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13101 Hits
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83.69% Score
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17 Votes
Page Type:
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Mountain/Rock |
|---|---|
Lat/Lon:
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43.91918°N / 114.94718°W |
County:
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Blaine |
Activities:
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Hiking, Mountaineering, Mixed, Scrambling |
Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall |
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Elevation:
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10269 ft / 3130 m |
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Overview
Perfect Peak forms the backdrop to one of the more popular backpacking destinations in the Sawtooth Range: Alice Lake. The peak contains an exciting, mostly solid rock summit ridge, that requires Class 3+ scrambling. Perfect Peak's named was adopted from Sheldon Bluestein's Hiking Trails of Southern Idaho and is fitting, given the pristine location and prominence above a magnificent lakes basin. The fact that the rock near the top is solid (uncommon for this particular section of the range) may have also contributed to the named. The summit is seldom visited and contains unique views of nearby Snowyside Peak, a trail-less and seldom explored major valley on it's east side, and an area just west of the summit that contains over 100 unnamed alpine lakes.
Routes
See the North Side Routes for descriptions.Getting There
The Pettit Lake Road begins 19 miles south of Stanley Idaho. Follow the Pettit Lake Road 2.5 miles to the end at a parking area. Follow the trail for 6.1 miles and leave it on the WNW side of Alice Lake. Traverse a side hill until your into the upper drainage above (south) of Alice Lakes. Follow this to the the drainage lake at the base of the north headwall of Perfect Peak.
Check the road conditions at: Idaho Transportation Department
Conditions and Season
Conditions may vary greatly. Access is typically from May to November. The approach road to Pettit Lake may be open sooner in the spring than other nearby access roads.
The Sawtooth Valley can be one of the coldest areas in the nation during the winter. Negative readings are common. Snowfall can vary and occur at any time. Summer days can still be hot, but you'll probably never experience 90 or above, especially once you get up higher.
Nearby Stanley, Idaho Climate Data:
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual | |
| Average Max. Temperature (F) | 27.0 | 33.7 | 42.5 | 50.3 | 59.9 | 68.4 | 78.7 | 78.4 | 68.6 | 56.6 | 38.1 | 26.0 | 52.4 |
| Average Min. Temperature (F) | -0.5 | 0.3 | 9.7 | 20.3 | 28.3 | 33.9 | 36.0 | 34.0 | 27.2 | 20.6 | 12.0 | -0.8 | 18.4 |
| Average Total Precipitation (in.) | 1.64 | 1.33 | 1.02 | 1.02 | 1.17 | 1.16 | 0.59 | 0.59 | 0.78 | 0.92 | 1.46 | 1.55 | 13.24 |
| Average Total SnowFall (in.) | 16.9 | 13.2 | 10.2 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 10.4 | 14.6 | 71.9 |
| Average Snow Depth (in.) | 18 | 20 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 |
Latest Avalanche Report (Sawtooth Area)
http://www.avalanche.org/~svavctr/
National Weather Service Current Forecast for Stanley:
http://newweb.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php?zone=idz018&county=idc037&wfo=pih&dgtl=1&lat=44.21139&lon=-114.945Sawtooth Web Cam can give you a good idea of the conditions in the area:
http://www.ruralnetwork.net/~dpinney/Sawtooth National Recreation Area
http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/sawtooth/recreation/recreport.htm
SNOTEL site gives latest snow depth readings:
http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snotel/snotel.pl?sitenum=845&state=id
Info and Sources
Here are a few references that have some more basic information and photographs on nearby climbs:
1) Climbing Magazine #15
2) Rock & Ice #44
3) Off Belay: The Mountain Magazine Feb 1975 #19 (Whole issue devoted to rock climbing in the Sawtooths, but hard to find)
4) American Alpine Journal- Issue 47 (1973)
5) Idaho: A Climbing Guide- Tom Lopez
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1 Routes