Lamoille Canyon is a beautiful but little known part of the Ruby Mountains near Elko. Approaches to very large walls are a short bushwhack from the car.
Most of the routes are short bolted affairs on the small crags and lower angle aprons leading up to the huge overhanging loose looking walls, but some big aid routes and ice climbs have been put up as well.
If you are adventurous, there is a lot of rock to explore here and in the other harder to access canyons in the Ruby Mountains.
Getting There
From Elko, head south through Spring Creek towards Lamoille and Jiggs following the numerous signs to Lamoille Canyon. All of the Lamoille canyon crags are a relatively short bushwhack from the road. The drive to Lamoille Canyon takes about a half hour from Elko.
While in Elko, be sure not to miss the Star Basque steakhouse (the steak sandwiches at lunchtime are wonderful) and the Stray Dog for a good selection of beers on tap. There is a neat old steakhouse in the tiny town of Lamoille about a mile past the Lamoille canyon turnoff. I believe there are camping areas in the canyon itself, and cheap motel rooms can be had at the old casinos (especially the Stockman's) in Elko.
Located in the Ruby Mountains, Lomoille Canyon is called the Yosemite of Nevada because like Yosemite it was carved by glaciers, as evidenced by the U shaped valley and moraines on the valley floor. I was there this past November (2005) to scout the area for future climbing. I found a few bolted routes right off the road, but didn't have time to get to the cliffs and crags that line the road up the canyon. The road ends at 8800 feet and runs around Ruby Dome, the highest peak in the area at 11,249 feet. The pictures I posted show the canyon from the start of road to the end. The potential for climbing in Lomoille Canyon is tremendous, it's proximity to Elko makes it attractive and it's isolation in northeastern Nevada means very few climbers are there at any given time. I look forward to spending more time there.
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