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This peak is not in the book. The map elevation is 7,475 feet. Published December 2024

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Thanks to LiDAR, Peak 7480 is now a ranked summit. It sits above the convergence of the Middle Fork and Left Fork of Cherry Creek. Peak 7480 separates Mine Creek from Left Fork Cherry Creek. The peak is most easily climbed from the Middle Fork Trail near its junction with the Left Fork Trail. USGS Oxford

Access

From US-91 at the south end of Downey, turn right/southwest onto [signed] Malad Highway (later signed as “Old Malad Highway”) at virtual MM36.6. At 2.1 miles, just after a bridge crossing, turn left/south onto [signed] Cherry Creek Road and reset your odometer. At 5.5 miles, enter the Caribou National Forest. At 7.3 miles, reach the end of the road at the signed trailhead for FST-406 (an ATV trail). Park here (5,830 feet and 42⁰18’18”N, 112⁰08’05”W). This is the first leg of a 2-peak adventure that includes Peak 7480 and Peak 7295. It covers 4.5 miles with 2,800 feet of elevation gain round trip.

West Spur/Northwest Ridge, Class 2

The Climb

From the Cherry Creek Trailhead for FST-406, hike about ½ mile east up the trail to a fork in the canyon and a signed trail junction. Go right/south onto Middle Fork Trail/FST-407, a foot trail. Follow it briefly across Left Fork Cherry Creek. Leave the trail and scramble left/east up the steep scrub of the west spur. The sagebrush is thick-ish and does not thin out until up on the northwest ridge. That being said, this bushwhack goes reasonably well—just a slow and steady push higher.

Reach the merger with the northwest ridge at about 7,120 feet. The northwest ridge is short grass/scrub with some underlying loose scree/gravel but it goes quickly. The summit of Peak 7480 is a slightly-tilted, elongated ridge-crest summit. There was no summit cairn so I built one on the high point at its east end. There is another minor hump in the middle of the summit ridge that is almost as high and may be the official/measured high point. Stand atop both ridge humps “just to be sure.”

Northwest Ridge/Northwest Face, Class 2

The Descent

From the summit, descend northwest down the open grass/scrub on the ridge crest to reach much thicker brush and scrub pretty quickly. Pine forest soon takes over and the ridge becomes a face. Keep heading northwest directly at Peak 7295. The understory in the pine forest is thick and tedious. Descend the steep, forested face (with minor gullies mixed in) to reach the Left Fork Cherry Creek. The forest bushwhack down the northwest ridge and northwest face is thick and brutal. In addition to pines, it has lots of aspens, tall/thick brush, willows, and sagebrush. The creek has some open terrain around it. Cross the creek and then scramble briefly up onto nearby FST-406 (an ATV trail). This concludes the first leg of today’s 2-peak journey. Peak 7295 is up next.