Liberty Peak

Overview

Just west of Liberty Pass is an 11,032' peak that is unnamed on the USGS Ruby Dome quad but which is known as Liberty Peak. Although that is an unofficial name, the peak is known enough that there is a Wikipedia page for it.

From the Roads End trailhead, Liberty Peak, at the head of spectacular Lamoille Canyon, is prominently visible, and it makes an excellent introductory peak for someone looking for a taste of the Rubies because it is easy to climb (Class 2) and doesn't take long, either (3 trail miles and maybe a half-mile of off-trail distance).

Liberty Peak can also be paired with the more rugged Favre Peak, which is east of Liberty Pass, and it can be part of a long traverse that includes some or all of the following peaks: Mount Fitzgerald, Snow Lake Peak, Full House Peak, and Thomas Peak. Of those peaks, only the first two are officially named.

Sometimes called the Yosemite of Nevada, Lamoille Canyon is one of the mountain jewels of Nevada, and the Rubies are considered the state's most alpine range even though they are not its highest (that distinction belongs to the Snake Range when one looks at ranges entirely within the state). Even though the Rubies lack the length and breadth of the Sierra Nevada, it does not take long to understand the comparisons.

An older page for this peak existed, but the author had a fit and deleted all his pages. Unfortunately, this deleted the climber's log as well. If you have climbed this peak and had signed the log, please sign the new one.

Climbing the Peak

Climbing Liberty Peak is a simple and highly scenic matter. Hike the trail for three miles to 10,450' (app.) Liberty Pass. Along the way, you pass some picturesque lakes and have good mountain views almost all the time.

From the pass, hike northwest to gain the ridge crest and follow it west to the summit. This is a Class 2 route, but you might run into a spot of easy Class 3 here and there. A cairn and register are up top, or were in August 2012.

An alternate way up is to leave the trail at Lamoille Lake, which is at about 2.5 miles in and nicely frames the peak, and head up steep slopes to a 10,200' saddle north of the peak. Then scramble to the summit. It's still mostly Class 2 but will have some spots of Class 3. Any exposed difficulties can be bypassed on the western side of the ridge. This alternate way doesn't make much sense as an ascent route since it is much faster and easier to go the other way, but it can make for a fairly quick descent and, if used in combination with the standard route, gives a fuller tour of the peak.

In all, by the standard route you are looking at about 7 R-T miles and 2300' of elevation gain.

Getting There

From Elko, turn onto SR 227 and drive about 20 miles to the turnoff for Lamoille Canyon. If you drive into the little town of Lamoille, you have gone about a mile too far. There is good signage in town and along the way.

The road through Lamoille Canyon is paved and winds and climbs for 12 miles to Roads End, at 8800'. This is the trailhead for the northern end of the Ruby Crest National Scenic Trail.

Red Tape

No red tape aside from reading and abiding by wilderness regulations posted at the trailhead.

Camping

Without needing a permit, you can camp off the trail. If you're doing a day climb, consider camping at Thomas Canyon Campground, which is about 3 miles down the road from Roads End. You can make summer camping reservations at recreation.gov.

Images

View Liberty Peak Image Gallery - 12 Images