Peak 8441 (Hawley Hill) by Livingston Douglas

Elevation: 8,441 ft
Prominence: 541

Find Nearby Peaks

This peak is not in the book. Published November 2019


Peak 8441 is a ranked ridge hump that sits above the mouth of Hawley Canyon. It is the final ridge point on the south ridge of Peak 9501. But Peak 8441 is a ranked summit, by a pretty good margin. Its west side is rugged and steep. Its east side is much gentler. It is best approached from Hawley Creek Road to the south and east. USGS Reservoir Creek

Southeast Spur/South Ridge, Class 2+

Access

From the junction of ID-28 and ID-29 in the bustling metropolis of Leadore, ID, drive east on ID-29 for 0.2 mile. Turn right/east onto Hawley Creek Road/FSR-275. This road begins as a County Road, turns into a BLM road, and finally becomes a Forest Service Road. Reset your odometer at the beginning of Hawley Creek Road. At 3.8 miles, reach a signed road junction and the pavement ends. Go left/southeast here. At 6.9 miles, reach a 3-way junction. Go left/east here. At 8.0 miles, cross Hawley Creek on a bridge. The climb begins here (6,585 feet). Park in a large parking area just prior to crossing the bridge.

The Climb

From the parking area, walk a short distance up Hawley Creek Road and cross Hawley Creek on a bridge. Scramble northwest up a steep shoulder to reach the southwest ridge. This scramble is on a combination of loose gravel, rocky outcrops, and sagebrush. From the road, it looks steeper than it actually is, though it is fairly steep. The south ridge is mostly open short grass/sage but it has a few short forested sections and a few rocky outcrops to navigate.

The south ridge does a few doglegs on its way to the summit. The final slope to the rocky summit is a wonderful short-grass slope devoid of sagebrush. The summit of Peak 8441 is a very rocky outcrop (Class 2+). The highest boulder has a small cairn atop it. The summit is open and rocky, not forested as the USGS topo map suggests. It offers a clear view of the beautiful southeast shoulder (descent route).

Southeast Shoulder, Class 2+

Access

Same as for the southeast spur/south ridge

The Descent

From the summit, descend the Class 2+ boulders eastward to reach the top of the southeast shoulder. You must navigate some cliff bands near the summit bushwhack through thick sagebrush. Finally, climb over a minor thin cliff band to get onto the southeast shoulder. This shoulder is just left/northeast of a prominent gully that splits the southeast face. Stay left/northeast of this gully the whole way down and you won’t lose the shoulder. There is another massive gully to the left/northeast of the shoulder.

As you descend the southeast shoulder, there are some minor rocky outcrops and trees to skirt. Lower down, the shoulder turns into a face and you must descend a forest/grass mix with two (2) deer fences to contend with. Find a gap to the right/west to pass through the fences. After passing the deer fences, you quickly reach Hawley Gulch Road at a point that is just above the Lower Hawley Creek Campground and the Salmon National Forest boundary. Follow the road downstream to the parking area just below the bridge.

Additional Resources

Mountain Range: Beaverhead Range

Longitude: -113.20149   Latitude: 44.67801

Comments are closed.