle is trivial to hike, I would just park at the mine. While I don't think clearance would be an issue, there is a steep section that will probably thwart a Subaru.
Ptglhs
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Re: Boundary Peak Nevada TH

Post by Ptglhs »

I was there last week. Queen mine from the Nevada side was rough: narrow, sandy, steep. Had 4wd SUV that couldn't make it; too sandy and kept sliding back or digging deeper. From the CA side I was told it was a bit easier. The other TH is a bit lower down, but it is reachable by a 2wd vehicle. You don't walk up the road to get the summit from the lower TH, rather you walk a use trail up the face til you rejoin the other use trail, about 900ft below the summit. The lower TH is shorter with about 400ft more gain. The upper TH isn't worth it, imo. It's not a fun hike from either.

They're also a pain in the ass to find. Google maps isn't accurate. There are roads out there which aren't on google, and the signage is very lacking.
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CoHi591
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Re: Boundary Peak Nevada TH

Post by CoHi591 »

Thank you both for the info. Was definitely hoping to approach from the Nevada side, this isn't a huge personal goal or anything but I'll be driving basically right past it so I figured why not.

So am I correct in understanding that there's a lower Queen Mine TH that any vehicle could park at and then take a use trail up? I'd definitely rather just add any amount of mileage onto the hike than beat up my car anymore, so that sounds fine.

There are a few comments on Alltrails with some info about getting there but it definitely seems like that's a big challenge. I'll have to look into that a little more.
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Re: Boundary Peak Nevada TH

Post by Ptglhs »

CoHi591 wrote: Sat May 29, 2021 8:25 am So am I correct in understanding that there's a lower Queen Mine TH that any vehicle could park at and then take a use trail up? I'd definitely rather just add any amount of mileage onto the hike than beat up my car anymore, so that sounds fine.

There are a few comments on Alltrails with some info about getting there but it definitely seems like that's a big challenge. I'll have to look into that a little more.
It's a different TH. The two trails converge at the same point about 900ft below the summit. The non queen mine TH is visible on google satellite view. It veers left when the mine road goes right from the NV side. Just stay left until you run out of road. Neither TH is marked.

Bring plenty of water and microscopes (for the scree).
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719BR
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Re: Boundary Peak Nevada TH

Post by 719BR »

CoHi591 wrote: Sat May 29, 2021 8:25 am Thank you both for the info. Was definitely hoping to approach from the Nevada side, this isn't a huge personal goal or anything but I'll be driving basically right past it so I figured why not.

So am I correct in understanding that there's a lower Queen Mine TH that any vehicle could park at and then take a use trail up? I'd definitely rather just add any amount of mileage onto the hike than beat up my car anymore, so that sounds fine.

There are a few comments on Alltrails with some info about getting there but it definitely seems like that's a big challenge. I'll have to look into that a little more.
yes, there are two trailheads. the queen mine th is easy to get to. don't rely on alltrails, go read up on the peak/trailhead the summitpost page, that is what i used to get to the trailhead and had absolutely no issues. neither did the toyota camry.

https://www.summitpost.org/queen-mine-route/156020

park at the mine, walk the road for about 400', then it will be very obvious where to go.
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Re: Boundary Peak Nevada TH

Post by bdloftin77 »

I did Boundary and Montgomery in September of 2018, coming from the north near the CA/NV state line. My Toyota Echo sedan made it all the way to the big flat open spot near the Queen’s Mine TH (mentioned in the Summitpost link above) at about 9200’. I had no idea how rough the road would be other than doing as much research as I could, so I was a bit anxiety-ridden going up it in the dark. There’s a pretty deep rut that you have to straddle at one point, but the road isn’t covered with big rocks, which is nice. Assuming the road conditions are similar now, you’ll definitely be able to make that spot.

If you pitch a tent there, don’t leave it as you hike. Even though you feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere, there were a few hunter/hiker vehicles at the upper TH. When I got back to my car, the tent was gone, along with most of what was in it (the rest was strewn out on the ground).

If you have the desire and the time, I’d highly recommend a side trip to Montgomery! You have even better views in general, and can see the Sierra to the west better as well. Plus it’s kinda cool to say you hike across the state line into CA and back.
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Re: Boundary Peak Nevada TH

Post by blazintoes »

I drove from Vegas last year in a rental Murano SUV 4 cylinder gutless wonder and a little past the mine near an obvious pull out on the left (via 95 to Coaldale and highway 6). I tried getting passed the pull out but the road steepens and gets more sandy so the wimpy SUV couldn't get up the road to the TH at the saddle. Don't bother.
From what I remember the drive to the pull out wasn't that bad. Just a couple ruts that are non trivial.

From the south you can head up 266 but it's pretty rough. Probably NA since you're coming from Bishop.

Also get both peaks!
Last edited by blazintoes on Sun May 30, 2021 12:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Boundary Peak Nevada TH

Post by Kiefer »

CoHi591 wrote: Sat May 29, 2021 7:01 am Hey all,
I'm thinking about trying to hit Boundary peak on my way out to Bishop in July, and was hoping for some info on getting to the TH. I hate relying on Alltrails. Everyone seems to say that the roads upto either trailhead are really tough. I'm wondering if anyone has been up there and could tell me if the drive in is Subaruable. Or at least, can I get my car close enough to the TH to only add a few miles, are there pullouts/safe places to park a car along the road when it gets tough (as opposed to it being surrounded by private property) etc. Thanks for any info!
I did it from Queen Mine as well. I remember the road being sandy & compact dirt. It was rutted out bad in spots but manageable with good driving skills.
There's a wide turnout at the mine that will accommodate a few vehicles and good to camp. You could drive further, all the way to the pass actually. But like others have said, the road gets PRETTY narrow above that.
I drove a Jeep Compass. I think it may have a bit more clearance than your Subaru. But even still, I think you'd be fine in yours.

I took a map and screenshots from LOJ. It's a spiderweb of confusing mining roads up there. I had horrendous wind, snow on the ridge and later in the day, rain. But I still thoroughly enjoyed it more than I expected to.
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Re: Boundary Peak Nevada TH

Post by ScottLovesRMNP »

I also did Queens Mine, but my Toyota Corolla wasn't able to get all the way to the end of the road. I probably walked about 2.5-3 extra miles up the road each way. It wasn't a terrible burden to do that, and the hike was well worth it. The road isn't terrible, but I'm a little on the cautious side. I imagine even a marginally better car than mine could make it all the way up (as of Sept 2018 when I was there).
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Re: Boundary Peak Nevada TH

Post by Ptglhs »

I think it's important to note there are two different ways to access Queen's Mine pass/TH: CA side, which is driveable til about the last 500vertical feet ~2 miles by most cars, and the NV which is rough after the turn from the other TH. The NV side leaves another 800ft and 3+ miles of narrow 4wd road.

Safest bet: drive to the lower TH on the NV side, the one which is visible on satelite but not a mapped road, and hike the extra gain up the drainage.

2nd option would be to drive to the mine from the CA side, then walk up the road.
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