Find Nearby Peaks

This peak is not in the book. Updated November 2024

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Peak 9743 is one of three high 9,000-foot peaks located above the Chamberlain Creek drainage (Peak 9911, Peak 9743, and Peak 9965). Peak 9743 is on the Continental Divide and is the first ranked summit north of Peak 9911. It is most easily reached from the Eighteenmile Creek Trailhead. USGS Morrison Lake

Access

From ID-28 about 0.1 miles north of Gilmore and the Meadow Lake Road turnoff, turn right/northeast onto [signed] MacFarland Boulevard. Reset your odometer at this junction. At 4.8 miles, reach an unsigned 4-way road junction (EighteenmileRoad crosses here). Continue straight and reach a “T” junction at 4.9 miles. There is an Eighteenmile WSA BLM sign here. Go right/east here onto [unsigned] McGinty Creek Road. This road leads directly to the Eighteenmile Creek Trailhead. At 11.1 miles, reach the large parking area and the unsigned Eighteenmile Creek Trailhead (7,755 feet and 44⁰28’58”N, 113⁰05’10”W). This is the first leg of a 2-peak adventure that includes Peak 9743 and Peak 9968. It covers 13.0 miles with 3,400 feet of elevation gain round trip.

Map Errors

The roads and road conditions in this area are inaccurate on both the National Forest map and the USGS topo map. McGinty Creek Road is a good 2-track road. It is a one-lane road that is mostly gravel with one dirt section. There are no side roads along the way from its unsigned junction with McFarland Boulevard (6.2 miles). It weaves around a bit but generally heads east. The old jeep roads on the USGS topo map (now closed to motorized vehicles in the Eighteenmile Wilderness Study Area) are now used as hiking and horse trails. Some of these old roads are only foot trails now. There are some old 2-track roads that fail to appear on any maps.

The USGS topo map is completely erroneous on the roads leading from McFarland Boulevard to the Eighteenmile Creek Trailhead. The side roads don’t exist anymore and the position of the main road (McGinty Creek Road) is inaccurate. In addition, the USGS topo map shows the main road continuing farther east than it actually does. Pay no attention to the USGS topo map when driving east on McGinty Creek Road.

Southwest Ridge, Class 2

The Climb

From the Eighteenmile Creek Trailhead, hike along a foot trail that follows an old road bed west then northwest over a shoulder and down 80 vertical feet to [signed] Eighteenmile Creek. Cross three cattle fence gates on the way to the creek. Cross the creek on a plank and continue north on an old jeep track from the creek crossing for a short distance. The road fords [small] Pass Creek. Continue north on this old 2-track road until it reaches an unsigned junction (not shown on maps). Go straight/north here and follow an old 2-track as it drops to cross the east side of [forested] Walters Spring (shown on maps).

The 2-track reaches a “T” junction here. Cross the east-west road (which is shown on the USGS topo map) and bushwhack north the northeast through tedious sagebrush (with occasional gaps and cattle trails to help) to contour over to Chamberlain Creek. Reach Chamberlain Creek and find an old 2-track heading up the drainage. Follow this 2-track briefly to a cattle fence/gate. Jump the gate and continue up the 2-track road. The road soon ends at a cattle cistern.

Continue up the right/south side of the drainage, staying close to the edge of the forest for the easiest going. This bushwhack is not too bad and avoids much of the thick brush and sage in the center of the drainage. The drainage is bone dry by late Summer. Reach a critical side drainage (to the left/north) at 8,240 feet. Make a note of it because it is the final leg of the descent from Peak 9968 back down to the Chamberlain Creek drainage. Continue up the Chamberlain Creek drainage for about another ½ mile to reach another critical (and major) side drainage (to the right/south). Across from this drainage, there are two possible direct ascent routes to Peak 9968. One route is up a steep shoulder (very rocky, not a good option) and another route is up a drainage to the right of this shoulder (a better option). These routes could also be used as possible direct descent routes from Peak 9968.

Continue another ½ mile northeast up Chamberlain Creek. The narrow drainage opens up and the terrain gets much easier. Follow a game trail that heads diagonally right/east up and away from the narrow creek drainage and onto a shoulder of sorts. The game trail disappears at this point. Bushwhack northeast across two dry gullies to reach the west face of the southwest ridge of Peak 9743. This bushwhack is across mostly short grass/scrub with some patches of underlying scree/gravel. It goes quickly.

[Alternatively, you could stay in the Chamberlain Creek drainage for a bit longer until it reaches the mouth of a prominent, wide gully that heads east up to a high saddle on the southwest ridge of Peak 9743. Scramble up the left/north side of that gully to intercept my ascent route. Either route will work. You could even continue up to the ridge saddle and then climb the southwest ridge from there. My route is a shorter, more direct way to the top of Peak 9743.]

Once on the west face, scramble northeast up the steep-ish slope of short grass to reach the crest of the southwest ridge above a prominent, wide ridge saddle to the south. Stumble upon the CDT up here and follow it as it heads northeast on, or just left of, the ridge crest. After a few minor ridge undulations, skirt the left/west side of a rocky ridge outcrop. Once above this outcrop, leave the CDT to scramble directly to the talus/scree pile that is the summit of Peak 9743. The summit has a large cairn with an ID/MT iron boundary post in it. Take a good look at the terrain between here and Peak 9968, the next peak in today’s journey. Establish a line that will work.

West Face, Class 2

The Descent

From the summit, downclimb the talus/scree summit hump and return west-southwest in open grass down to a flattish area. From there, descend west down a face of scrub and minor cliff bands to reach a shoulder (of sorts) that heads right-ish/northwest. This area is more forested than the USGS topo map implies, but it is not difficult. Your objective is to cross the Chamberlain Creek drainage that separates Peak 9743 from Peak 9968 as high as possible.

Bushwhack down through a reasonable mix of forest and scrub to reach the main drainage crossing at a point where a side drainage comes in from the right/east. The main drainage had a small stream in it but the side drainage was dry. Cross the small stream (i.e., Chamberlain Creek) and begin the climb to Peak 9968. This is the low point in the traverse between the two peaks. It concludes the first leg of today’s 2-peak journey. Peak 9968 is up next.