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Summit Trail
- RATINGS: Scenery 9, Solitude 10, Difficulty 9
- MILES: 30
- ELEVATION GAINS: 7125'
- DAYS: 3-4
- SHUTTLE MILEAGE: 12
- AREA: Santa Rosa Range
- MAPS: USGS-Santa Rosa Peak, Five Fingers, Adorno Ranch;USFS-Santa Rosa-Paradise Peak Wilderness
- USUALLY OPENS: Late June to November
- BEST: Late June-Early July, October
- PERMITS: None
- CONTACTS: Winnemucca Ranger District (775) 623-5025
- SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS: Views, wildflowers, autumn color
- PROBLEMS: Poor campsites, route finding
HOW TO GET THERE START: To reach the north trailhead, follow U.S. 95 north from Winnemucca for 46.5 miles to FS Road 553, signed N. REBEL CREEK ROAD. Head up the well-graded gravel road across grassy fields to an intersection, 0.8 mile from the highway. Follow the less traveled, two-tracked road toward the mountains, following a fence line to a closed gate at 1.4 miles. Continue past the gate into the drainage of Rebel Creek, crossing the stream four times before reaching the end of the road near a grove of cottonwoods, where primitive but shady campsites are nearby.
END: To reach the south trailhead, follow U.S. 95 north from Winnemucca for 36.25 miles to FS Road 552, signed BUFFALO CANYON ROAD. Past a corral, follow the gravel road on a diagonal approach to the mountains and the narrow cleft of Buffalo Canyon. Cross the creek at 2.2 miles and continue for another 0.1 mile to the end of the road, where limited parking is available for just a few vehicles.
INTRODUCTIONThe Santa Rosa-Paradise Peak Wilderness could be a backpacker’s worst nightmare for those unaccustomed to primitive conditions: access roads are rough, the lowelevation approach is blisteringly hot and shadeless in summer, trails are generally unmarked and some sections are indistinct, badly overgrown, or gone altogether. Developed campsites are virtually nonexistent, and the range boasts not a single lake. So why would anyone in their right mind consider a backpack into the Santa Rosa Mountains? For starters, how about unparalleled vistas, spectacular wildflower displays, and nearly guaranteed solitude? In addition, the Santa Rosas boast some of the most luxuriant vegetation of any range in the state, thanks to a number of tumbling streams and sweeping basins blessed with ample groundwater. Several of those streams and basins are carpeted with extensive aspen groves, creating a colorful swath of green in summer and a brilliant display of gold in autumn. Early- to midsummer wildflower displays are as fine as any in the state. With such verdant slopes rimmed by rugged granite peaks, the area is more reminiscent of the Rockies than of a typical Great Basin range. Although many of the short trails leading into the range from a number of trailheads sprinkled on both the west and east sides are suitable for novices on dayhikes, a backpack of the entire Summit Trail is for experienced backcountry travelers only. The poor state of the trail, particularly the stretch outside of the wilderness on the northeast side, requires that backpackers be in good condition and have well-developed route finding skills.
DESCRIPTION The Rebel Creek section of the Summit Trail begins above the north bank of the tumbling, cottonwood-lined stream through a canyon covered with sagebrush, cheat grass and scattered wildflowers.
WarningWatch for rattlesnakes and ticks, especially in the lower elevations of Rebel Creek and Buffalo Creek canyons.
Phyllite outcroppings add character to the narrow, V-shaped gash. You cross the wilderness boundary 0.5 mile into the hike. Continue alongside the winding, tumbling creek up the canyon through wild rose, elderberry, cottonwood and the occasional aspen, into the cleft of a large side canyon. Angle across this canyon, cross a diminutive rivulet, and follow the trail back into the main canyon of Rebel Creek, where views up the deep gorge improve with each step. You skirt another side canyon and follow an old fenceline above the serpentine creek, across a small meadow. Where the canyon narrows, the trail climbs high above the stream to avoid heavy brush and steep cliffs. Thick foliage greets you as you cross a small stream, followed by a descent toward the creek along another fenceline. Eventually, you pass through an open gate to the right and drop down to the north branch of Rebel Creek, 3 miles from the trailhead. From the crossing, follow the path above the creek into the narrow, steep canyon, where quaking aspens carpet the far hillside. Continue on a moderate ascent until the trail seemingly dead-ends in a tangle of thick brush. Although virtually nonexistent, the trail actually drops to a crossing of the creek and then ascends the far side, where the route becomes distinct again near another pocket of aspens. You climb high above the creek with the aid of a couple of switchbacks and then bend around toward the south up a steep, aspen-choked section of the upper canyon, where dramatic, graycolored cliffs rise above the stream on the far side. The ascent continues as you cross the creek near a shady grove of aspen, where the canyon bends east again. Eventually, you climb out of the narrow canyon into less severe topography, where the massive west face of Santa Rosa Peak springs into view. A steep ridge of rugged-looking granite runs along the north ridge of the peak toward the 9,701-foot summit, forming the east edge of a basin that rivals any mountainous area in the state for alpine beauty. Below the peak, the basin is blanketed with what has to be one of the largest stands of aspen in the Great Basin. The upper basin is a prime area for further explorations as springs and creeks provide abundant water and, although developed sites are virtually nonexistent, potential campsites are plentiful. Santa Rosa Peak should supply a worthy challenge for peak baggers, and the serious mountaineer may find a technical route or two up the sheer granite wall. Newly constructed trail continues up the creek to the slope below the crest. Afinal climb leads you across the hillside to the top of the ridge, 5.75 miles from the trailhead. From this vantage, you have a fine view down the east side into the Cottonwood Creek basin and out to Paradise Valley.
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