South Pahroc HP -Hyko BM(NV)

Overview - Hyko Benchmark

So. Pahroc mountain range's highpoint has a benchmark on it's summit that is notated as "Hyko". Peakbagger.com uses this name to identify the summit of this highpoint and it is worthwhile to note this on this page.

Located about 140 miles northeast of Las Vegas, this mountain is another Nevada gem that is relatively unknown. The climbers log indicates that only 9 others had visited the top since the register was placed in 1992. My partner and I were the first in three years and before us it had been 4 years prior to the last visit so you won't find a trail or path or much else indicating that others have been there before you, it is truly a lonesome mountain. You can route find to your heart's content, the path you pick up is yours to choose.

It ranks #66 on the Nevada prominence list, with 2995 feet of prominence which is pretty amazing considering the summit tops out at only 7950'. The nearest towns are Alamo and Caliente and in the summer, this is a very hot area so spring and fall might be the best choices for a visit.

It is also interesting to note the spelling of "Hyko" on the benchmark at the top is a bit different than the spelling for a nearby spot off of Highway 318 that is named "Hiko".

Getting There

From Las Vegas, take I-15 to Highway 93 and head north to Alamo. About 26 to 27 miles past Alamo (not exact), US 93 heads east toward Caliente and you will need to watch for a dirt road that heads south from the So. Pahroc summit (see map one) It is roughly 11.5 miles to Twin Springs (see maps 2 & 3). As the road gets further south, it gets rougher so high clearance and even 4WD would be desirable. We were able to drive to 6140' where we car camped for the night. On the way towards Twin Springs however, there were a couple sandy places to watch out for.

Map one

Map two

Map three

Red Tape

No red tape that I am aware of. The mountain range is mainly located on BLM land, although there was a lot of red paintbrush.


For more information:

Ely Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, HC 33 P.O. Box 33500, Ely, Nevada 89301-9408 Telephone: (775) 289-1800

or

Caliente Field Station, Bureau of Land Management, P.O. Box 237, Caliente, Nevada 89008 Telephone (775) 726-8100

Camping

Camping is possible at the end of the road, assuming you have a vehicle that can get you there.

You can find a motel in Caliente (there were three that I noticed) or camp at Cathedral Gorge state park 15 miles north in Panaca or as mentioned above, you could bush camp near the mountain, being mindful to use the "leave no trace" style.

Weather

Route

From where we car camped at Two Springs, we just went straight up the side of the mountain, picking a line that worked very well for us. Our route was about 4 miles round trip with close to 2000 feet of elevation gain. Most of the elevation gain is gained as you head up to the ridge and so while it doesn't look steep from where we parked, it turned out to be steeper than we anticipated but the route worked well for us. Upon attaining the ridgeline, it was about 8/10ths of a mile to the summit block.

I'm sure that there are many ways to get to the ridgeline and you need to determine which way might work best for you.

Our route map

Our route up

Our route

Summit register

When I first climbed this one with Ken Jones back in 2010, there were just a few names in the register. The register had been placed by Gordon MacLeod and Barbara Lilley in 1992. Since our visit in 2010, there have been a lot of ascents as shown on the register found at peakbagger.com.

Images

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