I found it kind of hard to get information about the condition of the road to Trail Canyon due to the fact that most people go the Queen Mine route now, so hopefully this will help someone! I did Boundary at the end of July via Trail Canyon, and I drove up the dirt road in a Toyota Corolla. Not an easy road - very rocky and bumpy at times, but definitely possible.
I had read beforehand that after the last mile (after the reservoir on the left) the road gets narrower/rougher so I parked at the reservoir and hiked the remaining mile or so, but walking along it I'm sure my car could have made it to the actual trailhead - the road is no rougher than the earlier sections. So, as of July 2017 the road is passable all the way to the trailhead in a passenger car.
(Although when I got back to my car after the hike, some guys were there fishing (the first people I'd seen all day) and were surprised I'd driven that car up there :P)
We hiked the Queen Canyon Trail head. The road had some scarier parts because it rained that day and parts were washed out. It was fine in our truck but still a little scary at night. Even five miles prior to the trail head there were big washouts that would be questionable to pass without a high clearance vehicle.
I really enjoyed the Queen Canyon route we chose and thought it was great, but I don't know how the other trial is. The first part is steep but fine. Then it gets flat for over a mile. It's a nice break from thee steep. Then the second steep part was the toughest. I'm SO glad we brought trekking poles. It got really steep and these helped with balance. It made it better to get up. After this steep part it got a little more flat. Then the last steep part was the summit. I thought this part wasn't as bad as the previous steep part. Some people mentioned the scree being bad, but we felt most of the hike we had sure footings and we were in running shoes.
A lot of reviews said they struggled to see the trail. This wasn't our case at all. It was easy to follow and not get lost. I'm not an avid hiker, but I'm fit. It took three hours to get up and two to get down. We jogged the flat part on the way down. I did feel like we had a faster pace than average and didn't take any breaks.
Summit Post is a great source of information but one standard addition I think would be helpful is where to stay if not camping. In the case of Boundary Peak, I recommend Tonopah, Nevada. It's 1:20-1:30 minutes from the Queen Mine trailhead, but it has a few acceptable hotels, several gas stations (not a given in rural Nevada), a good brewery/BBQ restaurant, and a supermarket.
Road to trail canyon is decent dirt road. At this time (July 2023) I'd say you don't even need high clearance or 4wd. It is washboarded, but no obstacles. Google maps didn't have the roads and got us a bit lost. I recorded a track of driving out that I wish I had going in: https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=11.7/-118.2374/37.8380&pubLink=h8cpeFnrfVDenURK0PEGNcpl&trackId=aaa029880b664768365e5570a72aef01
Amira - Aug 3, 2017 11:36 pm - Hasn't voted
Trail CanyonI found it kind of hard to get information about the condition of the road to Trail Canyon due to the fact that most people go the Queen Mine route now, so hopefully this will help someone! I did Boundary at the end of July via Trail Canyon, and I drove up the dirt road in a Toyota Corolla. Not an easy road - very rocky and bumpy at times, but definitely possible.
I had read beforehand that after the last mile (after the reservoir on the left) the road gets narrower/rougher so I parked at the reservoir and hiked the remaining mile or so, but walking along it I'm sure my car could have made it to the actual trailhead - the road is no rougher than the earlier sections. So, as of July 2017 the road is passable all the way to the trailhead in a passenger car.
(Although when I got back to my car after the hike, some guys were there fishing (the first people I'd seen all day) and were surprised I'd driven that car up there :P)
aallen - Jul 16, 2018 2:01 pm - Hasn't voted
Boundry PeakWe hiked the Queen Canyon Trail head. The road had some scarier parts because it rained that day and parts were washed out. It was fine in our truck but still a little scary at night. Even five miles prior to the trail head there were big washouts that would be questionable to pass without a high clearance vehicle.
I really enjoyed the Queen Canyon route we chose and thought it was great, but I don't know how the other trial is. The first part is steep but fine. Then it gets flat for over a mile. It's a nice break from thee steep. Then the second steep part was the toughest. I'm SO glad we brought trekking poles. It got really steep and these helped with balance. It made it better to get up. After this steep part it got a little more flat. Then the last steep part was the summit. I thought this part wasn't as bad as the previous steep part. Some people mentioned the scree being bad, but we felt most of the hike we had sure footings and we were in running shoes.
A lot of reviews said they struggled to see the trail. This wasn't our case at all. It was easy to follow and not get lost. I'm not an avid hiker, but I'm fit. It took three hours to get up and two to get down. We jogged the flat part on the way down. I did feel like we had a faster pace than average and didn't take any breaks.
rb1960 - Sep 11, 2018 1:27 pm - Hasn't voted
LodgingSummit Post is a great source of information but one standard addition I think would be helpful is where to stay if not camping. In the case of Boundary Peak, I recommend Tonopah, Nevada. It's 1:20-1:30 minutes from the Queen Mine trailhead, but it has a few acceptable hotels, several gas stations (not a given in rural Nevada), a good brewery/BBQ restaurant, and a supermarket.
parker.goes.outside - Jul 17, 2023 9:49 am - Hasn't voted
Road to Trail Canyon from the SouthRoad to trail canyon is decent dirt road. At this time (July 2023) I'd say you don't even need high clearance or 4wd. It is washboarded, but no obstacles. Google maps didn't have the roads and got us a bit lost. I recorded a track of driving out that I wish I had going in: https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=11.7/-118.2374/37.8380&pubLink=h8cpeFnrfVDenURK0PEGNcpl&trackId=aaa029880b664768365e5570a72aef01