Find Nearby Peaks

This peak is not in the book. Published November 2018

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Peak 8594 and Peak 8482 straddle Emigration Canyon and the Emigration Campground. They are both located near ID-36 so access is pretty easy. I unofficially name Peak 8594 “Emigration North” since it lies on the north side of the canyon and Peak 8482 “Emigration South” since it lies on the south side of the canyon. There is a formal campground in this area (Emigration Campground) as well as a large dispersed camping area along ID-36 about ¼ mile south of Emigration Pass (7,424 feet). Located in thickly forested terrain with no formal trails, neither of these peaks sees many hikers. USGS Midnight Mountain

Northwest Face, Class 2

Access

From the junction of US-89 and ID-36 in Ovid, drive west on ID-36 for 12.0 miles (1/4 mile past Emigration Pass) to an unmarked left/east turn into a large trailhead/camping area. The Highline Trail/FST-316 cuts through this informal campground and follows FSR-430 southeast then south. The elevation at the trailhead for FST-316 in this camping area is 7,400 feet.

The Climb

From the camping area, hike about a mile up FSR-430 (a smooth dirt road) to 7,800 feet. Leave the road and bushwhack southeast, initially using a good use trail that dies out fairly soon. Continue up the face on a mix of open desert scrub and open forest (not too much blowdown). Reach the west ridge just below the summit area. Follow that short section of ridge eastward to the well-cairned summit. The standard ascent route on this peak is probably the southwest ridge. According to the USGS topo map, that ridge is mostly open terrain and has an old jeep road that gets you up near the 8,200-foot level before you must do any bushwhacking.

Northeast Ridge/East Face, Class 3

Access

Same as for the northwest face

The Descent

From the summit of Peak 8482, get a good look at the terrain that lies below you on the east face. Make a note of where the open saddle between Peak 8482 and Peak 8018 is located. Get a good visual of what Peak 8018 looks like. It is not forested as the USGS topo map indicates. All of this last-minute recon will help you stay on course as you descend the east face, the lower 2/3 of which is thickly forested.

From the summit, descend the northeast ridge briefly. This short descent will help you position yourself better for a due east descent to the 7,540-foot saddle that is your objective. It also reduces the chance that you mistakenly veer into a large gully that cuts the south side of the east face. Leave the ridge and begin the descent down the steep east face. Initially, the terrain is open desert scrub and is somewhat tedious (no game trails here).

You will soon reach the forest. You now lose your visuals, but you may get an occasional peek at the summit of Peak 8018. The forest is a tough bushwhack through a mix of trees (aspens and pines), thick veg, and blowdown. If it is early morning and it is a sunny day, aim straight at the sun to stay on an eastward line. You won’t see the open saddle until you’re right at it because of how thick the forest is. I popped out on FST-309 about 100 feet north of the well-signed junction between FST-309 and FST-938. From wherever you emerge from the forest, walk to this junction.

From this junction, you are in the perfect position to climb the west ridge of Peak 8018. Alternatively, if you are not planning to climb Peak 8018, you can return to ID-36 via FST-309 and then walk along the highway to return to the starting point at the informal camping area just south of Emigration Pass.