The Ruby Mountains of northeast Nevada are a beautiful alpine mountain range home to waterfalls, wildflowers, verdant valleys, and many rugged peaks rising to over 11,000 feet in elevation. The highest mountain in the Rubies, is Ruby Dome. The peak is most commonly climbed from the northwest via Hennen Canyon and Griswold Lake.

After adjusting our plans several times due to bad weather, we found ourselves on a Monday morning at the locked gate below the private Spring Creek Campground. This was going to add some unplanned distance to our hike, but I think we were mainly just glad the skies were blue. If things went well, we hoped to tag Ruby Dome and two other 11ers today. But that would be a big day!

John led us up the lower portion of the trail, absorbing the bulk of the moisture from the wet brush along the way. Dylan, Michael, and I followed. Other than the wet brush, it was nice morning, and we made our way up the canyon. Then an overabundance of cairns led us through the rockier sections before until we arrived at the very scenic Griswold Lake for a snack break. It took about 2.5 hour to reach the lake.

The trail climbed steeply southeasterly up from the lake. Once up on a low ridge, we aimed for the saddle between Ruby Dome and Ruby Pyramid. I found this section both scenic and fun. We angled around the slopes, then some ledges and boulder-hopping, before reaching the saddle.

Our first summit of the day would be Ruby Pyramid. The 400’+ scramble from the saddle to the summit was enjoyable. The clouds moved in briefly, and we thought maybe a thunderstorm was in the works, but thankfully it dissipated. We enjoyed the views for a bit, took photos, and then descended back to the saddle.

Next up was Ruby Dome. The route up from the saddle looked steep but doable. In spite of growing fatigue, I think we all enjoyed the scrambling on the way up. Especially the final ridge to the summit. Once on top it was time for an extended break. We enjoyed the views, and the weather was great. At this point we had a choice to make. Descend via the standard route, or continue to Lee Peak and make a long day even longer. Ultimately, the chance to add another 11er to our day was too much to resist.

From Ruby Dome, we set out toward Lee Peak, staying true to the ridge for the most part. Once at the saddle just east of the peak, we dropped our packs and then made the final climb to the summit. Dylan led John and me up a steep and direct chimney section. Michael took a more sane walkup route around the west side of the summit block.

On the summit of Lee Peak, we enjoyed a snack and contemplated our descent route. Either re-climb Ruby Dome and take the “standard” way down, or a more adventurous way down from the saddle. After some discussion, we decided on adventure!

Down climbing to the saddle east of Lee was straightforward. But next we had to descend a steep gully full of loose rock down to a boulder field. The gully wasn’t fun, but easier conditions followed as we boulder hopped across a high shelf, then followed ledges southward. The rest of the way down, we just took the path of least resistance and followed our noses. Other than a bit of bushwhacking just above Griswold Lake, the route wasn’t bad at all.

It felt good to be back at lake, with the hard part behind us. But we still had some ground to cover. The afternoon sun was hot at this point, and seemed especially hot for the last mile or so as we walked the road back down through the campground on the way back to our vehicles.

Round trip was 14 miles and a whopping 6300’ of elevation gain in about 11.5 hours of hiking. What a great day in the mountains! Climbing three 11ers with good friends, surrounded by some beautiful alpine terrain, is hard to beat.

Map of the route, 14 miles and 6300' gain round trip.	Starting from the locked gate.	Beautiful morning, and some ground to cover before getting into alpine terrain.	Hiking up Hennen Canyon.	Made it to Griswold Lake for a snack break.
Lee Peak during our ascent. We later descended the ramps below the peak.	First view of Ruby Pyramid and Ruby Dome.	Terrain on the way to the saddle between Ruby Dome and Ruby Pyramid.	View east from the summit of Ruby Pyramid, including Mount Gilbert.	Group shot on the summit of Ruby Pyramid.
Heading up the east ridge of Ruby Dome.	Ruby Pyramid from the east ridge of Ruby Dome.	Lee Peak from the summit of Ruby Dome.	East face of Lee Peak.	Griswold Lake from the ridge west of Ruby Dome.
Traversing Lee Peak, with Ruby Dome in the background.	Final climb up the summit block of Lee Peak.	Looking down on Griswold Lake from the west.	Good to be back down to Griswold Lake.	Heading back down the trail.
Map of the route, 14 miles and 6300' gain round trip.Starting from the locked gate.Beautiful morning, and some ground to cover before getting into alpine terrain.Hiking up Hennen Canyon.Made it to Griswold Lake for a snack break.Lee Peak during our ascent. We later descended the ramps below the peak.First view of Ruby Pyramid and Ruby Dome.Terrain on the way to the saddle between Ruby Dome and Ruby Pyramid.View east from the summit of Ruby Pyramid, including Mount Gilbert.Ruby Dome and Lee Peak from Ruby Pyramid.Group shot on the summit of Ruby Pyramid.Heading up the east ridge of Ruby Dome.Ruby Pyramid from the east ridge of Ruby Dome.Lee Peak from the summit of Ruby Dome.East face of Lee Peak.Griswold Lake from the ridge west of Ruby Dome.Traversing Lee Peak, with Ruby Dome in the background.Final climb up the summit block of Lee Peak.Looking down on Griswold Lake from the west.Good to be back down to Griswold Lake.Heading back down the trail.