Peak 9054 by Livingston Douglas

Elevation: 9,054 ft
Prominence: 394

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This peak is not in the book. Published October 2018


Peak 9054 is located west of Bear Lake in the southern Bear River Range. USGS Egan Basin

South Ridge (Standard Route), Class 2

Access

From the Utah side, turn off US-89 onto [signed] Swan Flat Road/FSR-014. Drive north on Swan Flat Road up over a long, flat saddle (lots of excellent dispersed campsites here) to reach the Swan Peak Trailhead (unmarked) on the RHS of the road at 3.4 miles. Continue north on Swan Flat Road (either driving or hiking it) into Idaho, where the road becomes FSR-414. Soon after crossing into Idaho, the road turns sharply left at a junction with Red Sinks Road/FSR-1151 near Swan Lake. Continue up FSR-414 to reach the Red Sinks ATV Trail (FST-414).

The Climb

Hike up FST-414 which heads north up the south ridge of Peak 9054. The trail undulates up and over several ridge points along the way. At Point 8988, there is a nice, open viewpoint of the terrain to the east. But don’t be fooled. This is NOT the summit. Continue north on FST-414 to a saddle that is just below the summit of Peak 9054. The trail turns sharply left/west here and begins its descent to FSR-494 in the valley far below. Bushwhack north about 0.3 miles to the summit high point. There is a small cairn here.

West Face/South Ridge (Class 2)

Access

From the Utah side, turn off US-89 onto paved CR-243 (signed for the Beaver Mountain ski area). Drive 0.7 miles north on CR-243 to an unsigned junction. Bear right onto a dirt road. This is Beaver Creek Road. Drive north on Beaver Creek Road/FSR-011 (which becomes FSR-411 when it crosses into Idaho) for 4.0 miles to reach the entrance to Beaver Creek Campground. Continue 0.1 miles N on FSR-411 to its signed junction with FSR-494 (an ATV Road). Park near this junction (7,800 feet). Please note that FSR-494 is really an ATV Trail and is very rough early on—deeply rutted and steep. Numerous dispersed campsites are readily available along FSR-011 (Utah) and FSR-411 (Idaho).

The Climb

From the junction of FSR-494 and FSR-411, hike about ½ mile up FSR-494 to a wide-open meadow just after the road bends to the left/north. Leave the ATV road here and climb the steep sagebrush (and other desert scrub) of the open west face. Cattle trails are helpful, but they don’t last for long. There are enough gaps in the desert scrub to make the going relatively workable, but it is still a battle. Higher up, the desert scrub gives way to forest. Bushwhack up through the forest, angling northeast to reach the south ridge. The terrain opens up here but is very thick desert scrub, mostly sagebrush. Bash your way through the sage, cross a cattle fence, and plow through a final section of sage to intercept the ATV Trail on the ridge crest (FST-414). At this point, you will be positioned just below and south of Point 8911.

Follow FST-414 northward along the ridge crest as it undulates up and down a few ridge humps. The ATV Trail bends right/east to reach Point 8988. This bare point offers a wonderful view of the terrain to the east. But you cannot see the summit of Peak 9054 to the north because of the thick forest nearby. You might even think that you have reached the summit of Peak 9054, but you haven’t. Sorry.

The good news is that you have only one more saddle to drop to, and then all that remains is a final push to the top of Peak 9054. Continue northward on FST-414, dropping 75 feet to a saddle. At this ill-defined saddle, FST-414 turns left/west and begins its long descent to the valley floor to the west and FSR-494. Leave that sweet ATV trail and bushwhack northward through a mix of forest and brush to reach the summit of Peak 9054. This is a rather miserable bushwhack through desert scrub, talus/boulders, and open forest (mix of aspens and pines) with a generous dollop of blowdown thrown in just for good measure. The high point is a ground boulder with a small cairn atop it. No real views from the summit, due to the numerous small trees that cover the summit area.

West Face, Class 2+

Access

Same approach as for the west face/south ridge

The Descent

From the summit of Peak 9054, bushwhack southwest briefly then west down the thickly forested face. You will cross FST-414 on your descent.  I actually crossed it twice, in an area where it briefly switchbacks down the face. This bushwhack is not pleasant. I would never want to ascend this face.

The west face is a combination of thick forest with lots of blowdown, sections of desert scrub and other thick veg mixed in, with almost no visibility to maintain a consistent descent line. Thankfully, it’s a downhill endeavor and the suffering ends in a reasonably short time (just over 20 minutes). When you finally emerge on FSR-494, you might just kneel down and kiss the dusty road. If you do it right, you will reach the old road near an unofficial junction at 8,212 feet at a fork in the valley. I came out just north of this junction. From here, follow the ATV road south to its junction with FSR-411 near the Beaver Creek Campground.

Additional Resources

Mountain Range: Bear River Range

First Ascent Information:

  • Other First Ascent: West Face/South Ridge
  • Year: 2018
  • Season: Summer
  • Party: Livingston Douglas
  •  
  • Other First Ascent: West Face — First Descent
  • Year: 2018
  • Season: Summer
  • Party: Livingston Douglas

Longitude: -111.50849   Latitude: 42.04069

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