Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Nevada / Central Nevada

Arc Dome Wilderness: Twin Rivers Loop

Arc Dome Wilderness, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Austin-Tonopah Ranger District (Toiyabe Range, north of Tonopah)

The North and South Twin Rivers drain the east side of the Arc Dome Wilderness, Nevada’s largest wilderness at about 115,000 acres, according to Travel Nevada. Both canyons start at the same Forest Service trailhead off Highway 376, and a connector over the ridge between them makes a loop. A state trail map labels the routes the North Twin River Trail, South Twin River Trail, Twin Rivers Connector, and Twin Rivers Loop.

One trip report stretches it into a multi-night loop over the crest and Arc Dome, the range’s highest summit.

The hike

The North/South Twin Trailhead sits about 3 miles up South Twin Road (NF-080), west of Highway 376 and roughly 60 miles north of the Highway 6 junction near Tonopah, according to the Forest Service. It has vault toilets but no potable water.

Up the North Twin River, the creek is the trail’s constant companion. Scott Nechemias, writing for Hyperlite Mountain Gear about an early-June 2024 trip, crossed it “repeatedly, maybe 20 plus times” in the first few miles and gave up trying to stay dry; the canyon gave shade and water on a day that hit 87 degrees at the trailhead. One hiker’s notes on paleo.org describe a canyon that is “spectacularly rugged,” with a trail that switches sides of the creek.

That same paleo.org hiker set out to close the loop over the saddle between the two rivers but found the trail turning faint in a wet drainage near the top, churned by cattle and horse hooves, and turned back. The hiker noted that a guidebook gave 8 miles for the loop, but put the real figure at about 13.

The longer version climbs to the crest. Nechemias camped below the crest at about 9,600 feet, where game trails were more distinct than the trail, then climbed to the rim, followed the Toiyabe Crest Trail south, and left it to climb Arc Dome by a switchbacking use trail on its north side. He met snowfields and cornices on the crest, came down the south arete over slow, broken rock, and camped on a shoulder above South Twin.

The South Twin River leg returns to the trailhead. Patagonia’s 2009 trip report, which started up the South Twin, counted about 25 creek crossings in the first couple of miles and warned that trying to keep feet dry was pointless. Halfway Anywhere, describing the Toiyabe Crest Trail’s final miles toward this trailhead, found plenty of water, heavy brush, and a trail that was often hard to follow.

For the full ridge walk, see the Toiyabe Crest National Recreation Trail.

Tips

Camping

Camping is dispersed; there are no designated sites. The Humboldt-Toiyabe’s forest-wide order 04-17-24-04 limits stays to 14 days in any 30-day period. No group-size or setback rules specific to the Arc Dome Wilderness were found, so camp well back from the rivers. Stock users must carry certified weed-free hay, and dogs must be leashed at the trailhead, according to the Forest Service. No permit is required for the Toiyabe Crest Trail, according to Halfway Anywhere.

Inside Intel: Hyperlite’s Scott Nechemias picked a viewpoint site at about 9,600 feet below the crest, near four drainages, for a calm night, and a second camp on a shoulder above South Twin after climbing Arc Dome. Backpacker’s 2013 Arc Dome Loop marks a campsite off the North Twin River with sunrise and sunset views. Patagonia’s 2009 party, caught by wind and snow near Arc Dome, sheltered in trees behind a large tree on the far side of the ridge.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Cornices on the crest in early June:

Hikers have found snowfields on the Toiyabe crest in June and woken to falling snow near Arc Dome, so pack a bag for cold nights. See which sleeping bags testers rate.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.