Chinese Peak

Overview

Chinese Peak is the highest point of the Pocatello Range. The summit is a very straight forward class 1 hike that has an old dirt road directly to the summit from the trailhead. The trailhead begins right at the parking lot. This peak used to be an old fire lookout. The name of the peak used to be "Chinks Peak" but due to the racial movements in the last recent decades, it has been switched to the name Chinese Peak for respectable reasons. The trail is very popular, especially during the warm seasons. You will most likely encounter several hikers while you are out.

The trail is about 7.4 miles round trip depending on what GPS you are using. Some people reported it as short as 7.2 miles. This is also dependant on which approach you use.

Getting There

The north approach is located right off of West Buckskin Road in Pocatello

West face is found driving up 5th avenue.

Further directions are provided in the route section.

Route

West Face - Class 1

I used the description for the west face off of the Idaho Climbing Guide page to add another shorter route option. The link to the page is listed below in the external links.

From Exit 67 on I-15, drive northwest on 5th Avenue to just past where the road is divided into a one-way northbound (5thAvenue) and one-way southbound configuration (4th Avenue). Turn R/NE on Barton Road. Drive 1.8 miles up Barton Road to the BLM gate and a large trailhead parking area. Park here. The elevation is 5,055 feet.From Exit 67 on I-15, drive northwest on 5th Avenue to just past where the road is divided into a one-way northbound (5thAvenue) and one-way southbound configuration (4th Avenue). Turn R/NE on Barton Road. Drive 1.8 miles up Barton Road to the BLM gate and a large trailhead parking area. Park here. The elevation is 5,055 feet.

Hike 2.7 miles up BLM Road #301 (a smooth dirt road) to the summit area. Higher up, the road does a number of steep switchbacks. There are several large antenna facilities on top.The high point is at the base of one of these massive antennas.

North Route - Class 1

This is the route we came up. It offers a very gradual hike up to the top with some depth to it at certain parts of your approach. This also offers a road all the way to the top of the mountain. The road starts right off of West Buckskin Road. There is a trailhead where you can park and leave your car for the day.

We clocked this direction at 7.4 mile roundtrip with 2874 ft of elevation gain.

Red Tape

No red tape regulations. There is shooting bans throughout the entire range. If you are coming to target shoot, you most likely won't have luck finding a spot you can legally shoot at that is easy to get too. There is also lots of private property you need to watch out for throughout the range as well. It can easily transition from BLM to private property in many locations. Be sure to know the BLM area well to respect privacy laws.

When to Climb

This can be climbed year round. The terrain is not very dangerous unless you are being complelely careless on the more steep parts of the mountain. We hiked it in early spring when it was still snow capped. The snow slowed us up some but was a fine day for a hike.

Camping

Not much camping is available in the area. You could technically camp along this trail at some of the higher points if it is more smooth to sleep on. Be sure to check the local fire watch guides in case there are any current fire bans in the area. 

External Links

Idaho Clilmbing Guide - They always offer excellent assisants in your hiking research