Fracture Ridge

Fracture Ridge
Henderson, Nevada
January 20, 2014
Distance: 10.4 km (6.5 mi)
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 616 m (2021 ft)

Fracture Ridge may be low on excitement and short on features, but it's a pleasant hike that requires little study. A trail runs nearly to the summit, although one must pay close attention to the many junctions.

Dinah and I followed Jim Boone's route. The description worked well until we reached the saddle. We were puzzled to find that the trail turned south away from the summit. We hiked north cross-country for a short distance before coming across the ridge trail leading to the summit. On the summit we found expansive views in all directions except north where Black Mountain rises above Fracture Ridge.

On our descent, we found where the ridge trail meets the main trail. The junction is obscured, but there's a reason for that. After emailing Jim Boone, I learned that BLM doesn't want anyone to use the trail going up to the ridge. On our descent we should have retraced our ascent track back to the saddle even though it meant going off-trail (Jim Boone has since rewritten the route description for that section).

On our way back, we took the alternative descent. While less scenic than the suggested approach, it is shorter. Fracture Ridge may not stand out against many other desert peaks, but we still enjoyed our outing.

KML and GPX Tracks

Hiking along the retention basin. Black Mountain left and Fracture Ridge right.