MORMON PEAK (7414-ft.) EXPL0RATORY	24 Nov. 1976	Wes Shelberg Jack Grams
The Mormon Mountains are a long, north/south trending, Great Basin range in southern Nevada. This enormous desert range is north of Lake Head and east of the Sheep Range, the latter featuring Hayford Peak which is on the DPS peak list. The Mormon Mountains are located on the Chevron (Standard Oil Co.) Road Map of Nevada (1973 Edition), and better on the National Geographic Society map, "Close-up - U. S. A. - California and Nevada", published in June 1974. Essentially, the southern terminus of the Mormon Mountains is the steeply inclined, 6471-ft. Moapa Peak whose spectacular appearance most certainly invites future exploration and climbing by desert peakers. Moapa Peak is shown on the Moapa Peak Quadrangle (NV, 7.5-Min), and is approximately 9.5 miles north, as the crow flies, of Interstate 15 (the freeway between Las Vegas and St. George, Utah) when the freeway location is approximately nine miles east of Glendale, Nevada. It is superbly visible from Interstate 15. The 7414-ft. Mormon Peak (North Mormon benchmark) is the highest in the range, is located approximately eight miles north of Moapa Peak, and from Hayford Peak has a compass bearing of 60 degrees and a distance, as the crow flies, of about 44 miles. Mormon Peak is shown on the Moapa Peak NW quadrangle (NV, 7.5-Min) and the Rox NE Quadrangle (NV, 7.5-Min). The bench-mark is on the former. Jack Grams and I explored and climbed Mormon Peak. When we were about 800-ft. (elevation) below the summit, six desert bighorn sheep viewed us for awhile, then ran up the peak in single-file to disappear near the summit, and finally re-appeared to run single-file down an adjacent shoulder of the mountain. Mormon Peak summit views show that the range is free from offensive mining scars, roads and other human depredation, and engender a feeling of wildness, freedom and isolation. The summit supports a sparse growth of pinyon pines, cactus, mountain mahogany and other desert shrubs. It reveals several rugged 6000-7000-ft. peaks of the range which appear difficult of access because of terrain, steepness and lack of jeep routes. The summit provides expansive and distant views of the impressive escarpment of the East Mormon Mountains; badland, mesa and mountain topography reaching into Nevada, Utah and Arizona; blue Lake Mead far to the south; and the long Sheep Range to the west. Road and climbing directions follow. Proceed north-east from Las Vegas on Interstate 15 for 48 miles to Nevada State Highway 7. Proceed north-west (toward Moapa) on Hwy. 7 for 2.8 miles to intersect a good gravel road which goes north on the east side of the Union Pacific Railroad. Details to this point are shown on the AAA San Bernardino County Road Map (Lake Head side), and you are on the Moapa quadrangle (NV, 15-Min). Turn north and stay on the gravel road paralleling the railroad for 18.4 miles. This road is shown on the aforementioned AAA and topo map, but may not be shown on some oil company road maps. At roughly 11 miles from Hwy. 7, the road goes through an underpass to the west side of the railroad. This is on the Farrier Quadrangle (NV, 7.5-Min). At 13.4 miles

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