Mount borah was officially named borah peak in 1929. Borah peak was an awesome hike that i would recommend to anyone looking for a good hiking adventure. Local man survives night in the wilderness on mount borah. It is the states busiest peak, with folks coming from all over to climb the highest point in idaho. In terms of elevation, idahos borah peak ranks eleventh on this list. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from may until october. The main guide i used to scramble to the nine 12ers of idaho is a book by margaret fuller entitled hiking eastern idaho. Lost river borah is the tallest peak in idaho and is located amongst the most rugged mountains in the state, the lost river range.
Borah peak hiking trail near challis, idaho, united. Includes the trails, approaches, and access information for idahos peaks. Although a decent trail does snake its way to the top of the mt. Its a day of steep walking, some handoverhand scrambling and some steep dropping. Consider things such as access and accommodation at the base of borah peak or mount borah, as well as the logistics of climbing to the summit. A beginners guide to climbing mount borah visit idaho. Borah peak, or mount borahwhichever you prefer, rises to a height of 12,662 feet to claim the highest point in idaho. Hiking idahos tallest peak, mount borah2010 youtube. There is an entire section dedicated to driving, route, and trail directions of idaho s 12,000. Show borah peak earthquake slide set some are available on the 1995 borah peak workshop page, full set available from the idaho geological surveys main office iv.
There are nine peaks in idaho over 12,000, and mount borah is the tallest on the 12er list at 12,662. The mostreferenced guidebook for idaho climbers includes the trails, approaches, and access information for idahos peaks whether its a technical ascent of the great west wall of elephants perch or a scramble to the summit of 12,662foot mount borah, heres your key to high adventure in idaho. Climbing information, pictures and map for borah peak, the idaho state highpoint. Between hiking baldy in the morning, eating at the subshack for lunch, playing with a great orchestra in the evening, and finishing off the day eating burgers and drinking.
Tom lopez, aficionado of all things vertical and author of idaho. Anything thrown off the summit could kill or injure them. Please submit any useful information about climbing borah peak or mount borah that may be useful to other climbers. Borah peak mountain, idaho, united states britannica. At 12,662 feet, it is idahos highest peak and is usually called mount borah, or just borah by idahoans. The range includes many of the tallest peaks in idaho including mount borah. Hiking season all year long things to see mountain views summit. The 1983 borah peak earthquake occurred on friday, october 28, at 8. Take in spectacular mountain vistas atop the tallest peak in idaho. The standard route, aptly named chickenout ridge, is a semiexposed. Camping cabin near mount borah in idaho glamping hub.
I had only slept a few hours the night before so i was trying to take a few cat naps. This is the highest peak in all of idaho, standing 12,662 ft along the lost river range. I was working as a copy editor at the idaho falls post register at the time, and some coworkers were planning a hike on the mountain. Heres a video showing the beginning to end hike through chicken out ridge, all the way to the top of mount borah. Climb mount borah, borah peak trailhead the outbound collective. The vast majority of climbers reach the summit via borahs standard route, the southwest chicken out ridge. The semiarid lost river range has 9 of idahos 11 peaks over 12,000 feet. The mostreferenced guidebook for idaho climbers includes the trails, approaches, and. Known locally as mount borah rather than borah peak, this mountain boasts nearly 6000 feet of prominence, making it one of the rare prized ultraprominence peaks. Idahos highest peak 12,668 feet resides in the lost river range in east central idaho.
The strongest earthquake in idaho occurred along the fault line in 1983 and rose the peak of mt. The prime season to climb mount borah is from midjuly to midseptember. It all started when milburn and a neighbor, joe tamasco, took a trip to central idaho to hike up mount borah. Challis, idaho, native mckinsey bruning grew up with the salmon river in her backyard, born and raised doing all things outdoors. Despite that, shed never climbed nearby 12,662foot mount. Pocatello man survives night in the wilderness on mount borah.
The other main author is jerry painter, who is an outdoor columnist for the idaho falls post register and has written several hiking guidebooks. Mount borah is idahos highest peak and a rite of passage for idahoans and. Its a day of steep walking, some handoverhand scrambling and. A guide to the states greatest hiking adventures state hiking guides series. The mere thought of it dredged up bad associations, and at first i told them i wasnt going to join them. Borah peak, peak in lost river range in custer county, idaho, u.
Local man survives night in the wilderness on mount borah david ashby, idaho state journal. A climbing guide, lists borah on his top 10 climbs in idaho. Climbing idahos borah peak tips for your first trip idaho statesman. The mountain towers some 5,250 feet above the lost river valley and provides the adventurous hiker with the ground to test their climbing mettle. Borah peak is the highest summit on massive mount borah. Whether its a technical ascent of the great west wall of elephants perch or a scramble to the summit of 12,662foot mount borah, heres your key to high adventure in idaho. Second climber in two weeks rescued from borah peak the. This behemoth is part of the lost river range in the central part of the state. The weather forecast for borah peak or mount borah is. This striking mountain dominates the skyline from much of highway 93 to the west. Sam robertson, of boise, enjoys the view from the top of borah peak in idaho looking south on the lost river range. City intensity reports from the borah peak earthquake as though they were getting the reports. Borah peak, leatherman peak, mount church, mount breitenbach, lost river mountain, mount idaho, donaldson peak, and two unnamed peaks. Many of the lofty summits of this faultblock range rise over 5000 vertical feet from the valley floor making these the biggest mountain faces in idaho.
