Hiking Around Las Vegas, Gold Butte National Monument
 The saddle and the route up the North Ridge (view S) |
Overview Billy Goat Peak (5,701 ft) is a tough hike to a minor peak in the middle of some of the wildest country in southern Nevada. Why bother to go so far to climb a minor peak? Spectacular views. Enough said. The route runs south through a burn area to contour around a forested false summit (Pinyon-Juniper Woodland life zone) and drop into a deep saddle on the north side of Billy Goat Peak. From the saddle, the route splits. Hikers can traverse onto the North Face and climb steep slopes to the summit. Alternatively, hikers can stay on the North Ridge, which is more difficult, until forced into the steep North Face. Presented here are photos of the North Ridge Route. For a detailed description of the route, including directions, maps, GPS coordinates, and photos, see Billy Goat Peak. |
 Arriving at the main saddle (view S) |
 At the saddle, the routes diverge at the Yucca (view S) |
 At the saddle, the North Face route traverses left (view S) |
 Avoid the ridge of the crags to the left (view S) |
 The North Ridge provides nice views (view NW) |
 Steep, rocky hillside with scrub oaks (view S) |
 Hikers scrambling off the cliffs back onto the face (view W) |
 A bit of open path (view S) |
 The west side of the ridge sometimes provides a route (view S) |
 Rocky crest of the ridge (view S) |
 Approaching the cockscomb (view S) |
 Atop the cockscomb (view S) |
 Looking back at the cockscomb; not a safe route (view N) |
 Brush thickets beneath the final cliffs (view SW) |
 Almost through the rocks and brush to the North Face (view SW) |
 Steep North Face (view S) |
 Arriving on the summit ridge (view S) |
 Final push up the west side of the summit (view SE) |
 Approaching the summit (view SE) |
 Arriving the the summit (view SE) |
 Hikers on the summit (view NW) |
 More to come ... |
Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
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