Distance: 14.6 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 11785' (Arc Dome), 11355' (North Arc Dome)
Prominence: 5214'
Elevation Gain: 4480'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 3.5
Round trip time: 8 hours 15 minutes
Recommended water: 132 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Columbine Campground
Difficulty: Strenuous
Arc Dome (DPS #9) is an ultra prominent peak in the middle of Nevada. I had driven to Bishop the day before and hit Iron Mountain in the White Mountains. The direct drive to Columbine Camp from Bishop was along Highway 6, then a series of two lane highways to Gabbs, NV. None of the small towns along the way had a gas station. That became a problem for me on the way out (see Gambling with Gas footnote below). From Gabbs, it was 30 miles of nicely graded dirt road on state route 844, then 11 miles of rougher road on NF-119. I missed a jog on NF-119 and went about 5 miles on the wrong road. This delayed my start. There was one stream crossing, about 2' deep. I was entertained on the drive in by a fast moving herd of pronghorn antelope, a pair of coyotes, and three wild horses in the sage.
The trail quickly split into east and west trails. The trails converge on the crest, but I took the west trail since it went through an aspen grove. There were a lot of downed trees across the trail and tall wet grass that soaked my legs from the knees down. After a mile, I passed through an open fence and was out of the forest. The rest of the hike was on immense, sweeping plains. It made the gain easier, but distances hard to eyeball. This section was along the Toiyabe Crest Trail (TCT). I didn't see Arc Dome until I closer to the crest. The trail made a sharp turn east to avoid a 1500' drop into a canyon. There were two signs down at the TCT intersection with the Arc Dome trail. Rumor has it that wild horses knock these down. I continued toward Arc Dome and took a short side trip off trail to North Arc Dome where I discovered a register.
I angled down from North Arc Dome to the trail as it dropped 600' to the saddle. The last mile was a 1000' gain. Though not visible on the approach, the trail switchbacks were masterful and made the ascent easier than expected. Kudos to the trail builders. The summit had two reference marks (stamped Toiyabe Dome), but the benchmark was missing. The register was in a plastic jar and had ascents from earlier in July. It seemed quite popular. The views were chef's kiss, amazingly green. I hauled the drone up, but the wind was steady 20-25mph and I decided not to fly. After a brief stay for rituals, I started down. The trail gained 600' on the return. Back at the TCT intersection, I met the only other person I saw all day. He was headed for Arc Dome and had backpacking gear. I considered going for Cirque Peak and descending the east trail, but I had other concerns. I had been doing the mental math on my gas situation and knew I could not make it back to Bishop. So, I decided to save time and descended the way I came up. It was a tough and tiring day with the drive tacked on, but worth it. I don't know if there is a more beautiful area in Nevada.
Gambling with Gas
My MO was to fill up the truck before driving deep into the wilderness. It turned out the most direct route from Bishop to the trailhead had zero gas stations, so I couldn't do that. Based on how far Google Maps was showing Columbine Campground, I thought I had enough gas to get back to Bishop. Well, the driving route was not quite right, and I drove by a turn off, wasting time and precious gas. When I arrived at the trailhead, I saw that I could not make it back to Bishop without extra gas. There was none on the way, and several stretches of road had no cell service. I paid careful attention on the drive out to make sure I didn't make any wrong turns. I also turned off 4x4. When I got back to Gabbs, I had one bar of service. Google said the closest gas was in Middlegate, about 30 miles in the opposite direction of Bishop. On the map, it looked like another tiny town with few if any services. My other choice was Hawthorne, which looked bigger, but if I struck out there, I could not reach another town. I chose Middlegate, knowing I would have one last chance to find gas if it was a bust. I set my cruise at 60mph to squeeze a couple extra miles out of my tank. My heart sank when I pulled into Middlegate Station. There was a bar, but the two 1970s style gas pumps in the yard looked like relics. There was no self serve payment system and the gauge was analog. I walked inside and asked the bartender if they had gas. He said yes. I was instructed to fill up, then take a photo of the gauge and come back to pay. When the gauge dials started to spin, I felt suddenly elated. Now I had plenty of gas and no worries about loss of cell service. I stayed at the bar for a beer and dumped whatever cash I had on me into a donation jar for a local family. It was a bonus adrenaline rush I didn't need, but will never forget.
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