Mike was raised in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon in the shadow of Mt. Hood (whenever the Pacific Northwest skies cleared enough to allow such things as shadows). His mother didn’t drive, so walking was a way of life for her, as it was for her young son in tow. When Mike reached driving age, he began to explore further afield, hiking, backpacking, and climbing in the Cascades of Oregon and Washington. He further honed his outdoor skills while attending Seattle Pacific University. After college, Mike relocated to the high desert of Reno, Nevada, where he was drawn to the beautiful and sunny Sierra. This opened the door to many fine adventures, which included hiking forays into the four corners of his adopted state of Nevada. In the early 1990s, Mike left his last “real” job (with an engineering firm), and began writing full time about the outdoors. His first project for Wilderness Press was an update and expansion of Luther Linkhart’s classic guide, The Trinity Alps. He then authored Nevada Wilderness Areas and Great Basin National Park, followed by the Snowshoe Trails series and Top Trails Lake Tahoe. Mike was also a contributor to Backpacking California, and has written articles for Sunset and Backpacker magazines, and the Reno Gazette-Journal. Mike passes on his accrued outdoor wisdom to students in hiking, backpacking and snowshoeing classes at Truckee Meadows Community College. He continues to live in Reno with his wife, Robin, and their two boys, David and Stephen, along with their yellow lab, Barkley.

Featured Trips Overview Map

Map Legend

Introduction

General Tips on Backpacking in Nevada

A Word About Horses

Wild Areas of Nevada

• Carson Range
• Santa Rosa Range
• Jarbidge Mountains
• East Humboldt Mountains
• Ruby Mountains
• Toiyabe Mountains
• Toquima Range
• Monitor Range
• Snake Range
• Great Basin National Park
• Spring Mountains

Featured Trips

• Carson Range
• Tahoe Rim Trail: Daggett Pass to Brockway Summit
• Mt. Rose and Bronco Creek
• Ophir Creek Trail

• Santa Rosa Range
• Summit Trail

• Jarbidge Mountains
• Jarbidge and Emerald Lake Loop
• East Fork Jarbidge River and Cougar Creek Loop
• Gods Pocket Peak Trail to Camp Creek

• East Humboldt Mountains
• Winchell Lake Trail
• Greys Lake Trail

• Ruby Mountains
• Soldier Lakes Basin
• Right Fork Lamoille Creek
• Ruby Lakes
• Ruby Crest Trail
• Overland Lake Trail

• Toiyabe Mountains
• Toiyabe Crest Trail
• North Twin and South Twin Rivers Loop
• Stewart Creek Loop

• Toquima Range
• Mt. Jefferson Loop

• Monitor Range
• Table Mountain Traverse

Snake Range

Mt. Moriah

Great Basin National Park

Baker Creek Loop to Baker and Johnson Lakes

Spring Mountains
• Bonanza Trail
• Charleston Peak: North Loop and South Loop Trails

Bibliography and Suggested Reading

Index

About the Author