Find Nearby Peaks

This peak is not in the book. Published November 2019

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North Cottonwood Ridge is one of many ridges in the South Hills. It is located just west of McMullen Basin. A road (FSR-545) gets you close to the summit. The summit area showed no signs of previous ascent so I built a small cairn on the summit high point. USGS McMullen Basin

Southeast Face, Class 2

Access

From the junction of Rock Creek Road/FSR-515 and FSR-500 (signed at the Magic Mountain Ski Area), drive north then west on FSR-500 for 10.1 miles to an unsigned junction with FSR-545/North Cottonwood Road. FSR-500 is about to make a pronounced left/south bend here. FSR-545 is a narrow, somewhat rutted and rocky, rough road. But it is passable for a 4WD vehicle with decent ground clearance. It is best to park on a hilltop pullout at the 1.2-mile point on FSR-545. I parked at the 1.8-mile point at an unsigned road junction just before the road condition worsens. The elevation at this point is 6,010 feet.

The Climb

Hike northwest along FSR-545 until it passes a private residence (with lots of “NO TRESPASSING” signs so stay on the road) and reaches a signed junction. This point is about 2.2 miles from FSR-500. Go right/north on FSR-545 and hike about a mile to a saddle and another signed road junction. You are now at the base of the southeast face of North Cottonwood Ridge. Leave the road here and bushwhack northwest up through sagebrush to reach the flat summit plateau. The summit area is open scrub with a few ground boulders. The high point is at the north end. There were no signs of previous ascent so I built a modest cairn atop the highest ground boulder.

East Face, Class 2

Access

Same as for the southeast face

The Descent

From the summit, descend east through moderately-dense sagebrush to reach the old jeep road (FSR-545). Follow FSR-545 south to a saddle and a road junction. Bear right/southwest to continue on FSR-545 back down to the valley and make a critical left/southeast turn at a private residence to remain on FSR-545 and follow it back to your parking spot.