Find Nearby Peaks

This peak is not in the book. Published November 2021

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Peak 8262 sits above the confluence of Alder Creek and Tuscarora Gulch on the east side of the White Knob Mountains. Its southwest ridge is a rocky, fun scramble from Alder Creek Road to the south. USGS Shelly Mountain

Access

From the junction of Main Street and US-93 in Mackay, drive 2.4 miles south on US-93 to a signed junction with Houston Road. Turn right/south onto Houston Road and drive 2.0 miles to an unsigned junction with Alder Creek Road. Turn right/south onto Alder Creek Road and drive 1.6 miles to an unsigned junction at a private ranch and a sharp right/southwest turn in the road. Reset your odometer here. From the unsigned junction, drive southwest on Alder Creek Road. At 2.9 miles, reach the Challis National Forest boundary. At 5.0 miles, reach a signed road junction. Go straight to remain on Alder Creek Road. At 6.9 miles, park in a pullout on the left side of Alder Creek Road just before the road crosses to the right/north side of Alder Creek. The elevation at this pullout is 7,280 feet. GPS coordinates: 43⁰49’55”N, 113⁰40’06”W.

Southwest Ridge, Class 2

The Climb

From the parking pullout, hike briefly northwest up Alder Creek Road. Just after the road crosses Alder Creek, the road exits the pine forest into open sagebrush terrain. Leave the road here and bushwhack north-northeast through somewhat pesky sagebrush and other prickly brush with loose underlying talus/scree/gravel. Reach the [obvious] southwest ridge at a prominent rocky ridge outcrop/buttress via a scramble up easy Class 2 rock. From the rocky outcrop, climb northeast up the ridge crest or just left/northwest of it to avoid more rocky outcrops and some thick ridgeline brush.

Initially, the ridge drops 75 vertical feet to a minor saddle. The ridge is then an easy scramble up relatively easy scrub in open terrain. Descend 30 feet off a second rocky outcrop to a final saddle then grind northeast up a sagebrush slope (not too bad) to reach the small, cairned summit of Peak 8262. The summit offers a magnificent view of the northeast ridge of Peak 8571 to the southwest and a nice view of the White Knob Crest to the west as well.