HIKING DIFFICULTY COMPARISON CHART
Destination	Rating	Trail Description	Outfitters	Usage
Angel Lake	0	You can drive to this lake	n/a	n/a
Island Lake	1	Short distance, well defined trail, switchbacks	n/a	Heavy
Dollar Lakes	1	Short distance, gradual, well defined trail, switchbacks	Currant Creek Outfitters	Heavy
Lamoille Lake	1.5	Continuation from Dollar Lakes, mild ascent	Currant Creek Outfitters	Heavy
Liberty Pass	2	Continuation from Lamoille Lake, steep with switchbacks	Currant Creek Outfitters	Heavy
Liberty Lake	2.5	Continuation from Liberty Pass, trail descends	Currant Creek Outfitters	Heavy
Favre Lake	3	Continuation from Liberty Lake, trail descends	Currant Creek Outfitters	Heavy
Castle Lake	3.5	Short and steep off trail ascent from Favre Lake	n/a	Moderate
North Furlong Lake	4	Continuation from Favre Lake, well defined trail, some steepness with switchbacks, descent off main trail	Currant Creek Outfitters	Moderate
Lake Peak	4.5	Off trail steep ascent from N Furlong Lake, Wines Peak area	Currant Creek Outfitters	Light
Smith Lake from Greys Lake Trail	3.5	Starts on a well defined trail, ends with off trail steep, loose footing, difficult climb to lake	n/a	None
Smith Lake from Smith Lake Trail	1	Generally well defined trail, starts with short, steep ascent followed by mild ascent, no switchbacks needed	n/a	Light
Winchell Lake	2	Moderate distance, well defined trail, rolling terrain with little altitude gain	Nevada High Desert Outfitters	Light
Greys Lake from Angel Lake	4.5	Long distance, well defined trail, steepness with switchbacks	Nevada High Desert Outfitters	Light
Greys Lake from Starr Valley	3	Starts from private land, medium distance, trail lacking at start, some steepness with rocky trail	Nevada High Desert Outfitters	Light
Soldier Lakes from Lamoille Valley	3	Moderate distance, well defined trail, some steepness without switchbacks, starts in the shade and ends in the sun	Nevada High Desert Outfitters, Hidden Lake Outfitters	Moderate
Robinson Lake	3	Short distance, mild ascent continuation from Soldier Lakes	Nevada High Desert Outfitters, Hidden Lake Outfitters	Moderate
Hidden Lakes	3.5	Mild ascent continuation from main trail near Soldier Lakes or other well defined trail after creek crossing before reaching Soldier Lakes	Nevada High Desert Outfitters, Hidden Lake Outfitters	Moderate
Hidden Lakes from Ruby Valley	4	Moderate distance, mostly well defined trail, considerable steepness with switchbacks, connecting with main trail to lakes	Hidden Lake Outfitters	Light
Cold Lakes from Lamoille Valley	4.5	Starts through private land, long distance, mostly well defined trail, generally mild ascent with steepness at the end	Nevada High Desert Outfitters, Hidden Lake Outfitters	Moderate
Cold Lakes from Robinson Lake	5.5	Difficult, off trail ascent over steep ridge from Robinson/Hidden Lakes and descent to Cold Lakes	n/a	Very light
Griswold Lake	3	Medium distance, mostly mild ascent over well defined trail until reaching long rocky section before lake	Normally Not Considered to be a Horse Trip Due to Trail Conditions	Moderate
Seitz Lake	6	Medium distance, some steepness, over non-maintained trail, may be wiped out in places, rocky conditions upper trail	Nevada High Desert Outfitters	Very Light
Goat Lake/Right Fork Canyon	3	Medium distance, beginning steepness through overgrown trail without switchbacks, some rocky sections before leveling out to mild ascent, trail may fade in places but destination is obvious	Currant Creek Outfitters	Moderate
Thomas Canyon	2.5	Short to medium distance, well defined but mostly rocky trail with periodic steepness turning into mild ascent near the end	n/a	Moderate
