Find Nearby Peaks

Climbing and access information for this peak is on Page 307 of the book. Livingston Douglas added new photos and updated access/route information for those interested in climbing the peak from the east. The elevation and prominence figures reflect recent LiDAR updates. Updated October 2025

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The Clapper sits at the head of Meadow Canyon on a high, rocky ridge in the Lemhi Range. Bell Mountain (11,615 feet) is to its northwest and the Incredible Hulk (10,858 feet) is to its east. Although the Clapper is overshadowed by it giant neighbor (Bell Mountain), it is a worthy goal. USGS Bell Mountain

West Side Access

The alluvial fans on west side of Bell Mountain are crossed by several 4WD roads which are discussed in the book on page 318 [(C)(7)]. These rough roads are accessed from the Pahsimeroi Highway 5.8 miles north of Clyde, Idaho. The Black Creek Road provides access to the south side of the west ridge. This road is rougher than the road into Basinger Canyon. This road ends at roughly 7,400 feet.

Southwest Ridge, Class 2

From the end of the Black Creek Road, follow the Class 2 southwest ridge to the summit. Larry Prescott’s trip report, linked below, provides great photos and additional ascent information which will help get you to the summit.

Traverse from Bell Mountain, Class 3

The Clapper has been climbed by a group that traversed over from Bell Mountain. This group descended Bell’s Class 3 south ridge, then crossed the talus slopes below its east face to reach the ridge connecting the two peaks. They then climbed up the Clapper’s northwest ridge.

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Northeast Shoulder/East Ridge by Livingston Douglas

Access

Meadow Canyon Road is located along ID-28 in the Lemhi Valley exactly 11.5 miles north of the north entrance to the Birch Creek Campground and 2.0 miles south of Nicholia Road. Meadow Canyon Road is signed. Please note that the old [standard] drive to Meadow Canyon followed a road a few miles north of here that heads directly to the canyon. That road is now an unmaintained, badly-rutted 2-track road that is not advisable for driving a vehicle. This route follows a drivable set of roads to reach the mouth of Meadow Canyon.

Turn left/west onto [signed] Meadow Canyon Road.  Set your odometer at 0.0 here. Note that USFS Map Sheet Page 40 labels this road as “Keg Gulch Road”, but this is the correct road to be on. At 3.2 miles, turn left onto FSR-717 at a signed junction. At 5.0 miles, enter the Targhee National Forest at a cattle gate. At 5.7 miles, reach a “T” junction with FSR-699.

Turn left/south here and drive another 0.1 miles to a signed junction at the mouth of Meadow Canyon. Meadow Canyon Road descends into the canyon from here and is a much rougher, rutted road. I made it 1.1 miles from this junction up Meadow Canyon and parked along the road [7,666 feet; 44°15’00.9”N, 113°07’22.1”W]. The road ends in another 0.4 miles.

Northeast Shoulder/East Ridge, Class 3

The Climb

From the improvised parking pullout, hike 0.4 miles south up rugged Meadow Canyon Road to its end in a meadow at a fork in the canyon. Find a trailhead and gated road closure to the right/west. This is FST-020. Like the Meadow Canyon “Road,” it is a joke. FST-020 is unmaintained and is seldom used. It is often difficult to follow and ends in about a mile up the Meadow Canyon drainage. It moves from side to side up the dry, rocky stream bed in the canyon. After reaching the end of the faint trail, continue west up the forested canyon with a reasonably easy bushwhack.

Reach a sharp left/south bend in the canyon at about 8,400 feet. The canyon narrows and steepens. It has a bit more blowdown but nothing onerous. Leave the canyon/dry creek bed in the 8,700-8,800-foot area and scramble southwest up a forested shoulder. If you leave the canyon higher as I did on my ascent (at 8,850 feet), you must bushwhack west up onto a shoulder that eventually merges into a larger shoulder that begins down around 8,700 feet in the canyon. Either way, you must stay north of a large, rocky gully that cuts the east face of The Clapper.

As you gain elevation, the forest thins out and the terrain becomes rockier. The terrain on the shoulder is a mix of scattered pines, loose scree/gravel, some ground boulders and rocky outcrops, and patches of tundra. It is steep and loose and requires grabbing the pines to advance in some areas (Class 3). The gully to your left/south will eventually be your ticket to the summit ridge. High up, the northeast shoulder reaches a headwall of rocky towers. Go left/south just under these towers and cross into the center of the prominent gully. Stay in the center for the best footing on tundra and embedded ground rock/slabs.

The gully leads directly to the summit ridge. This section of the climb is quite steep but it goes at Class 3 at worst. Upon nearing the top of the gully, move left/southeast up a final section to reach the ridge crest. Once on the rocky east ridge, scramble northwest past a few ridge towers. Climb over the east summit (which is 30 feet lower than the true/west summit) then descend loose talus/scree for 50 vertical feet to a notch. From the notch, continue west up an easy pile of talus/scree to reach the cairned summit of The Clapper. This concludes the first leg of today’s 2-peak adventure. Goats ‘R Us (10,577 feet) is up next.

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