Mount Moriah via Hendrys Creek and The Table

Mount Moriah Wilderness, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and BLM (northern Snake Range, near Baker)

The Mount Moriah Wilderness covers the northern Snake Range just north of Great Basin National Park, on the Nevada-Utah line. Backpacker, in a trip provided by Nevada guidebook author Mike White, called it “a wildly remote land in the northern Snake Range.” Its centerpiece is The Table, a high plateau of subalpine meadows with bristlecone and limber pines below 12,000-foot Mount Moriah.

Backpacker describes a 19-mile shuttle: up Hendrys Creek to The Table, a side trip toward the summit, and out on the Hampton Creek Trail.

The hike

SummitPost’s directions to the Hendrys Creek Trailhead leave U.S. 50/6 east of Sacramento Pass, follow a major dirt road north for 10.8 miles, then turn west on a road signed for Hendrys Creek and follow it 3.5 miles to its end. Backpacker recommends moderate- to high-clearance vehicles for the trailhead roads.

The Hendrys Creek Trail follows a stream canyon. Backpacker describes it climbing through pinyon-shrub slopes and mixed forest to bristlecone pines near 11,000 feet. Stav is Lost says the trail climbs gradually up the drainage below cliff walls, and that the creek was flowing in October 2022.

The creek is the main obstacle. A SummitPost contributor counted at least 14 crossings and turned back at the tenth in mid-June 2019, when the water was knee- to hip-deep and getting swifter as the canyon narrowed. The same hiker returned in September 2020, found the trail “great” despite the crossings, saw aspens turning, and met no one. The SummitPost page recommends September or October.

Above the canyon the trail reaches The Table, which Wilderness Connect describes as a plateau north and west of Mount Moriah with bristlecone and limber pines. Backpacker calls it sloping, exposed, and windswept. Travel Nevada says elk are sometimes seen there and that fall is a good time to visit.

From The Table, Backpacker’s route follows an unsigned, cairned spur about 1.5 miles across the northeast face of 12,067-foot Mount Moriah, with views across eastern Nevada’s canyons and summits. Stav is Lost describes leaving the trail around 11,100 feet and climbing a grassy slope to the summit ridge, with the last roughly 100 feet Class 2.

The next morning, Backpacker’s route descends the 8-mile Hampton Creek Trail, which follows a trout stream, to a second car. Wilderness Connect says trails here range from fair to very poor, so expect rough tread in places.

Mount Moriah sits just north of the Baker and Johnson Lakes Loop in Great Basin National Park, which makes a natural pairing for a trip to the area.

Tips

Go in September or October. Snowmelt can make the Hendrys Creek crossings dangerous in early summer, according to the SummitPost reports.
Set up the shuttle. Backpacker’s route ends at the Hampton Creek Trailhead.
Bring good tires and a spare. Stav is Lost got a flat on sharp rocks on the trailhead road.
Carry water across The Table. Wilderness Connect says the core of the wilderness is dry.
Have a map and compass for the summit spur. It is unsigned and marked only by cairns.

Camping

The wilderness has no designated campsites; Travel Nevada says visitors have created several makeshift sites. The Humboldt-Toiyabe’s forest-wide order 04-17-24-04 limits camping to 14 days in any 30-day period. No wilderness-specific group-size or setback rules were found, so follow Leave No Trace and camp well away from the creek. Wilderness Connect notes that motor vehicles and bicycles are prohibited inside the wilderness. A SummitPost contributor mentions a good camping spot by the creek before starting out.

Inside Intel: Backpacker’s route, from guidebook author Mike White, suggests a meadow campsite around mile 9 on the Hendrys Creek Trail.

Trail facts

Distance: About 19 miles, Hendrys Creek to Hampton Creek (Backpacker)
Route type: Point to point (shuttle)
Difficulty: Strenuous
High point: Mount Moriah, 12,067 feet, by an off-trail spur (optional)
Campsites: Dispersed; meadow around mile 9 (Backpacker)
Water: Hendrys and Hampton Creeks; carry water across The Table; treat all water
Creek crossings: 14 or more on Hendrys Creek; dangerous in snowmelt
Permits: None found
Rules: 14 days in 30 (forest-wide order); no motor vehicles or bikes in the wilderness
Dogs: No specific rule found
Trailheads: Hendrys Creek and Hampton Creek, east side of the range
Last verified: October 11, 2026

The Lowdown

Fourteen crossings of Hendrys Creek:

One hiker counted at least 14 crossings of Hendrys Creek and turned back at the tenth in mid-June, when the water ran knee- to hip-deep. Learn when to cross, and when to turn around.

Read the crossing tips →

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.