Galena Peak

Galena Peak

Overview

Galena Peak is located in the Boulder Mountains of Idaho. I have only climbed a few peaks in the range, but each of them presents their own challenges to overcome. The trailhead for Galena is close to the Galena Lodge area where there are many trails used for mountain biking and cross-country skiing. The route up Galena is on an unofficial climber’s trail that offers both forested and alpine views. I hope you enjoy this trip report and find it helpful in planning your next adventure in the hills.

Directions/Trailhead Information

The Galena Peak Trailhead is located at—latitude 43.880398°, longitude -114.634628°. There are a few small pullouts along the road, but there is no official trailhead parking. From Ketchum drive north on State Hwy 75 N for about 23 miles to Forest Rd 409. Make a right-hand turn traveling northeast on Forest Rd 409, and follow this for about 1.5 miles. The road was in good shape in October, I had a Nissan Rogue rental that made the drive without any issues. The coordinates provided are for the location where we parked, there is additional parking further up the road. There is a faint climbers trail heading to the northeast from the end of the road, this is considered the start of the trailhead for the climb.

The Climb

Today’s objective was to ascend Galena Peak, getting out on my second Idaho summit in a week, this time with my old climbing buddy LT. We met up in Hailey the night before, and made our way out to the trailhead for an early morning ascent the following day. LT brought his dogs to join us on the climb. Today's climb would not be on an official trail, we would follow the west-southwest ridge to the summit.  

LT on the ridge

From the trailhead we weren’t on the climber’s trail till we gained the first 100 feet, by then LT’s dogs bolted up the valley to the north. As he tried to reign them in, I kept going at a slow pace waiting for him to rejoin me. After continuing for about 15 minutes and not hearing from LT or the dogs I descended back to the trail. I started hiking up the valley in the direction I last saw the dogs. After a few minutes I turned around, checked by the vehicles and there was no sign of anyone. I decided to continue up the mountain in hopes that our paths would eventually cross.

I was hiking at a pretty slow pace through the trees as I was trying to listen for any sign of LT and the dogs. As I was about to break tree line, I finally saw some prints in the snow that were theirs. After that I increased my pace knowing they were ahead of me. I finally saw LT about a quarter mile or so ahead of me on the ridge line, so as he took a break, I finally caught up with them. There was a solid climbers trail above tree line to follow, but in the trees that was harder to keep to, especially with the intermittent snow cover. I would imagine in the dry season the route is pretty straight forward to follow.

Nick, LT, and the dogs on the summit of Galena Peak

After catching up to LT we were on a mix of rock and snow for the remainder of the climb. This climb was taxing me much more than the climb earlier in the week. The final push to the summit gave us amazing views of all the surrounding peaks. Once on the summit we had a beer and some snacks before making our way back down the mountain.

This was a yo-yo route, so after departing the summit we followed the route of ascent back to the trailhead. Even with spending a good deal of time on the summit, the total trip time was six and a half hours. I was pretty happy with that considering the dog fiasco that started the day. It was a good climb, and I was glad to get on a summit with LT again. By the end of the day I was pretty exhausted and was eager to eat LT’s chips and salsa and drink his beer.

Parting Notes

This is a great climb, one which I highly recommend. This is relatively short in miles, but it makes up for it in elevation gain. The views of the surrounding peaks are worth coming back to this one, should the option ever present itself. I would love to climb some more peaks in the Boulders, but those trips to Idaho from Colorado are few and far between these days. Until next time, cheers!

GPS Track

Date: October 20, 2018

Trailhead Elevation: 7,764 feet

Galen Peak: 11,112 feet

Total Elevation Gain: 3,698 feet

Class: 2

Distance: 5.0 miles

Moving Time: 4 hr 49 min

Stopped Time: 1 hr 40 min

Climbing Partner: LT

GAIA GPS Link: Galena Peak (2018-10-20)