Elevation: 6,055 ft
Prominence: 245
This cone is not in the book. Published December 2019
Half Cone is Peak #10 of the Craters 10-Pack
Half Cone is an unranked hump located northeast of [much larger] Big Cinder Butte. It is a fun and easy scramble from a saddle connecting the two peaks. The Wilderness Trail gets you to the saddle. USGS Inferno Cone
Half Cone as viewed from the summit of Big Cinder Butte. The peak is just left of the tree in the photo (mid-ground). Livingston Douglas Photo
Southwest Face, Class 2
Access
Drive up the Craters of the Moon National Monument Loop Road to a signed turnoff for the Tree Molds Trail. This side road heads south and ends at the aforementioned trailhead. Park at the Broken Top Loop Trailhead and follow the Broken Top Loop Trail east a short distance to the Buffalo Caves and a trail junction soon after that. At the trail junction, go right/south on the Wilderness Trail.
The Climb
Follow the Wilderness Trail for 0.8 mile on the trail to reach a wide saddle between Big Cinder Butte and Half Cone. Leave the trail and scramble northeast to the summit of Half Cone. The terrain here is nice open gravel on the lower half of the southwest face, and then easy scrub/grass/gravel on the upper half of the face. The high point of Half Cone is a lava outcrop.
The summit boulders atop Half Cone with Big Cinder Butte in the background. Livingston Douglas Photo
Additional Resources