Verdi Lake from Lamoille Canyon	5.5	Short distance but extreme steepness up off trail canyon wall and then steep descent to lake	n/a	None
Verdi Lake from Talbot Canyon	4.5	Long distance, well defined trail with some dusty and rocky conditions turning into mild, easy ascent when approaching lake	Nevada High Desert Outfitters	Light
Echo Lake from Echo Canyon	5	Long distance, starting over Indian Reservation land, mostly mild ascent without switchbacks over poorly maintained trail	Normally a Hike In	Very light
Echo Lake from anywhere else	7	Long distances, generally start out on well defined trails until difficult off trail bushwhacking takes over crossing very steep ridges and scree fields with loose footing	Currant Creek Outfitters or Hike In	Light
Overland Lake from Ruby Valley	5.5	Long distance, hot, dry, steepness with numerous switchbacks over well defined trail, no water and no shade	Secret Pass Outfitters	Moderate
Overland Lake from Gennette Creek Canyon	6	Long distance crossing private land over well defined trail with steepness and switchbacks and connecting with Ruby Crest trail before final ascent and steep rocky descent to lake	Not Available as of 8/07	Light
Overland Lake from Ruby Crest Trail	6.5	Very long distance over mostly well defined trail, crossing numerous canyons with steepness and switchbacks, drinking water lacking along sections of route	Currant Creek Outfitters	Moderate
Lost Lake from Gennette Creek Canyon	6	Long distance crossing private land, starting over well defined trail before difficult bushwhacking off trail through rocky, steep and loose terrain to ridge above lake	Not Available as of 8/07	Very light
Boulder Lake from Starr Valley	6	Very long distance with varied steepness, mostly mild ascent, no switchbacks, over poorly maintained, overgrown and rocky sections of trail	Humboldt Outfitters	Very light
Boulder Lake from Secret Valley	6.5	Very long distance crossing private land over mostly well defined trail with mild ascent until reaching 3rd Boulder Canyon where extreme steepness with switchbacks takes over	Secret Pass Outfitters	Very light
Boulder Lake from Secret-Starr trail	6.5	Very Long distance with varied steepness over poorly maintained trail, connecting with main trail in 2nd Boulder Canyon and continuing over to 3rd Boulder Canyon and lake	Normally a Hike In	Very light
Birdeye Lake from Secret or Starr Valleys	6.5	Lake access requires a difficult, steep off trail climb, or difficult climb and descent, from either the Starr Valley Boulder Lake approach or the Secret Valley approach	Secret Pass Outfitters, Humboldt Outfitters	Very light
Humboldt Peak from Secret or Starr Valleys	6.5	Off trail but not exceptionally difficult climbing from the continuation of any of the routes to Boulder Lake	Secret Pass Outfitters, Humboldt Outfitters	Very light
Steele Lake from Clover Valley	5	Medium distance with steep ascent starting over a trail and ending with steep off trail bushwhacking through sagebrush	Humboldt Outfitters	Very light
Steele Lake from Boulder Lake	7	Continuing from any route to Boulder Lake, a semi difficult off trail climb from Boulder Lake to the ridge and then a very steep descent with very loose footing to the lake	Secret Pass Outfitters, Humboldt Outfitters	Very light
Hole in the Mountain from Starr Valley	7	Very long approach to basin over what is generally an unknown route and then a moderately difficult climb to the Hole	Humboldt Outfitters	Very Light
Hole in the Mountain from Clover Valley	7	Long approach to basin over a heavy duty 4-WD two tire track road and then a very difficult, even dangerous very steep climb to the Hole	n/a	Very light

