Find Nearby Peaks

Climbing information for this peak is on Page 338 of the book. Margo’s original post has been supplemented by Livingston Douglas’ updated access section found below. Updated November 2019

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Stouts Mountain is a distinctive summit that stands at the south end of the Big Hole Mountains. Steve and I chose the summit of Stouts Mountain from which to watch the Great American Eclipse of 2017. It did not disappoint. USGS Stouts Mountain

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Access Update by Livingston Douglas

The “trailhead” gate (and parking pullout) for the south/southeast ridge is located on the north side of ID-31:

• Exactly 7.0 miles east on ID-31 from the Swan Valley junction of US-26 and ID-31
• ¼ mile east of Pine Basin Camp (a large house/lodge on the right/south side of ID-31), which has an obvious bridge crossing Pine Creek to reach it
• 1.1 mile west of the turnoff for FSR-250 on ID-31

The massive power lines cross ID-31 just east of the “trailhead” gate and parking pullout.

The gate itself is a road closure gate. It is bright green and has “ST 65 68” written on it. The gate is more visible when driving west on ID-31 since the old, grassy 2-track jeep road is at a 45-degree angle to the highway and the old road is heading diagonally west. The pullout area is a good hard gravel surface under some trees along the north side of ID-31 at the base of the old 2-track road (just E of it). The elevation here is 5,760 feet. The roadside trees do make it a bit difficult to spot the old road when driving west on ID-31 until you’re right on top of it.

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South-Southeast Ridge, Class 2

Starting at the gate, hike along an old ATV trail that parallels the highway and, briefly following transmission lines, traverses a short, eroded section of the mountain by one of the massive powerline poles. A short section of fence above the erosion and pole protects snowmobilers from this section in winter.

The trail narrows and contours around the fence and continues steeply upward to the ridge, with No Cut Timber Canyon to your east. This trail is discernible for most of the lower section of the mountain. On Google Earth’s 2015 image, the trail is more noticeable than we found it on the ground in 2017.

At one time, there was a popular recreation area/scout camp across the highway. Stouts was often climbed from the camp to a high point along the ridge where there are good views of the camp and the valley. From this viewpoint upward, the trail becomes less discernible. However, the upper mountain begins to come in and out of view through the trees as you climb, so your route will be obvious.

Along your way, you’ll encounter three small high points (7085, 7566, 7778) and a false summit around the 8,400-foot contour, before you reach the true summit. It’s easiest to climb over the tops of all these ridge points.

On the summit, enjoy views of Swan Valley to the south, the Snake River Canyon to the west, various Big Hole Mountains to the north, and the Tetons and Teton Valley/Victor, Idaho, to the east. Peek under the summit cairn rocks to find masses of ladybugs. Also on top, pay respects to Al Courchaine. His ashes and a marker were placed on the summit in 2011.

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The Descent

Reverse your route, taking care not to end up on the nearby southwest ridge. No Cut Timber Canyon should continue to be directly to your east. If you do stray, you could end up in Swan Valley hiking along back roads to ID-31 and your vehicle for an additional six or seven miles.

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Trip Stats

5.89 miles round trip with 2,670 feet of elevation gain and one solar eclipse.