Overview | Pilot Cone | Pilot Mesa | Peeper Benchmark | Eldorado Wilderness, Nevada

Explore this incredible high desert volcanic wilderness loop in the Eldorado Wilderness just South of Las Vegas, Nevada!

Three Great Destinations and a Surprising Extra

Prepare for endless 360-degree spectacular views rivaling any destination point near the Colorado River. The Mohave Overlook has a famous view of the Colorado River all the way to Lake Mohave. But Peeper Benchmark, our first destination sits about 800 feet ABOVE Mohave Overlook, creating a vantage point far more expansive! Pilot Mesa, our second destination, is a massive mile-long and quarter-mile wide plateau, creating its own unique hidden upper desert world. Before running out of daylight I was able to capture some beautiful images of Pilot Cone while passing along its base. An added feature of this adventure is that the desert on this day was in super bloom, so there are images of the desert carpeted with wildflowers!

Adventure Route Summary

The adventure route makes a 16-mile triangular loop beginning and ending on Hwy 165 in the Eldorado Wilderness only about 25 miles South of Las Vegas as the raven flies. After crossing 4 miles of desert in super bloom, summit Peeper Benchmark, elevation 3514 feet from its North ridge. Then descend from the Southeastern saddle to the desert floor on the East side and cross the intervening mile and a half to the Southeastern base of Pilot Mesa. Ascend the Southeastern approach ridge of Pilot Mesa, then cross its mile-long length, descending it’s Northwest saddle to the base of Pilot Cone. Finally, return across about 7 miles of open desert back to the starting point on Hwy 165.

Spectacular Views Along the Way

It’s impossible to list all the surrounding reference points you will see along the way, but here is a short list:

High Points to the North (from East to West):

• Muddy Mountains
• River Mountains
• Railroad Mountains
• North McCullough Wilderness
• Mt. Charleston Wilderness
• Potosi Mountain
• South Mccullough Wilderness

Points to the East (from North to South)

• Fortification Hill
• Arizona Black Mountains with Arizona Mt. Wilson as high point.
• Black Canyon Wilderness (Nevada)
• White Hills Wind Farm
• Malpais Flattop Mesa 
• Colorado River from Lonesome Wash Cove to Lake Mohave

Points to the South (from East to West)

• Mid and Southern Eldorado Wilderness
• Lonesome Wash
• Forlorn Hope Peak
• Lonesome Peak
• Peaks 3320 and 3510
• Mts. Stalker and Stocker

Points to the West (from South to North)

• Opal Peak
• Lonesome Wash Overlook Mesa (Peak 3420)
• Nelson Hills 

Terrain and Considerations

Much of the terrain is flat, open desert. Ascending Peeper Benchmark and Pilot Mesa is a high class 2 walk with just a few class 3 rock scrambles, unless you choose different, more vertical routes. Bring lots of hydration. I went through 5 liters on this second week of March with temperatures in Las Vegas hitting a high in the mid 70’s. Avoid this route in the Summer as mid-day temperatures can reach a hazardous 120 degrees or higher. Stick to days when the high temperature in Las Vegas is not predicted to exceed the mid-80’s. 

Trailhead Directions | Pilot Cone | Pilot Mesa | Peeper Benchmark | Eldorado Wilderness, Nevada

The Eldorado Wilderness is South of Las Vegas. Take Interstate 11 South toward Hoover Dam. Just after the Railroad Pass exit, take a right onto exit 14 to Hwy 95 toward Searchlight. Then, take a left onto Hwy 165. You’ll soon see well-placed, attractive interpretive signs for the Eldorado Wilderness and Nelson Hills. There is an Eldorado Trailhead, but you want to park at a wide spot by the road a couple miles before the trailhead.

Narrative Guide | Pilot Cone | Pilot Mesa | Peeper Benchmark | Eldorado Wilderness, Nevada

Getting Your Initial Bearings

This is one of the rare adventures where you can see the entire route from the starting point. At the starting point on Hwy 165, look to the East to see Peeper Benchmark (highest point to the right). To the left (North) of Peeper Benchmark is the distinctive flat Pilot Mesa. North of that is the volcanic Pilot Cone. Your adventure will follow a large triangle with the Start Point, Peeper Benchmark and Pilot Cone as the points of the triangle.

Start Point to Peeper Benchmark

This is a 4-mile traverse across open desert. Notice the descending ridgeline between the start point and Peeper Benchmark. You want to round the North (lower left) side of that ridgeline in order to avoid crossing its 3 intervening ridges and canyons. The open desert is a beautiful place where you are “invisible in plain sight” in this vast expanse. Though you can clearly see Boulder City to the North, to an observer in Boulder City you are an invisible speck. This vast open desert is a serene, peaceful place full of energy. 

Just before arriving at the base of Peeper Benchmark you’ll cross wilderness Road F. An alternative route that would save you about 8 miles, cutting your total distance in half, would be to take wilderness Road F from Hwy 95 to the base of Peeper Benchmark. In this case you’d need a 4WD or high-centered vehicle. A pickup truck could probable navigate the wilderness roads in the area. They are well graded with no real obstacles. But the gravel surface is loose and deep and the center between the wheel tracks is high in many places. See the map on this page. The roads are marked in purple.

