|
Horton Peak located right on the edge of the Sawtooth Valley near Stanley Idaho and is one of the most accessible peaks in the White Cloud range. The distance from the highway to the trailhead is only a few miles, and there’s a well-maintained trail all the way to the top.
This year’s extended family camping trip was at Alturas Lake, and I was able to talk Ken into a “short” afternoon hike. The Horton Peak trailhead wasn’t too far away, so off we went. My parent’s Rottwieler, Sam, was also along for the trip. The lower part of the trail wonders through sagebrush for a while, then eventually makes its way into some timber in the upper portion of the hike. I think the area would be very nice in early summer, but it was actually pretty hot and dry by the time late August had rolled around.
As we neared the summit, the views into the White Clouds were very good. The northern part of the range looked very cool, as did Castle Peak to the east. We hung out on the summit for a little while, and then made our way back down. The outing took a longer than I thought it would. This was probably due to the steepness of the trail (2700 feet of gain in 3 miles), and the fact that the distance was a bit longer than what I’d read about.
Map of our route, just under 7 miles round trip.
|
The Lookout on the summit of Horton Peak.
|
A view into the White Clouds, including Castle Peak, from the summit of Horton Peak.
|
The three of posing on the summit.
|
Ken passing through some Aspen on the way down.
|
Horton Peak (center) from the highway.
|
|
 |
IdahoAlpineZone is unofficially sponsored by Skippy Peanut Butter.