There is a small but scenic unnamed lake or pond located on the north wall of Box Canyon that can be accessed by climbing to the ridge overlooking Lamoille Lake and Box Canyon, and then working around to the lake which sits on a small shelf on the mountainside. The lake is not that obvious from the ridge and may require some scanning of the hillside to find it. This small lake is unofficially named Box Lake due to its location in Box Canyon. Photo can be viewed at Part 3 Supplement Outfitters, Pack Trips, Thomas Canyon, Right Fork Canyon and Ruby Valley. Hiking difficulty rating would be in the order of 5.5 due to steepness and lack of a trail from Lamoille Lake to the ridge and continuing down and around to the lake over loose, rocky and steep terrain.

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For a first time hike, regardless whether overnight or an individual day or two, always start with the popular hike over the beginning of the Ruby Crest trail starting from the parking lot at the end of Lamoille Canyon. The Hiker trail passes by Dollar and Lamoille lakes, continues over Liberty Pass, and then descends to Liberty, Favre and Castle lakes (10 miles round trip). Continuing to North Furlong Lake adds an additional four miles to the round trip.

However you won’t have the trail completely to yourself. There are hikers departing almost daily from the parking lot but many do stop at Lamoille Lake. The number of hikers usually thins out considerably up and beyond Liberty Pass. If you want to pack in and spend a night or two, the best place for this is at Castle Lake. Check the web site home page for best way to get to Castle Lake by skirting Favre Lake on the trail around the left end of Favre.

Island Lake, starting again from the parking lot but proceeding in the opposite direction, should be another initial day hike. This is short and easy but when arriving at the lake, don't just stop there but make your way, mostly off trail, around the right side of the lake and up the nearest bluff on the far side, going as far as possible up the bluff until stopped by rocks that makes further going difficult and dangerous.

The trip to Lamoille Lake and continuing over Liberty Pass to Liberty, Favre and Castle lakes, provides some of the best scenery in the entire mountains. You definitely won’t feel disappointed because of the necessity to share the trail with a few more hikers. And it is easy to drive to the trailheads at the end of Lamoille Canyon without taking any wrong turns along the way. Trail information over Liberty Pass and going the other direction to Island Lake is detailed near the beginning of the home page. Then for any future trips, if desired, consider the following that can be made without the complication of being blocked by private land (but some are difficult and not necessarily recommended).

Overland Lake from Ruby Valley
Soldier, Robinson and Hidden lakes from Lamoille Valley
Soldier, Robinson and Hidden lakes from Ruby Valley
Griswold Lake from Pleasant Valley
Seitz Lake from Pleasant Valley via the shooting range (but difficult)
Echo Lake via Echo Canyon (but does require coordination with the Indian Travel Office at Lee and payment of access fees)
Goat Lake via Right Fork Canyon off Lamoille Canyon
Verdi Lake from Lamoille Valley via the Jaz Ranch (may require paying a trail fee)
Smith Lake from Angel Lake
Winchell Lake from Angel Lake
Greys Lake from Angel Lake
Boulder, Birdeye and Steele lakes from the Secret-Starr trail (but very difficult)
Lost Lake from Ruby Valley via Overland Lake (but very difficult)
Cold Lakes up Soldier Canyon from Lamoille Valley and an off trail climb above Robinson Lake (but very difficult)
Hole in the Mountain from Clover Valley (but very difficult)

It is recommended that the following destinations, which include several of the above, be undertaken with an outfitter.

Seitz Lake from the Ruby Dome ranch
Boulder and Birdeye lakes from Starr Valley
Steele Lake from Clover Valley
Boulder and Birdeye lakes from Pole Canyon
Greys Lake from Starr Valley
Cold Lakes from Lamoille Valley
Verdi Lake from Lamoille Valley
Hole in the Mountain from Starr Valley

Detailed information on all of the above destinations, including the outfitters who go into all the areas, are furnished on the various pages of the web site and the above Hiking Difficulty Chart.

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Click on map image to expand. The map takes in approximately 45 miles of the Ruby Mountain range extending from Secret Pass in the north to Overland and Lost lakes in the south (but not all the way to Harrison Pass--about another 10 miles). The map features are crowded but all of the Ruby Mountain lakes are within the map area and some of the lake names should be recognizable. The distinctive J shaped Lamoille Canyon is located at the center of the map. The two distinct canyons branching off Lamoille Canyon to the south are Right Fork and Thomas.

To access a scalable topographic map page, link to www.TopoZone.com. Enter a place name and the state where it is located and conduct a search. To read distances on a topo map, the scale 1:24,000 means that one inch on the map is equal to 24,000 inches (or one inch equals 2,000 feet).

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Click on map image to expand. The map takes in approximately 20 miles of the East Humboldt Range along with the northern tip of the Ruby Range extending from Angel Lake in the north to Secret Pass in the south. All of the East Humboldt lakes are within the map area. Steele and Boulder lakes are located at the center of the map, and the map clearly identifies the little recognized Secret Valley area located just east of Secret Pass.

