Summit of the Nopah Range High Point, looking north towards Nopah Peak

The Nopah Range is a remote and exceptionally untouched wilderness of California's Mojave Desert. The two highpoints, Nopah Peak and Nopah Range High Point are rarely visited though the range is highly prominent among the state's mountains. Only hardcore, somewhat unhinged peakbaggers seem to make it out this way. Fortunately, this unhinged peakbagger was in Las Vegas for a work conference. Hence, I finally made the trek to this odd corner of California and climbed the high points. Here's my assessment and trip report.

Nopah Range High Point and Nopah Peak Overview

The Nopah Range is located in far eastern Inyo County and parallels the nearby Nevada state line. The two highest summits of the range are nearly identical in elevation. Its well protected by the Nopah Range Wilderness and has absolutely no trails, services or markers of any significance. There hasn't been any significant mining and the place feels pristine and untouched by society. Though remote by most standards, Pahrump is about 13 miles northeast of the range - I had pretty good cell reception the entire hike.

The Nopah Range High Point is 6,394' with 3,572' of prominence; #27 in California's most topographically prominent summits. The nearby Nopah Peak itself is just 9 feet shorter and has 628' of prominence. Both summits are typically done together - you might as well if you've come this far.

Here's my map-

And here's the distance/altitude

Note there were a few small GPS errors but for the most part the track follows the "standard" route.

Trip Report

"Trailhead" up the Bajada

I hiked these peaks in January 2026 which is usually a great time of year for the Mojave Desert - night temps are chilly but daytime temps are balmy. I drove from Las Vegas and was at the parking area within about an hour. Most people park here which means any car can make it to the trailhead.

Old Spanish Trail - well paved and passable by any vehicle
Kingston Range viewed from the bajada below Nopah Peak

From the parking area at 2,815', I basically walked 5 miles up the bajada that eventually narrows to an arroyo and narrow canyon. For the most part, its just an open walk through the desert. There wasn't any real bushwhacking or pushing through cactus. I encountered a semblance of a long abandoned 4x4 trail at certain point. But there was no trail nor herd path to follow. As long as I kept a northwestern direction of travel, I stayed on course. Mojave yuccas were an abundant companion - they have such a curious look.

Up the Wash to the Saddle

The bajada narrows to a wash at approximately 4,100'. The gravel and scree slowed my pace along with the steadily increasing grade. Eventually, the wash becomes a narrow canyon with plenty of boulder hopping and tricky navigation of brush. There's a class III dry waterfall that's easily avoided if preferred.

Looking back down the wash/canyon
Fun class III waterfall to climb

In this section, it was helpful to have a pre-loaded GPS track. At an indiscriminate point in the canyon (roughly 4,800' in altitude), it's important to climb the right slope and gain the ridgeline. If you simply keep going up the canyon, you run into a cliff that can't be scrambled. Climbing the loose scree to the ridgeline is the best route.

Once on the ridgeline, its a very steep 800' climb over 0.4 miles. This is the crux of the experience. There's nothing technical nor exposed but it's very slow going. The saddle between Nopah Peak and the Nopah Range Highpoint is at the top, 6.5 miles from the start and about 5,800' in altitude.

Saddle to the Summits

From the saddle, I ascended the slightly shorter Nopah Peak first. I dipped down a bit into the little cirque between the two summits before climbing the steep southern flanks of Nopah Peak. It was a bit loose but less challenging than the previous ridgeline. After 3.5 hours of climbing, I gained the summit.

Views were absolutely stunning. On a clear winter day, I saw the distant and impressive summits of Telescope Peak, Mt Charleston, Kingston Peak and Mt Clark surrounded by the desolate desert. The summit register was great too - just 5 parties a year climb this mountain. It was like the whos-who of peakbagging- all familiar names.

Nopah peak (shorter of the two), viewed from the saddle
Summit register dating back to 1971. There couldn't have been more than 150 names in the book
All the familiar names in peakbagging

Descending from Nopah Peak to the Nopah Range Highpoint was arduous but not technical. I picked the path of least resistance down to the small cirque then re-ascended another 700' to the summit. Similar to the former, Nopah Range High Point was steep and full of scree. It took about an hour to climb between the two summits.

The Nopah Range High Point was basically a twin of Nopah Peak in terms of views and summit register names. A long descent awaited.

Summit views

Notes on the Descent

Although the open desert doesn't involve any true "bushwhacking" I was surprised how easy it was to get off route. The drop-off from the saddle was surprisingly ambiguous from the top - glad I followed my own GPS track. From there, I carefully descended down the ridgeline and then into the canyon.

Getting down the canyon wasn't too hard - once back in the bajada, I just followed a southeasterly route. It was still helpful to follow my GPS track - there's plenty of ups-and-downs in the bajada that can be avoided.

Descending at sunset with the distant Kingston Range in the distance

I made it back to the car about 10 hours after the start, just after sunset. In retrospect, the hike and scramble was quite challenging and probably something I wouldn't repeat. However its always nice to have a place this rugged to myself.