Of all of idahos stunning mountains, it seems strange that our states tallest peak borah peak, a. Mount borah or simply borah, by virtue of being idahos highest point. While not terribly difficult, hikers must pass over a short stretch of class 3 rock with much exposure. Dont venture into the cool, mountain regions of idaho without first trekking. At 12,662 ft borah peak is the monarch of the lost river range, highest mountain in idaho. The standard route comes from the southwest, and crosses the famous chicken out ridge. Borah peak lies in the lost river mountain range of the challis national forest. Mount borah would receive so little attention, especially compared to its sawtooth sister range to the west. During the earthquake, mount borah rose an estimated 15 feet, and the valley below dropped 15 feet. Well, this page presents an overview of mount borahs climbing routes and provides links to pages where the routes are covered in continue reading. That was my first battle with mount borah a sweeping defeat. Rising high above the sage brush covered landscape, mount borah is the tallest mountain in idaho and is referred to as the roof of idaho.
Climb mount borah, borah peak trailhead the outbound. Theres a mention on this forum of borah being climbed around the end of april but nothing more recent. Follow the borah peak access road 3 miles to the trailhead. Borah peak is a brutally steep trail, especially in the first hour or so, and you gain so much elevation so quickly that you have a spectacular view. The easiest route to the summit is a trail that ascends the infamous chicken out ridge. For my april 26 story in the idaho statesman s special hiking edition, i drew on my experience having climbed borah peak six times with groups in seven to. Whether its a technical ascent of the great west wall of elephants perch or a scramble to the summit of 12,662foot mount borah, heres your key to high adventure.
This is a very strenuous trail with 3040% grade for most of the way. There are several routes that can be taken in order to reach the summit with different levels of difficulty depending on the season. Her awardwinning books provide hiking, biking, and horseback riding enthusiasts with the information needed to explore idahos spectacular mountains. Strange as it sounds, the lava is a great sponge, sopping up the water, and releasing it a hundred miles to the southwest in the hagerman valley of the snake river. Sawtooth mountain guides knows the mountain intimately and has helped thousands of climbers reach their goal of standing on borah s summit. Theres a snow crossing at the end of chickenout ridge that can have a pretty long runout down the north side of the ridge.
Mount borah is the tallest peak in idaho and is located amongst the most rugged mountains in the state, the lost river range. The private bedroom has a queensize bed and the main room has a second queensize bed and a sofa bed. At 12,662 feet, borah peak offers a formidable trek and very rewarding summit for hikers and mountaineers. The elevation difference from trailhead to peak is 5200 vertical feet, which is gained over about 4 miles. Mount borah has been summited every month of the year, though the best season to climb is late summer or early fall. Climbing idahos borah peak tips for your first trip. Mount borah is idahos highest peak and a rite of passage for idahoans and high pointers alike. Down river 60 miles from borah, its waters disappear in the porous lava flows of the arco desert to the south. Cramponcompatible mountain boots if doing an earlyseason climb typically. On june, 1987, david probst 38, who was a member of the idaho mountain search and rescue unit for several years, was descending mount borah 3950 meters with three friends when he fell 150 meters to his death. This riverfront camping cabin is located near mount borah in idaho and can accommodate five guests. Mount borah, the states highest peak at 12,662 feet, looks out over the sweeping plains near mackay, beckoning hikers and climbers to ascend its slopes.
Learn more about climbing in idaho by visiting the authors website. Borah, chickenout ridge, idaho as a member of the sun valley summer symphony, i am lucky enough to spend 3 weeks of every year in ketchum, idand get paid to do it. The mostreferenced guidebook for idaho climbers includes the trails, approaches, and access information for idaho s peaks whether its a technical ascent of the great west wall of elephants perch or a scramble to the summit of 12,662foot mount borah, heres your key to high adventure in idaho. While there is some exposure on parts of chickenout ridge, if youre with someone to help you stay on the class 3 stuff then i think its doable even for someone new to scrambling, as long as there isnt any snow besides whats usually. The peak lies in a tectonically active district, and in 1983 it was the epicentre of an. Mount borah rose about 1 foot 30 cm and the lost river valley in that vicinity dropped about 8 feet 2. This road turns into trail creek road closed in winter. Aac publications fall on snow, loss of controlvoluntary. The peak was scarred on the western side, and the mark is still visible.
The mostreferenced guidebook for idaho climbers includes the trails, approaches, and access information for idahos peaks whether its a technical ascent of the great west wall of elephants perch or a scramble to the summit of 12,662foot mount. Mount borah standard route sawtooth mountain guides. The vast majority of climbers reach the summit via borah s standard route, the southwest chicken out ridge. The traditional borah hiking route begins at 7,400 feet and climbs to 12,662. Not knowing your comfort level, the axe and crampons might be required. The west ridge is the standard route and is about 4 miles long one way and gains over 5200ft in elevation.
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