I summitted Boundary a few days ago for my #42, and we camped at the Queens Canyon road before the 4wd portion of the road begins. But from time to time, people on this forum have asked about lodging near the trail, to minimal response. There is a camping and lodging option that i've never seen mentioned, but seems to me would be ideal. The tiny town of Benton, perhaps 45 minutes west of the trailhead, has an inn and camp with hot springs as part of the deal.

http://www.historicbentonhotsprings.com/

We didn't stay there, but some people we talked to in Mammoth Lakes recommended it. Fwiw, Benton also has a gas station and the looks of a charming not-quite-yet ghost town.

There also are camping opportunities on the trail itself, along the ridge and at Trail Canyon saddle, but one would have to haul up water of course.

The hike was much prettier than i had expected, with views for miles and some great bristlecone pines. And it served as a really valuable acclimation warm up hike for going up Mt. Shasta 1-1/2 days later. I salute you, Boundary Peak!

Way to go, Mark! Thanks to a broken car back in 2001, Boundary is still on my "to-do" list. Kinda hard to summit when you never get to the trailhead.

How far up did you drive? To the big flat turnaround area at the end of the graded gravel road, or did you make it up the rockier stretch to the Queen Canyon Mine?

The whole road was rather rough, so i'm not sure exactly where the graded gravel road begins and ends. But where we camped was at a mine. I believe it's not Queens Canyon Mine, but another one. (It's common for people to assume it's Queens Canyon Mine, but that one is lower down the canyon and off on some side road.) It's the typical parking spot though...the only place with a large, wide area that can park ~10 cars. From there it's perhaps 1-1/2 miles up the remaining, even rougher road to where there is an unmarked post and the beginning of a very clear single-track trail.

If you're wanting more definitive information closer to when you go to hike there, let me know and i can dig out the web addresses where i got my maps and info.

The difference between this route and the Trail Canyon route is really one of views and quantity of scree. Trail Canyon looks pretty from above, but the Queens Canyon route gets you up on the ridge right away so that you are overlooking Trail Canyon. The views are better this way. Also Trail Canyon has the large and steep scree section to finally gain the ridge that the Queens route is on all along.

I'll call them up. I'm nervous about getting lost on this mountain. I'm thinking about buying a GPS before going. I've been too cheap to get one till now.

I brought a GPS and never used it. If you get the directions from summitpost.org or the cohp.org trip reports, you'll be fine on the Queens Canyon route. The turnoff is apparent even though it's unsigned, the trailhead obvious, and the trail itself has no junctions or places to get lost. Then you get to the saddle and you'll see different use trails up to the summit, but whichever one you pick (we stuck with whatever looked most-used) you'll end up in the same place: the top.

and then the next day she was found. If memory serves me correctly, that was the story to my best recollection. It looks like I have an opportunity to go with someone from this forum so that will be a relief if it works out.

Cheers,
Steve

And you're quite sure it wasn't intentional on his part?

LOL.

Actually, I believe the story that Steve is talking about involves a well-known highpointer. For those unfamiliar with "Two Shadows," it is a very entertaining read full of many interesting stories ... including one from the slopes of Boundary Peak.

http://www.amazon.com/Two-Shadows-inspirational-triumph-adversity/dp/1453786783