Elevation: 9,620 ft
Prominence: 320
This peak is not in the book. Published December 2019
Peak 9620 is located at the head of Slide Creek. It is one of several ridge humps on an East-to-West ridge that runs from Timber Creek Pass to Flatiron Mountain. Peak 9620 barely qualifies as a ranked summit and is overshadowed by its higher neighbor to the southwest, Point 9789—an unranked point, but a much more impressive ridge point than Peak 9620. USGS Iron Creek Point
Southeast Face, Class 2
Date of Climb: July 12, 2019
Access
Same as for the Southeast Ridge of Peak 9727. This route is the final leg of a ridge traverse from Peak 9727 to Peak 9620.
The Climb
From Timber Creek Pass, follow the Ridge Trail/FST-4076 (now a MC trail) W as it contours around the N side of a ridge hump. A shorter, but steeper, alternative is to follow an unofficial MC trail that climbs up over the ridge hump and descends to a saddle on the other side to re-join FST-4076. Once past the ridge hump, the FST-4076 reaches a saddle and climbs W then SW up through the forest to skirt the L/S side of another ridge hump. The USGS topo map does not show the correct location of the trail in this section. The MC trail then drops to another saddle that is at the base of Peak 9620.
From the small, open saddle, bushwhack NW up the Southeast Face of Peak 9620. The terrain here is a mix of pine forest and some small open areas of scrub. Reach the summit ridge crest and follow it R/N to the summit. The ridge crest is rocky, narrow, and open. The summit of Peak 9620 showed no signs of previous ascent, so I built a cairn on the highest ground boulder.
Southwest Ridge (Descent), Class 2
Access
Same as for the Southeast Face Route. This is the first leg of a ridge traverse from Peak 9620 to Peak 10055.
The Descent
From the summit, descend S on the rocky, narrow ridge crest. Continue down the ridge as it bends R/SW and heads into a dense pine forest. Bash through the forest (with no visibility) to reach another ridge saddle. The Southwest Ridge of Peak 9620 is rounded and poorly defined. Maintain a SW trajectory and you will reach the hidden saddle. There is a fair amount of downed timber on this ridge/face.
The saddle at the base of the Southwest Ridge is small but open. It is signed and has multiple trails crossing through it. Slide Creek Trail heads SE down Slide Creek. Cabin Creek Trail/FST-6127 heads NW down the Cabin Creek drainage. The Ridge Trail/FST-4076 continues SW along the ridge line. The Southwest Ridge of Peak 9620 terminates at this saddle.
Additional Resources
Regions: EASTERN IDAHO->Lemhi Range
Mountain Range: Lemhi Range
Longitude: -113.46519 Latitude: 44.45489