Gass Peak is the highest peak in the Las Vegas Range of

Southern Nevada Southern Nevada (SNV) is a region and the southern portion of the U.S. state of Nevada which includes the Las Vegas Valley. It also includes the areas in and around Pahrump and Pioche. Tonopah and Hawthorne are sometimes also referred to as pa ...

with a summit of 6,937 feet (2,114 m). It is easily seen to the north of the

Las Vegas Valley The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the Southern Nevada, southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan St ...

, bordering the city of

North Las Vegas North Las Vegas is a suburban city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, in the Las Vegas Valley. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 262,527, with an estimated population of 280,543 in 2022. The city was incorporated on May 1, 1946 ...

. The peak is located about 20 miles (32 km) north of

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

and is within the

Desert National Wildlife Refuge The Desert National Wildlife Refuge is a protected wildlife refuge, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, located north of Las Vegas, Nevada, in northwestern Clark County, Nevada, Clark and southwestern Lincoln County, Nevada, Li ...

, administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. A communications tower with solar panels has been built at the top of the peak.

Etymology

Gass Peak is named for

Octavius Decatur Gass Octavius Decatur "O. D." Gass (February 29, 1828 – December 10, 1924) was an American prospector, businessman, and politician. A four term member of the Arizona Territorial Legislature, he was active in the early history of Las Vegas, ...

(1828–1924), an early settler and prominent rancher of Las Vegas.

History

On November 26, 2019, a

Cirrus SR22 The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine four- or five-seat composite aircraft built since 2001 by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota, United States. It is a development of the Cirrus SR20, with a larger wing, higher fuel capacity and more powerfu ...

crashed into the summit of Gass Peak, and all three passengers aboard the plane were killed. Recovery efforts were initiated the following day, but due to poor weather conditions they were called off. It was later determined that the cause of the accident was due to the pilot's inability to see the peak during sunset; when the crash occurred.

Hiking and recreation

Gass Peak is accessible by the public and the most common access is via Corn Creek Road off

U.S. Route 95 U.S. Route 95 (US 95) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Highway in the western United States. It travels through the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho, staying inland ...

, northwest of Las Vegas, then to the Mormon Well Road and Gass Peak Road dirt roads. Campsites and parking corrals are located along the roads and at trailheads. Hiking trails are not maintained. On the peak, mountains in

Nye County Nye County is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,591. Its county seat is Tonopah. At , Nye is Nevada's largest county by area and the third-largest county in the contiguous United States, beh ...

, Lincoln County,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

are all visible in the distance.

Gallery

File:Gass Peak, Las Vegas Range, Near Las Vegas, Nevada (14203698665).jpg, Gass Peak viewed from above File:Las Vegas Range from Cannery 1.jpg, Gass Peak covered in snow File:Copy of Solar Panels on Gass Peak.jpg, Sunrise viewed looking east atop Gass Peak

References

{{reflist Mountains of Nevada Mountains of Clark County, Nevada

Etymology

History

Hiking and recreation

Gallery

See also

References