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The west side of the Ruby Mountains between Lee and Harrison Pass is generally of little interest since there are hardly any public access roads to the canyons, and the area does not provide access to many lakes or other popular destinations. This section of the mountain range is usually only observed from five to ten miles away when traveling SR228 from Spring Creek to Harrison Pass. It might even be thought that this section is not part of the Rubies.

Echo Lake Bighorn Sheep (ram) above Echo Lake

Horses and Riders above Echo Lake

But the one destination from this area that should be of primary consideration is Echo Lake. A trail up Echo Canyon provides by far the easiest route to the lake. However, this involves some inconvenience since the route into Echo Canyon crosses Indian reservation land which requires making arrangements with the Te-Moak reservation office at Lee and paying a fee ($25 per person for hiking and fishing but $125 per person for hunting). See the Echo Lake section in Part 2 Other Wilderness Areas for contact telephone number and additional information.

In addition to Echo Canyon, access to Box, Kleckner, North Furlong, Rattlesnake and Long canyons is across reservation land and susceptible to the fees.

Miscellaneous Canyon Photos from Lee.

Miscellaneous Canyon Photos from Lee. The left photo shows Rattlesnake Canyon and the center photo shows the road to the canyon.

The map appearing below shows the numerous canyons and creeks that empty into this side of the range. Starting from the vicinity of Lee and extending southward towards Harrison Pass, the following major canyons are mostly visible from SR 228.

Echo Canyon—creek drains Echo Lake.

Box Canyon—creek starts from springs and snow runoff and from a small unnamed lake at head of canyon. Lamoille Lake is located on the opposite side of the ridge at the head of Box canyon.

Unnamed Lake in Box Canyon Lamoille Lake

Ridge Separating Box Canyon and Lamoille Lake

The creeks draining Echo and Box canyons merge in the vicinity of Lee.

Kleckner Canyon—creek drains Favre Lake.

Favre Lake

North Furlong Canyon—creek originates from springs, ponds and snow runoff, but does not drain North Furlong Lake. North Furlong Canyon merges with Long Canyon.

North Furlong Lake

Long Canyon—creek does not drain a lake but the canyon lives up to its name by starting from the general vicinity of Overland Lake with the creek being fed from ponds, springs and snow runoff.

Rattlesnake Canyon—creek starts from ponds, springs and snow runoff and also drains Lost Lake. This is the largest canyon visible from SR228 and is easily recognized.

Gennette Creek Canyon (south of Rattlesnake Canyon and not visible on map)--creek does not drain a lake but originates from springs and snow runoff. Overland Lake, after descending a steep and rocky switchbacked trail, is located some distance beyond the ridge at the head of Gennette Creek Canyon. Lost Lake is located just over another ridge (overlooking Rattlesnake Canyon) towards the end of Gennette Creek Canyon.

Overland Lake Lost Lake

From one section of a mountain range, it is usually difficult to visualize how that area may be associated with another section of the range. The following map shows just how close the area around Lee is tied in with the Lamoille Canyon area.

Most or all the creeks draining the canyons between Echo Canyon and Rattlesnake Canyon merge to form the South Fork of the Humboldt River.

Canyons and Creeks--Lee to Harrison Pass

Click on map to expand.

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Grand Canyon: If you are planning a hiking vacation consider a trip to the Grand Canyon. There is plenty of places for great hiking at the Grand Canyon and plenty of Grand Canyon lodging locations. You can also visit the new Grand Canyon skywalk while you are there.

Grand Canyon Adventures

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Part 1 Trail to Liberty Pass and Beyond
Part 2 Other Wilderness Areas
Part 2 Supplement Other Wilderness Areas, Photos and Information
Part 3 Outfitters, Pack Trips and Backpacking Guide Service
Part 3 Supplement Outfitters, Pack Trips, Thomas Canyon, Right Fork Canyon and Ruby Valley
Part 4 Hiking the Ruby Crest Trail with Lynda Mellows and Rosanne Baker
Photo Page Hole in the Mountain--East Humboldts
Part 5 Birdeye Lake, Overland Lake, Lake Peak, Smith Lake, Lizzie's Basin, Cave Creek
Part 7 C-47 and B-17 Military Aircraft Crash in the East Humboldt Mountain Range