Ross Peak

Location: Boise Mountains in the Northeastern part of the range close to the Sawtooths.  Seldom visited area due to a rugged approach that includes a major stream crossing in the approach road.

Nearby Peaks: Two Point Mountain, Gunsight Peak, Newman Peak, Jumbo Mountain, Cayuse Point, Mattingly Peak

Linkups: Two Point Mountain

Difficulty:  Class 2-3, Rugged Jeep road gives way to single track trail, then scrambling on scree and talus. Ridgeline is fairly stable, slopes are loose.

Usage: Scrambling

Terrain:  Mostly solid ridgeline with some vertical towers to bypass on both the north and south sides. Slopes to the ridge are loose. Valleys are easy to navigate.

Traffic:  Mostly off road vehicles in the area- motorcycles, ATVs; some hunters

Summit Register:  Yes

History / Etymology:  Ranger Elmer Ross- In 1911 built a ranger station at Gallagher Flat. Ross was a familiar figure in Garden Valley until he transferred to the Boise National Forest in 1914. He spent much of his time supervising sheep grazing up the Middle Fork of the Payette River and early Forest Service timber sales in the valley. Ross returned to the Payette National Forest in 1918, where he served until 1926. The remainder of his career was spent on national forests in southeastern Idaho. (courtesy of USDA web site)

Getting There

Nearest Paved Roads:  ID-20, near Fairfield

Nearest Dirt Roads / Conditions:  Tip Top Mine Road, Bear Creek Road, South Fork of Boise River Road- South Fork Road is excellent, Bear Creek Road is poor with a major stream crossing, Tip Top Mine Road is mostly for ATVs etc and is really poor

Approach Trails / Conditions:  Trail from Tip Top Mine Road to Goat Lake is good

Routes

Main Route:  Northeast Ridge / South Ridge Loop Class 2-3: Follow the Tip Top Mine Road until it branches off left at 8375 onto a single track trail.  Follow this trail to Goat Lake and traverse clockwise around the lake.  Find a faint goat trail next to a creek that leads to a high meadow chute.  Follow this chute to the high meadow.  From the high meadows many options to access the ridge are apparent.  One route traverses the north ridge by climbing southwest to a point just north of the summit.  Follow the ridgeline easily to the summit.  To complete the loop, follow the ridge south up and over several points until there's a vertical drop off on the southern part of the summit ridge.  To avoid this, drop down on the west side and gain the ridge again up and over Point 9580. From Point 9580 follow the ridge south and find a motorcycle trail near the Red Horse Mine saddle. 

Main Route Stats:  7.1miles / 3303 (round trip)

Average RT Time:  3-5 hours

Other Routes:  There's a trail just to the west of the ridgeline, so access from the nearly every direction is possible.

Red Tape

Jurisdiction:  National Forest (Boise National Recreation Area)

Permit:  No

Other Users / Issues:  Motorcycles, ATVs, and hunters

Maps:  USGS Quad- Newman Peak

Guide Book:  Tom Lopez,  Idaho: A Climbing Guide

When To Climb

Climbing Season:  Summer, Fall (June-Oct)

Ideal Climbing Time:  July-Oct

Nearest Weather Station:  Atlanta

Weather Relative to Region:  located near the highest peaks in the Boise Range, but still lower than the Sawtooths just to the northeast.  Variable conditions based on recent storm tracks in all seasons except Summer, when conditions are much like nearby Fairfield.

Camping

Car Camping Sites:  Sites along the South Fork of the Boise- many primitive sites

Backpacking Sites:  Goat Lake, otherwise not ideal for backpacking

Flora & Fauna

Potential Wildlife:  Badger, Beaver, Black Bear, Mule Deer, Pronghorn, Cougar, Coyote, Elk, Marmot, Marten, Moose, Mountain Goat, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Pika, Wolf

Confirmed Wildlife: Pika, Coyote, Marmot

Vegetation:  Lodgepole, Engelman Spruce

Images

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