Burnt Knob

Elevation: 8,196 ft
Prominence: 716

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The scenic fire lookout is in poor condition.

This peak is not in the book.


Burnt Knob is one of the most spectacular summits in the southern Clearwater Mountains. Its granite summit towers over a steep Northeast Face which drops 800 feet precipitously down to the Burnt Knob Lakes. An old fire lookout sits on the summit. The scenic, massive view from the summit is tempered by the vast area around the peak which has burned over the last 30 years. USGS Sabe Mountain

Burnt Knob.

Burnt Knob

The scenic fire lookout is in poor condition.

The scenic fire lookout is in poor condition.

The summit is reached by a difficult 4WD road (FS-468C), which runs from the Magruder Corridor Road to the summit in 1.5 miles. This junction is 31.1 miles west of the western terminus of the Magruder Corridor. There is room for a couple of vehicles to park at the junction. I drove the first 1.1 miles up FS-468C to the ridge that runs north to Three Prong Mountain where there was a nice place to camp and then walked to the summit. Peak 7933/West White Top Peak and White Top Peak can be reached via a trail that runs north to Three Prong Mountain.

Camp at 7,900 feet on Burnt Knob.

Camp at 7,900 feet on Burnt Knob.

FS-468C is a not easy to drive. You need to have very good, multi-ply sidewalls and 4WD low range to drive it. While we were camped on the summit, a number of ATVs used the road to reach the summit, but no 4WDs passed our camp. The road is narrow and if you meet someone coming from the opposite direction, finding a place where two vehicles can pass is difficult at best.

Additional Resources

Mountain Range: Southern Clearwater Peaks

Year Climbed: 2017

Longitude: -114.99179   Latitude: 45.70239

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