Find Nearby Peaks

This peak is not in the book. Published October 2018

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Peak 9237 sits directly above Hidden Lake and above Gibson Basin, which lies farther to the northeast. USGS Egan Basin. 

Northwest Ridge, Class 2+

Access

From the Utah side, leave US-89 at its junction with Franklin Basin Road/FSR-006. This signed junction is located 2.8 miles west of CR-243/Beaver Mountain Ski Area Road and 5.8 miles west of Swan Flat Road/FSR-014 on Highway 89 heading south. Unlike the access from the Idaho side (see Page 367 of the book), this access does not require 4WD and can be driven by passenger vehicles. At 5.7 miles, the Forest Service road crosses into Idaho and becomes FSR-406. At 7.4 miles, you reach a signed junction with FSR-1212/Corral Hollow Road to the right. This is Corral Hollow. Park here or drive a short distance up the road into the trees, where the road becomes Corral Hollow Trail, an ATV trail (FST-106). This trail is only marked with a simple Forest Service sign in the ground. There is a nice dispersed campsite 0.8 miles north of the FSR-1212/Corral Hollow Road turnoff on Franklin Basin Road. It is located on the right/east side of the road up in the trees.

There is no “Standard Route” for Peak 9237. All routes involve at least 1 to 1-1/2 miles of serious bushwhacking. If you ride an ATV or MC up onto the summit ridge north of the peak [via either Corral Hollow Trail/FST-106 or the Great Western Trail/Highline Trail/FST-316], you can shorten the hike considerably. But even from that point, you must bushwhack south for 1-1/2 miles along a rocky ridge (with some minor ups and downs) through thick brush, boulders/talus, and some short forested sections to reach the summit plateau. If there ever is a “Standard Route” for this peak, it will be from the Idaho side via FST-316.

From the Idaho side, make your way up FSR-411 (Green Canyon Road) heading towards the Beaver Creek Campground. Turn right/west onto FSR-415 (Egan Basin Road) to reach FSR-466 (Gibson Basin Road). Drive about ½ mile on Gibson Basin Road to reach the east side of the summit ridge. Park at the point where the Great Western Trail/Highline Trail/FST-316 crosses Gibson Basin Road at the north end of Gibson Basin. From here, either hike (or ride an ATV/MC) up FST-316 south then west to reach the summit ridge. Since I drove in from the Utah side, I do not have mileage figures for the Idaho access.

Thankfully, all of the aforementioned roads and trails are shown on both the National Forest map and the Trails Illustrated Logan/Bear River Range map. Unfortunately, the USGS topo map does NOT show the Corral Hollow Road, the Corral Hollow Trail, or the Highline Trail. It is only useful for contour lines and general topography, which IS very helpful when bushwhacking.

The Climb

From the trailhead for the Corral Hollow ATV Trail (FST-106), you must find the northwest ridge. Due to the thick forest, it is impossible to see and is ill-defined until you reach the 8,200-foot level. You must rely completely on your map and compass (or GPS) to find it. If you are using an altimeter, set your elevation to 7,920 feet at the junction of Franklin Basin Road/FSR-406 and Corral Hollow Road/FSR-1212. Hike briefly up FST-106 to the 8,060-foot level. The Corral Hollow drainage is bone dry by late summer but is thick with brush and willows. Leave the trail and bushwhack southeast across the dry creek bed and begin the climb up through the forest. Maintain a southeasterly line as you ascend up through the thick forest. The brush and blowdown will frustrate you, but stay with it because open ground lies ahead on the right/southwest side of the ridge. At about 8,500 feet, you will discover open terrain (albeit desert scrub) on the right-hand side of the rounded “ridge.”

From here, you can stay on mostly open terrain all the way to the summit (avoid the thick, blowdown strewn forest to the left). You will even be rewarded with some nice views down to the valley floor as you grind your way up this moderately steep ridge. You will make steady, fast progress and will soon reach the summit plateau at 9,200 feet. This plateau is mostly sagebrush, with some ground talus mixed in. Bushwhack southeast then south on this wide, slightly-tilted plateau to reach the high point area which is 30-35 feet higher than your entry point onto the plateau. There is now a forested ridge to the right/west that is slightly higher than the sagebrush field in which you are standing.

There is a large ground boulder in an open area of the sagebrush that might be the high point for this peak, but not quite (it measures at 5-10 feet lower than the highest point). The high point is on the edge of the forested ridge to the right/west (as the USGS topo map indicates). It is a large boulder amongst the aspen/pine trees at the edge of the sagebrush field. There were no signs of previous ascent. Thanks to the surrounding trees, it is difficult to stand on this boulder but doable. Due to the width of the summit plateau, views are poor.

North Ridge, Class 3

Access

Same as for the northeast ridge

The Descent

This route is a descent route and is part of a ridge traverse to Peak 9162, so I describe it from the summit down to the 8,780-foot connecting saddle with Peak 9162 to the north. This is part of a ridge traverse loop-route and does not return to the Corral Hollow trailhead. However, if you wish to return to that trailhead, hike a short distance north from the 8,780-foot connecting saddle to intersect the Highline Trail/FST-316, an obvious ATV trail that you can’t miss. Go left/west on this dusty trail and follow it until it reaches a junction with the Corral Hollow ATV Trail/FST-106 at the head of Corral Hollow. Go left/south onto FST-106 and descend down this ATV trail back to the trailhead and nearby Franklin Basin Road.

From the summit of Peak 9237, hike north across the summit plateau, weaving your way through the sagebrush to reach the north end of the plateau at the top of the north ridge. You now have a good visual of the work that lies ahead of you. From this vantage point, it is critical to recognize that the north ridge becomes confusing at Point 9012. You will be tempted to follow the northeast ridge spur (which descends to Gibson Basin) or, worse yet, the east spur (which descends to Horse Lake at the south end of Gibson Basin). The actual north ridge undulates a bit after Point 9012 and does not even seem to be a ridge anymore. But it is and it is CRITICAL to stay on a northward trajectory after you pass Point 9012. You can clearly see both the northeast spur and the east spur from your vantage point at the crest of the north ridge where you currently stand. Burn that image in your brain (particularly the look of the northeast spur) and do NOT mistakenly start going that way after you reach Point 9012.

The crest of the north ridge is a mess due to a mix of trees (mostly aspens) and boulders. The left/west side of the ridge crest is steep, thick forest with boulders mixed in and must be avoided. The right/east side is open terrain with its own set of “issues”, but is much more manageable than the other alternatives. Stay close to the ridge crest (on its right/east side) and work your way through a mix of desert scrub and boulders. The boulders in this section are ground boulders so it goes pretty quickly. You soon reach Point 9012, a rocky outcrop with lots of aspens mixed in. It’s a mess and must be avoided. Skirt Point 9012 on its forested left/west side and leave the “ridge” to descend northward through the forest to an open “saddle” on the right/east side of a ridge hump. You won’t feel like you’re on the north ridge anymore, BUT YOU ARE.

Once past the ridge hump, contour left/west-ish to regain the ridge crest. Continue on a northward trajectory. The boulder/scrub mix becomes more tedious now since the boulders are mostly above the ground. Some easy Class 3 maneuvering is necessary. The veg clogs the boulders and makes this process somewhat tedious (and somewhat dangerous in terms of losing your footing or getting stuck in a gap). After a bit more downhill, you reach a wide, flat saddle at 8,780 feet. This is the low point between Peak 9237 and Peak 9162. It is an open field of desert scrub/veg and boulders. It is located five vertical feet below, and about 1/8 mile south of, the point where the Highline ATV Trail (FST-316) crosses the ridge.