Shortly after crossing wilderness Road F, you’ll be at the North base of Peeper Benchmark. Head for the largest Northern approach ridgeline, crossing one intervening approach ridgeline. The Western approaches to Peeper Benchmark are mostly vertical. However, as I found during the descent, the Southern saddle appears to be an easier approach route. To reach the Southern saddle, you’d head up wilderness Road F to the South end of Peeper Benchmark and ascend there.

Ascending Peeper Benchmark

The Northern ridgeline ascent that I took is mostly a class 2 walk with only a few brief class 3 rock scrambles near the summit. That Northern ridgeline is topped with a distinctive rocky summit wall. I circled the rocky summit wall around the left (East) side, spiraling upward to the summit. It looked quite possible to ascend straight up the North side of the boulders on that summit block if you’re in for some fun class 3 rock scrambling. Circumventing the rocking Northern summit area on it’s East side, I arrived at the Southern end of the summit where the geodetic survey markers are embedded. I did not see a summit box register, though there might have been one on the North side.

The wind was roaring on the summit, but the 360-degree views were spectacular (see the list of surrounding reference points above). Had I not been saving time for Pilot Mesa, it might have been nice to spend more time on the summit of Peeper Benchmark to explore both its North and South end. This height is work a trip in itself!

Peeper Benchmark to Pilot Mesa

Descending to the Southern saddle, and then down the gully to the East was actually much easier than the ascent. At the Eastern base of Peeper Benchmark set a course toward the Southeastern approach ridge to Pilot Mesa’s summit. Much of the South and West side of Pilot Mesa’s summit is guarded by a vertical headwall. The Eastern approaches are more friendly. At the base of Peeper Benchmark, you’ll reach wilderness Road N. The mountain to your right in Forlorn Hope Peak. I turned to the left down Road N for a short stretch, but soon had to leave that road to follow a straight line route toward the Southeastern edge of Pilot Mesa. The two high points you’ll pass (to your left) on the way to Pilot Mesa are Midway Peak and Yucca Camp Mountain Peak. These look interesting and could merit a future adventure.

Descending the East Side of the Southern Saddle

The East side of Pilot Mesa is much more gradual and friendly than the West side and there are many ascent opportunities. I had originally intended to ascend the Southeastern approach gully to Pilot Mesa. It looked more gradual on the map. However, it was clogged with huge boulders, so I ascended the steeper Southeastern approach ridge. Though steeper, the rock surface offered nice steps along the way, and arriving at the very Southeastern edge of the summit made for a total traverse of Pilot Mesa’s mile-long summit.

Traversing Pilot Mesa

Pilot Mesa is a mile-long and about a quarter-mile wide. It’s huge, and is a world unto itself. The super bloom on the mesa had different varieties of flowers from the desert floor below. Below, the flowers were predominately white. On the mesa summit they were predominately blue and violet with many yellow varieties. Sorry, I’m not a botanist, but it should be easy to identify the varieties from my photos and videos.  You’ll get your best views of Black Canyon Wilderness and the high points across the Colorado River in Arizona including Fortification Hill, Arizona Mt. Wilson and the White Hills Wind Farm while traversing the summit of Pilot Mesa.

Pilot Mesa has two main summit areas (South and North), separated by a large rift gully but with a narrow connecting strip on the West side, making a complete South to North crossing possible. There are a couple nice but steep descent gullies on the West side, but most of the West side of the mesa is guarded by a vertical headwall. 

Descending Pilot Mesa to the Base of Pilot Cone

The Northern edge of Pilot Mesa has a nice, gradual descent slope taking you to a saddle below. Once on the saddle, descend a steep final gully to the West (left) toward Pilot Cone below. I found this to be the steepest, rockiest slope of the day. You’ll do a lot of weaving around steep rocky areas on the way down, making the descent without having to use your hands. Just ensure every foot placement is secure and don’t trust your full weight on any boulder that is not bomb-proof anchored to the slope. This consideration goes for all the slopes today.

Base of Pilot Cone to the Start Point

Once at the base of Pilot Cone (on your right), round a ridgeline to the left passing through the channel between. If you have enough time left (I burned a lot of time taking photos and videos), Pilot Cone looks like an interesting, fun ascent, though very steep with a loose rock surface. It would easily be the steepest ascent of the day, but you might find a pathway of least resistance all the way to the summit. Pilot Cone, Yucca Camp Mountain and Midway Peak will be a future adventure for me.

Once at the base of Pilot Cone, make a straight-line 7-mile route back to the South (left) side of the Nelson Hills where you initially parked on Hwy 165. This is the longest flat desert stretch of the day, so relax and enjoy it! Turn around often for the best views of all the high points of the day in the afternoon and evening sunlight! There is one intervening ridgeline. The opposite side of the ridgeline has a rocky vertical drop. It’s quicker to round the left (North) edge of that ridgeline.

Summary

This two or three-summit adventure (if you have time to include Pilot Cone) is pretty amazing and quite an accomplishment. It’s a great overview of the Northern Eldorado Wilderness! Had I had more time, I could have easily enjoyed making each of the three summits an adventure in itself, possibly spending a magical night beneath the stars on any of the summits. Here you are in the most wonderful, meditative desert solitude, rivaling any wilderness experience on earth!