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This peak is not in the book. Published November 2022

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Peak 8565 is somewhat overwhelmed by higher peaks in the Baker Creek area but it is, nonetheless, a handsome summit with a magnificent south ridge that makes for a beautiful scramble in mostly open or semi-open terrain. Crossing [raging] Baker Creek is the crux of this climb but, thankfully, there are fallen trees to help overcome this problem. USGS Boyle Mountain

Access

From ID-75 north of Ketchum, turn left/south onto [signed] Baker Creek Road/FSR-162. Reset your odometer here. At 2.9 miles, reach a signed junction with East Fork Baker Creek Road/FSR-168. At 3.8 miles reach a pullout on the right side of the road. Park here (7,060 feet). GPS coordinates: 43⁰44’03”N, 114⁰34’39”W. This pullout is 0.1 miles before reaching [signed] Badger Gulch, from which this climb begins. There are no parking pullouts at Badger Gulch.

South Ridge, Class 2

The Climb

From the roadside pullout, walk 0.1 miles up Baker Creek Road to a meadow with a sign for Badger Gulch. Badger Gulch is on the opposite side of the road (the left/east side). Peak 8565 is on the right/west side of Baker Creek Road and, unfortunately, is on the other side of Baker Creek. From the Badger Gulch sign, descend in semi-open forest to reach the forested surroundings of Baker Creek. Bushwhack downstream for about 75-100 yards to find a solid, fallen tree to cross the raging creek.

Once across Baker Creek, climb steeply northwest through scrub to reach the forested ridge crest. Climb the steep ridge north then make a final jog left/northwest to reach the semi-open summit. The summit has a decent cairn. The ridge terrain is a mix of scattered pines, scree/gravel base, sagebrush and other veg, and a few minor rocky ridge outcrops. A few sections of the south ridge are very steep. All of that said, the ridge offers some magnificent views and is a challenging, but pleasant, scramble.