MT. COMO (9,006') CLASS 1
Location: 19 miles ESE of Carson City, NV
ROUTE A
Drive: Take U.S. 395 to Johnson Lane which is 6.8 miles south
of the junction of U.S. 395 and U.S. 50. Take this paved road
straight east. Mt. Como will be visible slightly to the right
of exactly straight ahead. Proceed 3.7 miles to a sign, "Pavement
Ends," and take the main dirt road straight ahead. A fork
right after 0.3 mile is marked by a sign, "State Property..."
Take this dirt road right. Take another fork right after another
0.2 mile. Continue on the main gravel road ahead, ignoring the
short, small spurs. After another 1.8 miles, take the road straight
ahead where a painted blue rock marks a road to the left. In 0.2
mile more, take another fork right. Stay on the rutted main road.
After another winding 5 miles, go straight at another fork. Go
straight again in 0.5 mile. In another 0.2 mile, the road gets
rough. High clearance vehicles should be used past this point.
During or just after a heavy rain, the dirt surface gets very
muddy and slippery, and could pose a significant hazard. Pass
an old well, and in 0.1 mile, go straight at another junction.
Come to a saddle after 2.3 miles, and go straight at a junction.
After another 1.6 miles, go straight, ignoring a road left, directly
at a rocky wash. After 0.9 mile more, a sign, "Cattle Guard
300 feet" indicates the suggested, wise use of caution since
a low clearance vehicle may hit bottom here. Continue on the main
dirt road, and in 2.1 miles more, come to an unsigned 4WD road
headed right (south). Take this 4WD road about 1.0 mile to a
poor turnaround and parking off the road. Park, and do not block
the road. The main dirt road, back before the turnoff onto the
4WD road, continues onto unsigned Sunrise Pass, after 0.7 mile,
past the junction with the 4WD road. A poor view is obtained to
the east.
Climb: Take the 4WD road south, and at a junction, go left (east),
and descend into a small valley. Power lines roughly parallel
this road. After 0.4 mile more, turn right (south) at a junction.
The route goes up and south to a saddle which can be seen from
about here. Shortly come to a meadow where the road divides. Take
the right fork. The road reconnects, and after about a mile, pass
a piped spring and water trough. In another mile, come to the
saddle seen from below. Go right up the road going steeply up
the hill. At the top of this ridge, the road ends. A bump to the
left (south) with a rock wall across the top is traversed around
to its left (east) cross-country or on use/animal trails. Basically
follow this main ridge, which culminates in the summit. After
0.7 mile, reconnect with a dirt road coming up from the right
(west). Follow this road, continuing south over a saddle. A false
summit of the peak is visible from here. Go over another saddle,
and descend to a meadow where after another 0.7 mile, there is
a T-fork of a faint track going to the right (west). Go straight.
In a short distance more, leave the road, which seems to disappear
in another meadow, and veer up and slightly right (southwest)
to follow use/animal trails south along the left (east) side of
the main ridge. Some of these use/animal trails are very distinct,
and facilitate hiking through the sagebrush. Cross over or go
around the false summit, and the true highpoint is about 0.5 mile
further south across a small dip. The remnants of a wooden, heliograph
tripod and a rock ring mark the summit.
WINTER SKI ASCENT: Insufficient snows usually do not merit a ski ascent.
STATS: Route A, 2100 feet gain, with an additional 400 feet gain on the return, 5 miles one way.
Notes: From a poor, overgrown
road heading south about 4-5 miles before the junction with the
4WD road, one might drive several miles south, past signed and
posted private land, to a point just to the west or northwest
of the peak. One heads east cross-country up to the ridge right
(south) of the highpoint, climbing through brush, pinyons, and
junipers. On reaching the ridge, head left (north) to the top.
It is unclear as to the legality of public access on this route,
but it saves hiking a few miles instead of using the Route A directions,
which are all on public land. Peak climber Bill Hauser led a trip
for the apparently now-defunct, Peak and Gorge Section of the
Mother Lode Chapter, Sierra Club, this way in October, 1981.
Mt. Como is a major peak in the Pine Nut Mountains (See also
Mt. Siegel, Notes).
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