January 18, 2023. According to the definitive list found on the Lists of John website, Idaho has 8,190 peaks and associated formations like county high points and rock formations found in places like the City of Rocks National Reserve. Of this total, 5,860 peaks have at least 300 feet of prominence. The majority of Idaho’s peaks are unnamed. Of course, … Continue reading →
The opportunities for those who enjoy climbing mountains are unlimited in Idaho. This guidebook is an idea book and a starting point for mountaineers, hikers and explorers. In the 10 years since Exploring Idaho’s Mountains was published, Idaho’s population has skyrocketed, Boise has become a city and Coeur d’Alene is now a major resort destination. Surprisingly, this growth has had … Continue reading →
During 2025, Liv Douglas established a new record of 202Snake River Plain Peaks climbed. This is far more than any other climbers on LOJ. The second-place climber is Rick Baugher with 65 peaks. Liv’s journey on Idaho’s Snake River Plain began in May 2019 in, most appropriately, the Craters of the Moon National Monument. By calendar year, he has reached … Continue reading →
On August 4th at around 7:30AM, I set off from the Summit Creek trailhead. My goal was to traverse the Pioneer Crest from the Summit Creek trailhead to the Hyndman Creek trailhead where Derek Percoski agreed to pick me up. First up was the Devils Bedstead West (DBW). After an easy going ascent of DBW, the traverse to Salzburg Spitzl … Continue reading →
On August 2, 2025 Derek Percoski became the first person to climb the highest 500 ranked Idaho peaks. This journey included all of the 12ers, 11ers and 10ers plus a few 9ers. Derek celebrated his accomplishment by gathering a group of Idaho peakbaggers to climb Peak 10,309 in the Lost River Range. This group included 13 11er finishers. We dubbed … Continue reading →
Dear Tom, I moved to Idaho midsummer a few years ago, and soon after found your website. Coming from a much flatter state, I had never been on a hike with more than 1000 feet of gain, but I felt drawn to the mountains. After hikes in Craters of the Moon, Kelly Canyon, and the Palisades Wilderness Study Area, a … Continue reading →
Counting on Idaho by Rick Baugher For me the pleasure of reaching the summits of Idaho mountains has for better or worse devolved into a motivationally oriented numbers game. My most recent and seemingly elusive quest has been to reach 2000 unique Idaho summits. By the way, the numerical count is my own, using USGS traditionally mapped data. All peaks … Continue reading →
Chic Burge author of NW Inland Routes website has a 21st Century take on the 10 essentials. Check it out at this link: 14+ Essentials … Continue reading →
Mackenzie Ward contacted me and reports that City of Rocks Camp and Climb is open for business in Almo, Idaho. You can learn more about the Business on Instagram, Facebook, and Google and at the following link: City of Rocks Camp and Climb There is a discount code for $5 off. Code: SAWTOOTH … Continue reading →
[REVISED AND UPDATED ON 10/01/25] Livingston Douglas has created 48 custom peak lists on the Lists of John (LOJ) website and has made them publicly available to all climbers. His lists include all peaks (ranked and unranked) within each of the following mountain ranges as identified on LOJ. Additionally, he has compiled lists for the Idaho County HPs, Idaho peaks … Continue reading →
The other day, during a workout at the gym, I got to chatting with a casual friend who I hadn’t seen in a few years. He asked if I was still climbing?” Well, not really climbing,” I responded. “But I still regularly hike to mountain tops.” No, Bill, not the Tetons, but rather the more obscure, seldom-visited summits mostly. In … Continue reading →
Idaho’s Snake River Plain offers many amazing opportunities for mountain climbers to explore the high desert. While technically not a desert, the Snake River Plain sure feels that way. Over the past six years, I have climbed 124 geographical “features” on the Snake River Plain, probably more than any other climber. Sheldon Bluestein has done extensive exploration of the Snake … Continue reading →
Idaho shares a lengthy border on its east side with both Montana and Wyoming. The ID/WY border begins east of Bear Lake at the extreme southeast corner of Idaho where the state shares a border with both Utah and Wyoming. From here, the ID/WY border heads in a straight line northward (on the longitudinal line 111 degrees WEST) all the … Continue reading →
Liv Douglas holds the record for the number of Idaho Beaverhead Mountains climbed at 173 peaks. Idaho has a total of 191 Beaverheads (23 of which are unranked), including quite a few on the ID/MT border. He has also climbed 38 Beaverheads that reside solely in the State of Montana. As of November 2024, Rick Baugher is the second-most prolific … Continue reading →
