Sage Hen Peak is located in the West Mountains of west central Idaho, not far from Smiths Ferry. This unofficially named peak is the highpoint of a ridge that rises east of Sage Hen Reservoir. Access is pretty easy, thanks to the peak’s location close to the West Mountain Trail, a pleasant single track trail that passes right by the highpoint. The hike can also be extended to include Tripod Peak too.

Knowing I’d be passing through the area, I’d been keeping an eye on the weather forecast. Conditions had been unseasonably warm, but that changed in a hurry with a bit of fresh snow overnight. When I arrived at the trailhead, it was snowing heavily, with about an inch or so of snow on the ground. It made for a beautiful scene, and I was happy it was snowing instead of raining.

The trail starts off heading slightly downhill as it curves around side of the ridge. But soon enough, it was time for a gradual uphill hike. Even with fresh snow, the trail was easy to follow as it went in and out of the forest, and through various meadows along the way. It was very pleasant and highly scenic with the fresh snow on the pine trees, and occasional golden aspen leaves still showing.

The last quarter mile to the summit is off-trail, but still easy going. The highpoint was nothing spectacular, and views were obstructed by trees and low clouds. But the surroundings were beautiful thanks to the fresh snow.

The snowfall slowed a bit on the way back, and the sun tried unsuccessfully to burn through the cloud cover. Other than spotting an elk in the trees, the hike back was uneventful. Round trip was 5 miles and 1000’ of elevation gain in just over 90 minutes of hiking. A beautiful winterish hike, and I imagine it would be pretty nice in summer too.

Map of the route, 5 miles and 1000' gain round trip.	Leaving the trailhead.	Love the snowy trail.	Time to head uphill.	Open meadow along the way.
Still some fall foliage.	Summit views.	Heading back down the trail.	Sun trying to burn through the clouds.	There's an elk in the bushes, trust me!
Map of the route, 5 miles and 1000' gain round trip.Leaving the trailhead.Love the snowy trail.Time to head uphill.Open meadow along the way.Still some fall foliage.Summit views.Heading back down the trail.Sun trying to burn through the clouds.There's an elk in the bushes, trust me!