Peak 4410

Overview

There are numerous peaks in Wyoming that are located in remote badlands areas far from any major roads; while these relatively small and insignificant mountains may not appeal to most climbers, they hold interest for people who like to wander around out-of-the way places and visit locations that are frequented by very few people. Beautiful and interesting things can be found in environments that the casual observer may dismiss as ugly, and the unnamed mountain known as Peak 4410 is one of these places.

Found east of the city of Lovell, Peak 4410 is located fairly close the Big Horn River, which lies between it and the Sheep Mountain Anticline. The centerpiece of the summit view from this peak is the northern Big Horn Range, which rises up over 5,000 feet from the valley floor just to the east.

The scramble to the top of this butte-like formation is pretty short and doesn't take much time, but the drive to reach it takes a while. A Native American vision quest structure that faces east is found on the summit; it is similar to other structures found on summits throughout the Big Horns.

Getting There and Climbing Information

From Lovell, Wyoming, travel east on Highway 14A and turn left (south) on Crystal Creek Road, which is 3.1 miles after you cross the bridge over Bighorn Lake. Once on the dirt road, drive for 10.1 miles and take the right fork. After another mile, turn right again and drive through an area of ranching houses for 0.6 miles, and which point you will cross back onto public land. Take the first two-track road that branches off to the left and park below the hills leading up to the peak.

There is a cow path leading up the first part of the hill, and then the rest of the way requires some route-finding to avoid the steep parts of the very hard badland-type ground that circles the peak in a band. Once above this, find a way to the top through one of the openings between the rock outcroppings. There are three outcroppings that are close in elevation along the ridge, but it looked to me like the highest point was located on the one that was farthest to the southwest. The vision quest structure is located on the middle summit; each of the three summits is separated by gullies, including one that contains some mini sand dunes that are unlike anything I've encountered on any of the peaks in the area.

Be careful on the return trip, as it is easy to cliff out when trying to cross back through the hard band. It is really easy to slip on this stuff, which would result in an uncomfortable and painful slide of 20-30 feet in some places!

A round trip hike of Peak 4410 is just over a mile with elevation gain of 400 feet on Class 2 terrain.

Red Tape & Camping

Peak 4410 is located on BLM land and there are no fees or permits required to access this area. There are several small farms and ranches located nearby that are posted with No Trespassing signs, but the peak itself has no access issues. Be sure to watch for rattlesnakes if you are out here in warm weather, as this is prime habitat for them.

For camping rules on BLM land, visit this site.

External Links

Native American stone structures

Images

View Peak 4410 Image Gallery - 10 Images