Reno: Selenite Peak
Over the course of 6 miles, you'll see wild horses, tag a summit with stellar desert views, and, if you're up for it, return via an off-trail route.
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Mapped by Kurt Kuznicki
Trail Facts
- Distance: 9.7
Waypoints
SPT001
Location: 40.5835609436035, -119.306701660156
Head NE up wash to ridgeline
SPT002
Location: 40.5855484008789, -119.300498962402
Leave wash and begin uphill over eroded granite and basaltic flows
SPT003
Location: 40.5900382995606, -119.293296813965
Gear down for steep 1,100-ft. climb; to W, see knobby Fox Range rising above the baked flats of Smoke Creek Desert
SPT004
Location: 40.5978088378906, -119.286903381348
Reach small peak then drop to saddle
SPT005
Location: 40.6024017333984, -119.284896850586
Giant junipers provide shade in rocky terrain. Long views N into Black Rock Desert. Wild horses roam the dusty basin below
SPT006
Location: 40.6057815551758, -119.27269744873
Break @ saddle before last switchbacks. Head toward highest outcrop
SPT007
Location: 40.605899810791, -119.26619720459
Selenite Peak (7,155 ft.): Mountains swell above the salty plains of the Black Rock Desert. Look for old lava flows. Return .3 mi. to WPT 6. From here, retrace steps or leave trail and pick a route into wash, heading SW (map skills required)
SPT008
Location: 40.5979881286621, -119.279899597168
Off-trail route stays in drainage. Ahead, interesting rock formations; look for more wild ponies grazing on high slopes
SPT009
Location: 40.5906791687012, -119.285797119141
Look for spring on hillside to the E
SPT010
Location: 40.5854911804199, -119.29630279541
Swing W to close loop @ trailhead. Tricky section with lots of brush; pick a good route or you?ll be crawling, not walking
From the top
Location: 40.6061058044434, -119.266120910645
Hrady hikers reach the top of Selenite Peak, where the views open over the Black Rock Desert and Granite Mountains. ©Kurt Kuznicki
Hiking the ridgeline
Location: 40.5938301086426, -119.289726257324
A low bank of clouds skims the Granite Mountains. ©Kurt Kuznicki
Looking west towards Empire Nevada
Location: 40.6045875549316, -119.282386779785
The great, wide empty from the heights of Selenite Peak’s ridges. ©Kurt Kuznicki
Onwards & upwards
Location: 40.6060447692871, -119.273651123047
A hiker makes the final push to the summit. ©Kurt Kuznicki
Selenite Peak
Location: 40.6059188842773, -119.266372680664
See if you can find the benchmark. ©Kurt Kuznicki
Starting out
Location: 40.5855407714844, -119.302444458008
Two hikers begin the hike from the playa to the ridgelines of Selenite Peak. ©Kurt Kuznicki
Tree Arch
Location: 40.5863647460938, -119.294219970703
A small covers the trail. ©Kurt Kuznicki
Giant Junipers
Location: 40.5900993347168, -119.294723510742
A stand of massive, dense junipers covers the trail. ©Kurt Kuznicki
Granites & Playa
Location: 40.5965538024902, -119.287826538086
The snow-capped Granite Range rises from the dusty playa of the Smoke Desert. ©Kurt Kuznicki
Hiking in the lower canyon
Location: 40.5888977050781, -119.288711547852
Hikers pick their way through the grass-choked lower reaches below Selenite Peak. ©Kurt Kuznicki
