Fenn Mountain

Elevation: 8,021 ft
Prominence: 1,979

Climbing and access information for this peak is on Page 67 of the book. I had a question about the Jesse Pass Route. When I wrote the description found in the book I submitted the map I added below to supplement the written route description. I colored in the pencil line that I drew on the map the day I climbed the peak. Hopefully, this will further aid climbers find their way. Daniel Coulter and friends climbed the peak on July 20, 2022. Daniel’s trip report which provides a recent description of recent trail conditions is quoted in part below and linked below. Updated June 2022

Even though Fenn Mountain barely tops 8,000 feet, it is one of Idaho’s most impressive peaks. Like any peak in the Selway Crags, its takes a lot of effort to get to the base of the peak. Once you are there, you will find a classic Class 3 scramble leading to its remote summit. After nearly 50 years of climbing in Idaho Fenn Mountain is still one of my favorite climbs. USGS Fenn Mountain

Access

Jesse Pass [(E)(3.1.2)(b) page 78]. Daniel Coulter’s report on access conditions states “The most common access point for Fenn Mountain is Big Fog Saddle at the end of NF-319. After over four years of closure due to washouts, NF-319 is once again open to full size vehicles. From Selway Rd (a good dirt road), it is an 11 mile drive on NF-319 to Big Fog Saddle. This road is generally good (high clearance required in a few spots), but is narrow and meeting an oncoming vehicle could be problematic in many sections. There are several nice camp sites and a vault toilet at Big Fog Saddle.”

Daniel notes that trail conditions have continued to deteriorate since I climbed the peak in 1988. He writes “This trail does not appear to get much use or maintenance anymore, as we encountered thick brush encroaching on the trail and at least 100 deadfalls to negotiate. In several sections the trail nearly disappears completely and good trail finding skills are recommended. The worst section is shortly after crossing the north fork of Canteen Creek. I would also like to note that the trail on the ground deviates significantly from the mapped trail. If you are ever uncertain whether or not you are on the trail, follow the attached GPS track [see Daniel’s TR linked below] and you will find it again. Once we arrived at Cove Lakes [we] dropped our overnight packs, and continued the climb with our much lighter day packs. The trail (Trail 31 on maps) is easy enough to follow past the lakes, but we never found the intersection with the trail up to Jesse Pass, so we just took a cross country route to the pass following open areas when possible. We did find a bit of the trail near Jesse Pass but it is not continuous, so just use your instinct to pick a good line. Once at Jesse Pass we followed a use trail, crossed a boulder field, ascended a grassy gully, and crossed another boulder field, all of which matched Tom Lopez’s description of the route.”

Jesse Pass/Southwest Ridge, Class 3

This route is discussed in detail in the book. Daniel Coulter’s trip report further expands on the book entry and I recommend that you consult it before attempting the climb.

My route from Jesse Pass to the summit..

Fenn Mountain

The route starts on Jesse Pass. Its an excellent spot for a dry camp. There is a spring a half-mile down the west side of the pass.

The Fenn Mountain route climbs this ridge from Jesse Pass.

The route starts out on easy but steep terrain before encountering route-finding problems on the ridge above.

The last section of the route traverses under the south side of the last tower before the summit and then climbs directly to summit on the slopes shown in the middle of this photo.