Patterson Peak 8350 by Livingston Douglas

Elevation: 8,350 ft
Prominence: 1,410

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This peak is not in the book.


Patterson Peak is named for Grant Alma Patterson (1921-1982), local civic leader, Postmaster for Hailey from 1968-1982, and former Hailey City Councilman. It is located due east of Hailey, Idaho on a ridgeline that divides Quigley Creek and Slaughterhouse Creek. USGS Baugh Creek SW

Northwest Ridge, Class 2

Access

From the intersection of ID-75 and East Croy Street in the bustling metropolis of Hailey, ID, drive northeast on East Croy Street until it doglegs right then doglegs left, becoming FSR-115/Quigley Road. Quigley Road ascends in a northeasterly direction, following the north side of Quigley Creek. Drive 2.8 miles up Quigley Road to a public access point at 5,700 feet. Park here.

The Climb

From Quigley Road (5,700 feet), you have a great view (to the south) of the long ridge that encompasses “Patterson Mountain”, the high point of which is Patterson Peak (8,350 feet). This is open, sagebrush terrain with only a few small patches of forest here and there. Farther up Quigley Creek, there is much more forested terrain on the northwest side of the mountain. There are numerous gullies and ridges that lead up to the summit ridge from Quigley Road.

From the parking spot on Quigley Road, follow an old jeep road briefly, then leave it to scramble southeast up the Northeast Ridge. This ridge leads up to the summit ridge at Point 8295, just southwest of the true summit. The terrain is thick sagebrush for the first couple hundred feet of scrambling. Thankfully, the sagebrush thins as you gain elevation.

From Point 8295, follow the ridge northeast up over a slightly-higher ridge bump. Continue northeast briefly to reach the true summit of Patterson Peak. I traversed southwest from the true summit just to be sure that none of the other ridge points were higher. I followed the easy ridge for 1.5 miles, with several ups and downs, and reached the Southwest Summit Of “Patterson Mountain” (Point 8256). Point 8256 had a USGS-like benchmark in the ground as well as a summit register. Perhaps this is the “official” summit of “Patterson Mountain,” but it’s not the high point. It measured at 100 feet lower than the true summit, according to my altimeter.

The Descent

From Point 8256, follow the ridge crest briefly northeastward to a small saddle. Descend northwest on a ridge to reach a small forested area (shown on the Hailey quadrangle), where the ridge terminates in a gully. Follow the gully northwest then north to get back to Quigley Road. Follow the road in a northeasterly direction to return to your vehicle. This is a nice, early-season scramble when there is lots of snow still covering the higher mountains.

Additional Resources

Mountain Range: Pioneer Mountains

Longitude: -114.22529   Latitude: 43.53189

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