Find Nearby Peaks

This peak is not in the book. Published November 2018

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Peak 8140 is a pyramidal-shaped summit overshadowed by Dry Ridge to its west. It is an overlooked summit that separates Stewart Canyon from South Stewart Canyon. USGS Stewart Flat

Northeast Ridge, Class 3

Access

From the signed turnoff on US-30 in the center of the bustling metropolis of Georgetown, ID, turn E onto [signed] Georgetown Canyon Road (which is called Stringtown Road within the city limits). Drive up the road to a junction at 2.3 miles (LEFT is CR-1095/Left Hand Fork Road; STRAIGHT is Georgetown Canyon Road/FSR-102). Go straight; the road changes from paved to gravel here. At 3.5 miles, you enter the Caribou National Forest.  At 11.7 miles, the road crests at Georgetown Saddle and enters Caribou County. At 12.9 miles, the road forks (STRAIGHT is CR-1102/Diamond Creek Road; RIGHT is FSR-146); go straight here onto Diamond Creek Road. At 21.2 miles, FSR-134/Stewart Canyon Road is on the LHS of the road. Park at this road junction (elevation is 6,925 feet). There are numerous dispersed campsites in Stewart Flat. I camped at a nicely shaded campsite 0.2 miles south of this road junction.

The Climb

From the base of FSR-134/Stewart Canyon Road, hike southwest then west up the road to the mouth of Stewart Canyon (about 0.6 miles). Leave the road at a left/south turn in a fence row that is on the LHS of the road. The elevation at this departure point is about 7,100 feet. From the corner of the fence row, follow a footpath on the right/west side of the fence row down to Stewart Creek, a 25-foot descent. The creek drainage is clogged with thick, tall willows at the fence row (which continues through the willows and across the small creek). Leave the fence row and hike upstream about 30-40 yards to find an open, easy crossing of the small creek without having to bash through willows to do so. Stewart Creek is only 1-1/2 to 2 inches deep and is 5-6 feet wide with a good gravel base. The creek is a bit too wide to jump across, so just walk through it to reach the creek’s south side.

Bushwhack southward up the north side of the northeast ridge. This is a steep forest with large blowdown and veg to make your life absolutely MISERABLE. This is the crux of the climb and it is punishing. Once you reach the northeast ridge (which is a bit rounded and ill-defined at first), bushwhack west-southwest up the ridge crest. Some aspects of this ridge climb are relatively easy, others are thick with veg and/or blowdown. But it goes. Higher up, the terrain gets easier and you surmount a minor ridge point then drop 30 feet on its west side. After crossing a minor saddle, climb the final, steep, forested northeast face to the top. You will encounter a minor rock/scree area just underneath the summit.

The summit of Peak 8140 is mostly open but it has trees nearby. Unlike the thickly forested northeast ridge, the summit offers nice views of the surrounding canyons as well as a good look at the northeast face of Peak 8909/Dry Ridge South. This summit has a mini-BM (survey marker?) in a poured concrete base a few feet from the high point/boulder. I rebuilt the dismantled cairn atop this boulder. A large survey marker/pole in a poured concrete base is laying on the ground nearby.

West Ridge, Class 2

Access

Same as for the northeast ridge

The Descent

From the summit, descend west in open terrain (thick desert scrub) with a few scattered trees. Aim for the small saddle between Peak 8140 and Peak 8909. As you descend, you must go through a thick forested section (with ample blowdown to trip you up) to reach the 7,750-foot saddle. Thankfully, the forested area is a short-lived proposition. This descent is never worse than Class 2 in difficulty. Be sure to stay in the open terrain as much as possible because the forested terrain is much more problematic.