Elevation: 11,775 ft
Prominence: 955
Climbing and access information for this peak is on Pages 250-251 of the book. Scroll down this page to view many photos of the standard Black Dike Route as well as and new route information: Kaden Platt’s North Face Chimney Route, (2) Steve Sheriff and Kevin Murray route on the North Ridge and (3) The Travis Michaelis Memorial Route. Updated June 2025
Old Hyndman Peak when viewed from most direction is a classic horn shaped classic that is sometimes referred to as Idaho’s Matterhorn. This difficult peak has been climbed from a variety of direction. Most of these routes are technical, exposed and cross rotten rock. This peak is #9 on my list of Favorite Climbs. The Class 3 East Ridge/East Face Black Dike Route is a great combination of an enjoyable cross-country approach with strenuous scramble up a unique feature. USGS Grays Peak
The North Ridge of Old Hyndman Peak.
Old Hyndman Peak as viewed from the north. Evilio Echevarria Photo
Old Hyndman Peak as viewed from Cobb Peak.
The trek up the standard route on Old Hyndman Peak climbs into Big Basin on the peak’s southeast side.
Old Hyndman Peak looks unclimbable when viewed from Big Basin.
The standard route climbs out of Big Basin into this higher basin, which is a sea of talus and broken rock. Cobb Peak is on the right. Big Basin Peak is to the left (not in photo) and Old Hyndman Peak is to the right (not in photo).
A Narrative of my 1990 Ascent
I’ve noted elsewhere that Idaho’s premier range by almost any measure is the Pioneer Mountans. Its peaks are high and wild, the rock good, the lakes gorgeous, and the vistas terrific. From east to west, it stretches nearly fifty miles between Ketchum and Arco, and it’s almost twenty-five miles wide. The Matterhorn-shaped Old Hyndman Peak is only the eighth-highest pinnacle in the range but when it comes to aesthetics, it’spreeminent.
In September 1990 I entered Big Basin on Old Hyndman’s southeastern side, accompanied by Dana, Mark Weber, and Basil Service. Our subsequent climb proved the axiom that sometimes the journey is as rewarding as the destiny. Numerous stands of aspen displayed their golden colors of fall, the route stair stepped its way up the pristine basin, and the peak’s southeastern face stood up defiantly, daring us attempt what seemed like its un-climbable upper wall.
We pressed on, confident that we knew the mountain’s secret: the seemingly difficult upper face is cut by a black rock dike that forms a protected staircase, whichsplits the nearly vertical three-hundred-foot section of the southeast face. There are a lot of challenging routes on Old Hyndman but none is as rewarding as the climb up the black rock dike.
As you get closer to the col between Old Hyndman Peak and Big Basin Peak, the route becomes clear. The “Black Dike” cuts a welcoming line up the face.
The talus leading to the col is almost never ending.
A closer view of the dike with a climber nearing its top end.
Old Hyndman Peak as viewed from the west side approach to Hyndman Peak.
Old Hyndman Peak as viewed from Big Basin Peak. Brett Sergenian Photo
Old Hyndman Peak, East Ridge/East Face Route. The black dike is visible cutting up the face.
Climbing the black dike.
Old Hyndman Peak as viewed from Wildhorse Canyon.
The following route information was provided by (1) Steve Sheriff of Missoula, Montana and (2) Dean Lords of Idaho Falls (with photo below).
(1) North Face Chimneys, Class YDS 5.4 by Kaden Platt
(Kaden Platt solo climbed this exposed route in June 2025.)
Photo of the start of the route, begins with exposed 2+/3 scrambling then you get into a short chimney that goes at 5.0. Red line shows the route.Dave Pahlas Photo
Then above this, there’s a second chimney that leads into a chossy overhang. I climbed the short 5.1 offwidth, then scooted back down to the ledge after finding that way was way too risky. Kaden Platt Photo
Instead, shuffled the ledge 7 feet to the East (not pictured) then climbed exposed 4+/5.0 jug hauling to the first crux, getting onto the North Ridge. A short 5.4 boulder move with a high left foot reaching into a left hand under cling to mantle onto the North Ridge. Kaden Platt Photo
After that, climb part of the North Ridge (Class 4/4+) then scramble loose class 2/3 up to the last chimney. I felt the last chimney was mostly highly exposed class 4, with the crux being the last pull over the summit. Kaden Platt Photo
(2) Steve Sheriff and Kevin Murray Route on the North Ridge
Old Hyndman Peak, North Ridge, II 5.7, 10/6/2001. Kevin Murray easily
convinced me to climb the North Ridge of Old Hyndman Peak. We started from the
campground at Wildhorse Creek. We approached and, with some Class 3 and 6 or
7 pitches of broken rock, reached the summit via the North Ridge. The last
pitch, just below the summit, had a few Class 5.7 moves, the others were lower Class 5. In terms of line and directness, this was a high character route. It suffers from low quality (but tolerable/manageable) rock.
We elected to descend the South Ridge into Hyndman basin north of Cobb Peak. We woke up a couple of mountain goats, crossed the saddle between Old Hyndman Peak and Hyndman Peak, got back to the North Ridge, and still ended up with two raps on that ridge. 12 hours round trip. This makes a good tour of the mountain.
(3) The Travis Michaelis Memorial Route by Dean Lords
Hyndman Peak: Northeast Face
WI 4, M5, (1800 feet)
May 14th, 2004
Abe Dickerson and I completed a new ephemeral ice route on the Northeast Face of Hyndman Peak. This route starts on the obvious thin ice smear flowing from a snow bowl in the middle of the Northeast Face. One 60M pitch of very thin WI 4 leads to a rock belay at the base of the snow bowl. Two pitches of 50° to 60° snow and rolling WI 3 slabs lead to another hanging snow slope. The fourth pitch climbed this hanging snow bowl and finished in a narrow ice runnel below a headwall of ice and rock. The next section was the crux and was passed in two 30M pitches of technical mixed climbing on thin vertical ice and some exciting sections of dry tooling and mixed climbing up to M5 in difficulty. The seventh pitch started with a WI 3 corner which lead to a steep snow ramp. The eighth pitched crossed the Northeast Ridge. A narrow 60° couloir was climbed to the summit after appoximately 400 feet. The entire route is threatened by massive cornices hanging from the East Ridge.
Old Hyndman Peak from Paymaster Peak.
Photo Essay of the Northeast Face Route
Climbing “Borah, Borah, Borah” (October 2004). Brian Wood Photo
Climbing “Borah, Borah, Borah” (October 2004). Brian Wood Photo
Additional Resources