Kumiva Peak
Place Name: Pershing County
Place Description: State: Nevada
Date: 11/28/2020
Elevation: 8,220 Feet
Prominence: 3,660 Feet
Miles: 5.3
Elevation Gain: 2,388 Feet
Lists: Great Basin Peaks List, Nevada Peaks Club
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Difficulty
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Solitude
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Kid Friendly
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Summit Views
Some Of The Best Views You'll Find Anywhere
Kumiva Peak is a prominent peak in Northern Nevada that offers a great hike in beautiful country. Just that would be enough, but when you couple that with some of the best summit views anywhere, Kumiva Peak must be climbed!
Overall
3.5Pros
- Beautiful country
- Amazing summit views
- Lots of peace and quiet
Cons
- No trails
- Long drive out
- Steep
Kumiva Peak is the highest point in the Selenite Range, a small range running north to south that divides the Poito Valley to the west and Kumiva Valley in the east.
Despite their remoteness, the Selenite Range is highly accessible and is used for off-roading and hunting on a regular basis. Kumiva Peak is definitely the focal point for peak baggers in this region and moderate hike in pretty country will earn you this summit.
Getting There
The approach to Kumiva Peak is a fairly long one. Coming from I-80 to the south, take NV-447 north towards Gerlach. You will follow this two lane highway past the town of Nixon and through the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation. Approximately 43 miles north of Nixon, you will make a right turn onto a dirt road that heads east.
When you turn onto this road, Kumiva Peak will be on your right. This is a good road that any car can handle and leads into Kumiva Valley. You will turn right on a spur road about 4 miles up. This spur road deteriorates very quickly so just find a spot to park right away.
Parking area.
The Trail
This is a very beautiful area to hike in. After parking at 6,100 feet we went up through the first drainage and headed towards the top of the ridge.
Lower section of the trail.
Once on the ridge, the hiking is very easy for awhile and the views really open up. Kumiva Peak comes into view for the first time and was absolutely beautiful in the snow.
The summit makes its first appearance.
On our trip, the snow was very prevalent above 7,300 feet. The route heads into a flat area below the summit that would be a meadow when the snow is gone. From here you can bust straight up the mountain, which is the way my group went up. It’s very steep and rocky. With a bit deeper snow up here, it made this way tough.
The slopes started to get very steep.
In hindsight, following the gully up to a minor saddle and then ascending from the east would have been much better. This was the path we came back down.
The Summit
If you are looking for primo views, this is the place. The summit views are some of the best that I found anywhere and extend well over 100 miles. In the immediate foreground, looking down the south end of the Selenite Range towards Purgatory Peak and Mount Limbo is very cool.
Looking south down the range towards Purgatory Peak and Mount Limbo.
The Kumiva Valley to the east is enormous and quite scenic. Juniper Mountain is just across the valley and both King Lear Peak and Star Peak can be see well off in the distance.
Eastern views as we climb.
Granite Peak and the Black Rock Desert both sit to the north.
Looking north to Granite Peak.
The Final Word
Kumiva Peak is a wonderful peak bagging experience and one of the nicest peaks I have climbed on the Great Basin Peaks List.
The approach is easy and can be a great day trip from Reno. The views are worth the trip alone, however, you will enjoy the hiking just as much.
Northern Nevada is a beautiful place that does not get much love from hikers and recreationalists. There are so many great peaks to hike in the region and you will probably have them all to yourself.
