Location of the Ruby Crest Trail within Nevada.
Overland Lake
North Furlong Lake
Lamoille Lake (near) and Dollar Lakes
The Ruby Crest National Recreation Trail is a
National Recreation Trail in the upper elevations of the central
Ruby Mountains
The Ruby Mountains are a mountain range, primarily located within Elko County with a small extension into White Pine County, in Nevada, United States. Most of the range is included within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The range reache ...
, in
Elko County,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the 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. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
, United States. Approximately in length, the trail is used by hikers and
pack trains to experience some of the most spectacular scenery in the western United States.
The southern end of the trail is just north of Harrison Pass, at approximately 40°20.2'N and 115°30.1'W and an elevation of . From there it climbs northward around Green and
Tipton Peaks, while crossing the three upper forks of Smith Creek. It then climbs steeply to a pass, and descends to scenic
Overland Lake.
The next section of trail most closely follows the actual crest of the Rubies, and is therefore the driest. The trail circles around the upper parts of Overland Creek, passes
King Peak , climbs to the crest, and then stays above while passing Long and Mahogany Canyons. After crossing over the top of Wine's Peak , it finally descends again into forested areas. A short side trail leads to
North Furlong Lake, a common campsite.
The northern section of the trail includes the most spectacular alpine scenery. The trail drops into Kleckner Canyon (with distant views of
Ruby Dome) and crosses Kleckner Creek just below
Favre and
Castle Lakes. It then climbs to
Liberty Lake and Liberty Pass . Finally, it descends steeply to
Lamoille and
Dollar
Dollar is the name of more than 20 currencies. They include the Australian dollar, Brunei dollar, Canadian dollar, Hong Kong dollar, Jamaican dollar, Liberian dollar, Namibian dollar, New Taiwan dollar, New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar, ...
Lakes, and then continues down to the Road's End Trailhead at the end of
Lamoille Canyon Road
Lamoille Canyon Road, also known as Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway, is a National Forest Scenic Byway in Elko County, Nevada in the western United States. The road traverses Lamoille Canyon in the Ruby Mountains of northeastern Nevada, and it is ...
in
Lamoille Canyon
Lamoille Canyon is the largest valley in the Ruby Mountains, located in the central portion of Elko County in the northeastern section of the state of Nevada, in the western United States. Approximately in length, it was extensively sculpted by ...
, at approximately 40°36.2'N and 115°22.5'W at an elevation of .
The USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangles that include the length of the trail are: Ruby Dome, Franklin Lake NW, Green Mountain, Harrison Pass, Franklin Lake SW, and Lee.
Notes
External links
Ruby Crest Trail information from Backpacking in the Ruby Mountains.com
{{commons category
Ruby Mountains
Protected areas of Elko County, Nevada
Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest
Protected areas of the Great Basin
Hiking trails in Nevada
National Recreation Trails in Nevada