Thanks to LiDAR, the Nez Perce County HP (Craig Mountain) is quite different from what the COHP enthusiasts have climbed. They drove right past the actual/new high point for Craig Mountain (and Nez Perce County). The former high point was located about a mile west of the main ridge crest road and was measured (by map) at 5,380 feet. The … Continue reading →
A new post from the stats guy so you know what that means. 11er list updates! We’ve got a new highest 11er and a new lowest 11er! “No Regret Peak” is Idaho’s 10th highest: 11,996 feet with 314 feet of prominence (possibly more; there’s a small section of the saddle where LiDAR isn’t available yet.) The maps show “No Regret … Continue reading →
While a climber can choose to climb any mountain for any reason, we all tend to be interested in their stats to some degree. Idaho’s budding peakbaggers are generally only after the handful of summits over 12,000 feet in elevation with 300 feet of prominence (the widely used cutoff for what constitutes a separate mountain). Those who get hooked might … Continue reading →
There are two types of competitions at play for those attempting to climb the Grand Slam Peaks in one day: Completely Self-Propelled and Traditional Vehicle Shuttle Between Peaks. Anne Hamby and Matt Stallings are both local runners and professors at the College of Business and Economics at Boise State University. On Thursday, October 13, 2022 they set a new record … Continue reading →
Sixty-five years after Lincoln Hales’ and Pete Schoening pioneered climbing routes on the Bighorn Crags’ granite walls (aka the Litner Group) at the west end of Ship Island Lake, Jim Pace led a crew of climbers to the granite climbers’ paradise. Read about their climbs in Jim’s article: Ship Island Climbing 2020. Ship Island Climbing 2020 by Jim Pace … Continue reading →
Derek Percoski finished the Idaho 11ers on July 15, 2021 but even more impressive was his second mountaineering accomplishment. On July 15, 2022 Derek completed his quest to climb all 329 ranked summits in Blaine County, Idaho. His quest covered a wide variety of summits and terrain including volcanic buttes in Craters of the Moon National Monument, the high Pioneer … Continue reading →
June 26, 2022. Access to Lost River Mountain was recently closed. The access route crosses BLM and private land but serves as access to Forest Service land. Contact the Forest Supervisor and request that he Forest Service grade one of the alternative access roads shown on the map below or buy an easement from the land owner. Salmon-Challis National … Continue reading →
Derek Percoski Post Earthquake Report More bad news about the Sawtooths. I don’t believe a reasonable Class 4 route up the summit block of Mount Regan remains. Perhaps I missed something, but I looked around quite a bit and it took some questionable decisions to reach the top. Regardless of a climber’s ability, the cruxes all involve loose dirt and … Continue reading →
Last Saturday, Daniel Jeffy Todd and Haylee Stocking traversed the Lemhi Range Crest between Diamond Peak and Saddle Mountain in a 26-hour push. Josh Smith provided logistical support. Read about their incredible journey in Daniel’s article at this link: Southern Lemhi Traverse by Daniel Todd … Continue reading →
An Alpinist Guide to Pocatello – Snow Climbs and Scrambles, by Scot Kelchner is now available on the Idaho: A Climbing Guide website. This is a guide to some of the local spots Scot Kelchner enjoyed during his 13 years of scrambling up peaks in the Pocatello area. He made the guide available as a farewell gift to the … Continue reading →
The North Raker survived the 2020 earthquakes and is still the hardest and most remote Sawtooth summit to climb. Since the first ascent by Fred Beckey and Pete Schoening in 1949, only a handful of climbers have reached its summit. Brian Fedigan and Mike McClure conquered the peak this Summer. Brian’s trip report and photos are set out below. “Mike … Continue reading →
On August 7th, John Platt climbed Mount Heinous. The ascent completed his quest to climb all 12 peaks on the Fitsum Peak Quad. In my opinion, the effort required to reach the summit of these 12 peaks (9 ranked) far exceeds the effort needed to climb Idaho’s nine 12ers. Very few Lick Creek Range peaks are easy to climb. Most … Continue reading →
Mark Trengove just published on the Europeaklist website the first international register of people who make multiple ascents of the same hill or mountain, an activity he has named ‘poly-bagging’. Check out the following links: Introduction to Poly-Bagging Poly-Bagging Register Mark points out that the “Register, and the Hall of Fame which will follow for 2020, brings out a niche … Continue reading →
