Hole in the Mountain Peak is the highest

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

in the

East Humboldt Range The East Humboldt Range is a mountain range in Elko County, Nevada, United States. It is located along the eastern edge of the upper watershed of the Humboldt River, which flows to the southwest from its source just north of the range. The ra ...

Elko County Elko County is a county in the northeastern corner of Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,702. Its county seat is Elko. The county was established on March 5, 1869, from Lander County. Elko County is the fourth ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

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. It is the thirty-fifth highest mountain in the state, and also ranks as the eleventh-most

topographically prominent In topography, prominence (also referred to as autonomous height, relative height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop or relative height in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contou ...

peak in the state. It is located within the

East Humboldt Wilderness The East Humboldt Wilderness is a protected wilderness area in the East Humboldt Range of Elko County, in the northeast section of the state of Nevada in the western United States. The East Humboldt Wilderness covers an area of approximately , and ...

of the Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest and is high. The peak is east of Elko and southwest of

Wells Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada *Wells, British Columbia England * Wells ...

, making it a rather prominent feature of the drive along

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

in Elko County. The

U.S. Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal governm ...

lists two variant names, Mount Bonpland and Mount Bonplant. The arch named Hole in the Mountain or Lizzie's Window, is in the ridge about one-third of a mile () south of the summit at about . The window can be seen from I-80 and US 93. Hiking or climbing to the window or to the peak can be attempted from either Starr Valley on the west side or from Clover Valley on the east side. Climbing to the window from Starr Valley is the easier of the two if approached from the basin right below the window. However, the route to the basin is long, generally unmarked, and is best accomplished on horseback with an outfitter in the area. After reaching the basin the round trip to the window can usually be accomplished within two hours. Climbing to the window from Clover Valley is considerably more difficult but the window is constantly in view and much closer which may give the difficulty factor a deceptive appearance. But, with an appropriate high-clearance 4WD vehicle, the hiking distance before starting the climb is much less than the hiking distance when starting from Starr Valley. Clover Valley is reached by driving south from Wells on US Highway 93 and later turning onto State Route 232 to Clover Valley. Six miles (9.7 km) later look for the Week's Creek Canyon turnoff sign on the right. This is a public access road that will lead to Lizzie's Basin and farther into the mountain towards Hole in the Mountain basin. Continue as far up the two wheel track road as your vehicle will take you. There are no trails so you must determine your own best route up the mountain. It will be immediately apparent that any direct route to the window is a very difficult task, even dangerous. Instead, make your way up to Hole in the Mountain Peak, located a short distance to the north and an easier climb, and then make the approach to the window from the west side of the mountain.

Summit panorama

References

External links

* {{cite web , url = http://holeinthemountain.rubymountains.com , title = Hole in the Mountain Peak , publisher = RubyMountains.com , accessdate = 2008-04-04 East Humboldt Range Mountains of Nevada Mountains of Elko County, Nevada Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest