I did this solo and struggled on the Little Pawnee down climb, and luckily did not die. Haha. I had researched it and had photos. I wish I could explain how I did it. There are photos of some climbers descending a central dihedral. That looked pretty stout to me, so I opted for a line I had also seen in photos, about 8 feet descenders right of the dihedral. Clamber down blocks, but then I descended due north about 6 feet using finger cracks to a small ramp that deposited me lower but back on the same line of descent, though still too high to get to the base. Then I traversed right, facing the wall, by hugging a huge Boulder and making a big stem move. I am 6’ tall and with a tricky stem, got through it. 4th class my @ss! 5th class, ‘twas. Again, I was solo so maybe I was extra amped up. Good luck! The rest is a cakewalk after that.
birdhead - Jul 27, 2019 11:07 am Date Climbed: Jul 27, 2019
East ridge to Little Pawnee
Weather forecast was not good so we found this relatively short hike/scramble up to Little Pawnee Peak. Took about two hours to summit. There is some fun class 3 scrambling near the summit. Crux is a down climb into a notch right before the summit. Good option when you don't have much time. About 6.5 miles RT with 2100 feet of gain.
Indian peaks wilderness is one of the most beautiful areas in Colorado, finally I'm finish with all peaks on east side of the park, next goal, west side peaks.
ephilli2 - Aug 20, 2012 1:15 pm Date Climbed: Jul 17, 2010
Little Pawnee to Pawnee Traverse
Great views, great exposure, great memories!
thatnissanguy - Aug 21, 2011 10:47 pm Date Climbed: Aug 21, 2011
Pawnees to Toll
Climbed East Ridge as part of traverse to Pawnee and Toll. Stormed off Paiute. Fantastic traverse to Pawnee!
Brian C - Sep 20, 2010 7:58 am Date Climbed: Sep 19, 2010
Solitude and Combos!
What a great scramble. The register gives the impression the peak is lonely compared to it's neighbors. Ridge to Pawnee was cool and a little tricky. Initial down off summit would go a 5.0 if you were short IMO. We cleaned up all the old rappel anchors and carried them down. Rest of ridge was lots of traversing around towers on not always quality rock. Combined with Pawnee, Toll and Shoshone. Great route in the IPW!!!
edit: Looking back at route photos. We did not downclimb the easier route. We downclimbed the rappel route. Oops!
JoeyBagoDonuts - Jun 25, 2010 7:44 pm Date Climbed: Jun 24, 2010
SarahThompson - Apr 17, 2008 11:39 am Date Climbed: Jun 2, 2007
North couloir snow climb
This obscure snow climb up Little Pawnee's north face described in Roach's book was rather short but a lot of fun. It would have been in better condition a few weeks earlier though. From Little Pawnee we traversed to Pawnee Peak and then finished up with a short snow climb up Mt. Toll.
Mots010 - Nov 17, 2007 8:34 pm Date Climbed: Nov 17, 2007
East Ridge
Biked in from the gate and hiked up the east ridge. Weather was windy, overcast and snowy all day. The few inches that fell during the day made the traverse interesting, but was doable. Just had to be very careful on some of the north facing ledge traverses. A little more snow and this will be one tough route. One of my favorite climbs. No views all day!
miztflip - Jun 21, 2006 10:30 pm Date Climbed: Jun 21, 2006
Linkin'em Up!
Climbed enroute to Pawnee and Shoshoni with my wife. Saw about 50 elk at treeline. Lots of solitude and great scrambling.
Route Climbed: East Ridge Date Climbed: August 28, 2005
Fun little jaunt up the East Ridge with pksander, Josh, Wayne, and Todd. We dropped into one of the north couloirs to get out of the lightning but it was quite loose and very slow going. I'd avoid it if it's snow-free :-)
Route Climbed: East Ridge Date Climbed: August 28, 2005
Climbed with Chris Gerber, Josh Turpen, and visiting friends Wayne and Todd. Great trip, though not without event. Snow and lightning leaving the summit convinced us to attempt a quick descent via a north facing gulley. It was not quick. It was, as we say, epic.
Route Climbed: East Ridge -- from Pawnee Date Climbed: August 13
Climbed Little Pawnee as part of my challenge to cover the whole ridge from Audubon, Paiute, Toll, Pawnee, and Little Pawnee in a day. Was a great trip (see my tripreport for more information). The climb along the East Ridge from Pawnee was the toughest part of the whole trip (harder and way more exposed than Toll's North Ridge). My goal was to stay as close to the top of the ridge as possible, leading to several class 4 ledges and a class 5 section which caused me to backtrack part of the way. By dropping further below the ridge's crest one can find a much easier route. I believe (hope) that this is the Class 3 route that Roach mentions in his book. -- Had a great time and would do it again. (I will add a route asap).
Route Climbed: East Ridge Date Climbed: October 26, 2003
EMS windstopper gloves - $19.99; Fleece face mask to shield the wind - $16; Absolute Solitude in the IPW - Priceless! I saw not a single sole until within a mile of the trailhead on my way back. Many thanks to Kane for his tip on riding a bike in. 35 min ride from gate to TH & about 8 min ride going the other direction! It's also an awesome cardio warm-up before your hike. Just a little over 2 hrs from Long Lake TH to summit (Trip Report forthcoming).
After attaining Little Pawnee Peak's summmit all I need is Mount Audubon to complete all of the major summits in the Brainard Lake area.
The east ridge is a perfect choice if your looking for a short and direct class 3 climb. Expect solitude as well, maybe 10 people a year visit this summmit.
BradBartick - Sep 27, 2021 3:54 pm Date Climbed: Sep 27, 2021
Full traverse, fun routeI did this solo and struggled on the Little Pawnee down climb, and luckily did not die. Haha. I had researched it and had photos. I wish I could explain how I did it. There are photos of some climbers descending a central dihedral. That looked pretty stout to me, so I opted for a line I had also seen in photos, about 8 feet descenders right of the dihedral. Clamber down blocks, but then I descended due north about 6 feet using finger cracks to a small ramp that deposited me lower but back on the same line of descent, though still too high to get to the base. Then I traversed right, facing the wall, by hugging a huge Boulder and making a big stem move. I am 6’ tall and with a tricky stem, got through it. 4th class my @ss! 5th class, ‘twas. Again, I was solo so maybe I was extra amped up. Good luck! The rest is a cakewalk after that.
birdhead - Jul 27, 2019 11:07 am Date Climbed: Jul 27, 2019
East ridge to Little PawneeWeather forecast was not good so we found this relatively short hike/scramble up to Little Pawnee Peak. Took about two hours to summit. There is some fun class 3 scrambling near the summit. Crux is a down climb into a notch right before the summit. Good option when you don't have much time. About 6.5 miles RT with 2100 feet of gain.
Senad Rizvanovic - Jul 21, 2019 6:30 pm Date Climbed: Jul 21, 2019
From Long Lake Trailhead.Indian peaks wilderness is one of the most beautiful areas in Colorado, finally I'm finish with all peaks on east side of the park, next goal, west side peaks.
ephilli2 - Aug 20, 2012 1:15 pm Date Climbed: Jul 17, 2010
Little Pawnee to Pawnee TraverseGreat views, great exposure, great memories!
thatnissanguy - Aug 21, 2011 10:47 pm Date Climbed: Aug 21, 2011
Pawnees to TollClimbed East Ridge as part of traverse to Pawnee and Toll. Stormed off Paiute. Fantastic traverse to Pawnee!
Brian C - Sep 20, 2010 7:58 am Date Climbed: Sep 19, 2010
Solitude and Combos!What a great scramble. The register gives the impression the peak is lonely compared to it's neighbors. Ridge to Pawnee was cool and a little tricky. Initial down off summit would go a 5.0 if you were short IMO. We cleaned up all the old rappel anchors and carried them down. Rest of ridge was lots of traversing around towers on not always quality rock. Combined with Pawnee, Toll and Shoshone. Great route in the IPW!!!
edit: Looking back at route photos. We did not downclimb the easier route. We downclimbed the rappel route. Oops!
JoeyBagoDonuts - Jun 25, 2010 7:44 pm Date Climbed: Jun 24, 2010
Soloed with......Pawnee and Shoshoni Peaks.
Narendra - Dec 25, 2008 9:37 pm
PawneeGood scramble in very scenic area
SarahThompson - Apr 17, 2008 11:39 am Date Climbed: Jun 2, 2007
North couloir snow climbThis obscure snow climb up Little Pawnee's north face described in Roach's book was rather short but a lot of fun. It would have been in better condition a few weeks earlier though. From Little Pawnee we traversed to Pawnee Peak and then finished up with a short snow climb up Mt. Toll.
Mots010 - Nov 17, 2007 8:34 pm Date Climbed: Nov 17, 2007
East RidgeBiked in from the gate and hiked up the east ridge. Weather was windy, overcast and snowy all day. The few inches that fell during the day made the traverse interesting, but was doable. Just had to be very careful on some of the north facing ledge traverses. A little more snow and this will be one tough route. One of my favorite climbs. No views all day!
miztflip - Jun 21, 2006 10:30 pm Date Climbed: Jun 21, 2006
Linkin'em Up!Climbed enroute to Pawnee and Shoshoni with my wife. Saw about 50 elk at treeline. Lots of solitude and great scrambling.
Brian Kalet - Oct 6, 2005 1:14 pm
Route Climbed: East Ridge Date Climbed: October 5, 2005Icy!
Chris - Aug 29, 2005 9:44 am
Route Climbed: East Ridge Date Climbed: August 28, 2005Fun little jaunt up the East Ridge with pksander, Josh, Wayne, and Todd. We dropped into one of the north couloirs to get out of the lightning but it was quite loose and very slow going. I'd avoid it if it's snow-free :-)
pksander - Aug 28, 2005 8:59 pm
Route Climbed: East Ridge Date Climbed: August 28, 2005Climbed with Chris Gerber, Josh Turpen, and visiting friends Wayne and Todd. Great trip, though not without event. Snow and lightning leaving the summit convinced us to attempt a quick descent via a north facing gulley. It was not quick. It was, as we say, epic.
georgbetsy - Aug 14, 2004 7:03 pm
Route Climbed: East Ridge -- from Pawnee Date Climbed: August 13Climbed Little Pawnee as part of my challenge to cover the whole ridge from Audubon, Paiute, Toll, Pawnee, and Little Pawnee in a day. Was a great trip (see my tripreport for more information). The climb along the East Ridge from Pawnee was the toughest part of the whole trip (harder and way more exposed than Toll's North Ridge). My goal was to stay as close to the top of the ridge as possible, leading to several class 4 ledges and a class 5 section which caused me to backtrack part of the way. By dropping further below the ridge's crest one can find a much easier route. I believe (hope) that this is the Class 3 route that Roach mentions in his book. -- Had a great time and would do it again. (I will add a route asap).
jwclimbs - Oct 27, 2003 10:46 am
Route Climbed: East Ridge Date Climbed: October 26, 2003EMS windstopper gloves - $19.99; Fleece face mask to shield the wind - $16; Absolute Solitude in the IPW - Priceless! I saw not a single sole until within a mile of the trailhead on my way back. Many thanks to Kane for his tip on riding a bike in. 35 min ride from gate to TH & about 8 min ride going the other direction! It's also an awesome cardio warm-up before your hike. Just a little over 2 hrs from Long Lake TH to summit (Trip Report forthcoming).
-JW
Kane - Oct 23, 2003 9:12 am
Route Climbed: East Ridge Date Climbed: 6-28-2003After attaining Little Pawnee Peak's summmit all I need is Mount Audubon to complete all of the major summits in the Brainard Lake area.
The east ridge is a perfect choice if your looking for a short and direct class 3 climb. Expect solitude as well, maybe 10 people a year visit this summmit.