Find Nearby Peaks

This peak is not in the book. There are two entries on this page. Livingston Douglas’ 2022 report and Margo Mandella’s 2020 report. Published November 2022

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Peak 5961 by Livingston Douglas

Peak 5961 is a double-humped summit that is located southwest of North Junipers HP. It can be most easily reached via ATV/Jeep roads (many of which are NOT shown on the USGS map) coming in from Grassy Ridge Road to the north. This is the second leg of a 2-peak journey that begins with a climb of North Junipers HP. It avoids the dubious 2-track roads that could you leave you stranded in deep sand with no place to turn around. This journey covers 11.0 miles with 1,850 feet of elevation gain round trip. USGS Big Grassy Ridge

Access

Same as for North Junipers HP. This is the second leg of a 2-peak adventure.

South Spur/Southeast Ridge, Class 2

The Climb

From the base of the south gully of North Junipers HP, cross the ATV road (shown on maps) that heads west then northwest through the thick, sagebrush valley that separates North Junipers HP and Peak 5961. Bushwhack southwest through endless sand and sagebrush to reach sand dunes in the lower ramparts of Point 5787, which can be mistaken for Peak 5961. Scramble up-and-down through the sand dunes to reach a firmer, black rock/boulder ridge of sorts and follow it to the top of Point 5787.Descend west then southwest from Point 5787 to cross the head of a gully that separates Point 5787 from Peak 5961. This is a very sandy endeavor with some ups and downs. Once at the head of the sandy gully, head north up the sagebrush-covered spur ridge to reach the southeast ridge of Peak 5961. Continue northwest up the ridge to the summit. There was no summit cairn atop the peak. The summit is the eastern of two humps of almost equal height.

Northeast Face, Class 2

The Descent

From the summit, descend the ridge/face northeast then north to intercept a visible ATV trail that heads in an east-west direction through the sagebrush valley that separates Peak 5961 from North Junipers HP. Cross the ATV trail and angle northeast through sagebrush to intercept another ATV trail (not shown on maps) that crosses the west ridge of North Junipers HP just east of Point 5667. Follow this ATV trail as it heads northeast. When the ATV trail bends left/north, leave the trail and bushwhackeast across a series of minor sagebrush gullies and ridges to intercept another ATV trail (not shown on maps) that heads northeast toward Point 5510. Once past Point 5510, follow the left/west side of the fence row as it tracks the right/east side of a series of sand dunes to return to your parking spot just off Grassy Ridge Road. Be sure to stay left/west of the fence row to remain on BLM land.

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Peak 5961 by Margo Mandella

St. Anthony Sand Dunes is a unique geological feature in southeast Idaho with five ranked peaks. Peak 5961 is located southwest of the North Junipers Hills, which includes the North Junipers HP. As described by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM):

The St. Anthony Sand Dunes consists of 10,600 acres of clear, shifting, white quartz sand. Although much of the sand dunes is managed as a wilderness study area, the area is popular for OHV use. Dunes up to 400 feet high attract riders from throughout the west. OHV users are strongly encouraged to avoid damage to vegetation and impacts to wildlife so that use of this unique area may continue. Others prefer to explore the dunes on horseback or on foot.

The dunes are heavily marketed to off-road enthusiasts and are a very popular destination and play area. We visited midweek during the off season. However, several different closures exist for this area, so check the BLM’s official St. Anthony Sand Dunes page and/or call to assure the area you want to access is open. USGS Big Grassy Ridge

We accessed this peak with a high-clearance 4WD vehicle (Toyota FJ). However, it was not the easiest to travel and we could not get as close to the peak as we planned, though we were probably lucky to get in as far as we did. Few services (i.e., gas/food) are available outside of Parker, and there are no water sources and little-to-no shade in the sand dunes. Time your trip and prepare accordingly.

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Access

Traveling from the east, south, or west, head toward Parker, Idaho. Once you reach or are near Parker, head toward the Parker-Salem Road (N1900E), which travels north-south and turns into Red Road. Turn west from Red Road onto Grassy Ridge Road. As you travel along this road, pass a couple of jeep trails that head SSW toward the North Junipers Hills (and North Junipers HP).

These trails travel toward or parallel the hills and either braid onto other trails or dead-end, depending on the particular jeep trail. In general, you will be “winging it” on these trails. On any of the jeep trails throughout the sand dunes, choices at intersections and/or hills you encounter may or may not work for you or your vehicle. We found the most direct trail to Peak 5961 off Grassy Ridge Road at 44.074496N, -111.892490W. Continue west on this trail as it eventually turns southwest.

However, while we were on the north side of the North Juniper Hills on this particular trail, we had a dicey, steep climb in deep sand that we had to take a run at multiple times. At this point, we were still a long way from where we wanted to start hiking. But once we reached the top of this particular hill, we were able to drive close to Peak 5961. There may be another way around that avoids this hill but we did not look for it.

In general, travel is very slow going over various depths of sand, rocky outcrops, and rolling terrain. If you have concerns about your vehicle’s ability to navigate in sand dunes, consider renting a dune buggy. After climbing Peak 5961, head northeast and climb the west ridge of North Junipers HP.

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North-Northeast Route, Class 2

Peak 5961’s north-northeast route is a short and straightforward off-trail hike from a widened area on the jeep trail, which is also a good spot to pull over and park. Peak 5961 lies on both public and private land. Some maps show private land on both the northwest and southeast quarters of the peak, while other maps show private land only on the northwest side. We saw fencing on the northwest quarter, but no fencing on the southeast. Regardless, our route stayed on pubic land.

The summit provides a nice view of the surrounding dunes. On a clear day, you can see other ranked peaks in the dunes and Big Southern Butte, Middle Butte, and East Butte to the southwest, nearly 100 miles away. Round-trip stats: 1.3 miles with 331 feet of elevation gain.