Summit: 12,665ft
Native Lands of the: Shoshone-Bannock
Hike Stats: 9.7 miles 5,374ft of gain
Borah Peak, also known as Mount Borah or Beauty Peak is the highest Peak in Idaho and the monarch of the Lost River Range and Salmon-Challis National Forest! It is also #27 of 48 ultra prominent peaks in the contiguous United States. Those 2 accolades landed Borah on my top priority list. The standard route, chickenout ridge, is a fun challenge on one steep hunk of rock!
1st trip: 7/26/2024
Boys trip! We planned for a backpack in the Sawtooths but an active wildfire in the area thwarted that plan so we opted for a day hike of Borah Peak followed by a bike day in Sun Valley. Once we all touched down in Boise we picked up a rental car and headed for the Borah Peak trailhead 3hr and 45min away. The rentalās air conditioning did not work so we got accustomed to the smoke right away.
On the way we picked up dinner from a small restaurant ran by a family with 10 bright red headed children in Arco, Idaho. Arco was the first city in the world to be powered by nuclear energy back in 1955.
The Borah Peak trailhead was 1hr from Arco and we were pleasantly surprised with clear skies for the night outside.
Our objective was out giving us a preview!
We camped a few minutes down the road from the trailhead with great expansive views!
We started bright and early the next morning and unfortunately the smoke rolled in but it wasnāt too bad. It just washed out some of our views.
The first 3 miles go straight up gaining 3,700ft.
Above the treeline at 10,000ft we followed the east ridge until the crux of the hike, chickenout ridge.
Chickenout ridge involved slightly exposed scrambling up some wicked looking limestone. It was a blast!
We continued up the ridge following the well defined trail until more scrambling was required.
Climbing up the slabs and ledges at 11,000ft was fun! We could see the valley floor 5,000ft below. We then down climbed a rock outcrop with a fixed rope to a saddle.
From the saddle we traversed along the ridge until the summit came into view. The final push was straight up loose scree.
From Idahoās highest point the views of the Lost River Range were great but because of the smoke we couldnāt see beyond the range to the likes of Diamond Peak or Hyndman Peak.
We gained a near vertical mile in a short distance reaching over 12,600ft so it was nice to sit on our butts for a few minutes. Thankfully the altitude did not cause any issues and hike down got easier with each step. The scrambling was equally exciting as the way up!
After the successful hike we were ready to relax our jello legs in Sun Valley.
The next day we rented gravel bikes which was a blast! It also felt good to shake out the leg soreness.
Naturally whenever we passed a nice patch of Idaho grass we wrestled. Chesnut was our champion of the trip!
Our last day was an easy travel day. Love these brothers and our adventures! Next boys trip coming this summer! As for Idaho Iāll be back for the Sawtooths, the Wallowas, Diamond Peak, She/He Devil, Rock Creek Butte and more 12ers!
CAPPY TRAILS 