Horton Peak Lookout

In preparation for our stay in Stanley, Idaho Kent purchased "The Day Hiker's Guide to Stanley, Idaho" by Scott Marchant.  One of the hikes that particularly interested Kent was Horton Peak.  Scott said from its summit one would have unobstructed panoramic views of the Sawtooth's, the White Clouds, and the Boulder and Pioneer Mountains.  As if this weren't enough, the summit also featured a 1938 Forest Service lookout and a benchmark.  What more could you ask from a hike?

A couple of miles below the Galena Summit we left Highway 75 and made our way to Horton Peak
(While this isn't Horton Peak, the picture shows the beautiful country heading up Pole Creek Road) 

After about four miles of traveling on Valley Road you will come to this sign
(We took this road for about a mile to the trailhead . . . the trail to the top is approximately 3.5 miles)

The lower part of the trail wound mostly through sagebrush until we reached the backbone of the ridge . . . 
Then it became a mixture of pine, sagebrush and a few aspens

Looking north, towards Stanley . . . that's the Sawtooth Range across the valley

We were surprised to find this telephone pole (and several more along the trail) . . .
One can only imagine the effort it took to erect these on such a steep slope

About halfway up the trail you will traverse through this aspen grove before emerging back into more sage

Checking out those clouds . . . looks like a storm is brewing . . .
We could hear thunder in the distance but never saw any lighting flashes . . . just the same, being exposed in the sage flats made us a little nervous!

Yep, we've got trouble coming our way

We were about a 1/2 mile from the top when the storm finally caught us . . .
So close . . . should we turn around? . . . but, it's so close!

We took cover in some trees and "milled" around pondering whether to continue . . .
We waited about 10 minutes (and a pretty heavy graupel outpouring) before deciding to press on

15 minutes later and we were on top . . .
It was thundering in the clouds all around us, so Allison quickly
grabbed a few pictures and we headed back down to the safety of the trees

Ah, here's one of the items we came to see . . . a 1961 benchmark!

This lookout has stood here since 1938 . . . it was last manned in 1960
We were able to lift one of the shutters and look inside through a window pane . . . 
Not much to see other than some paint cans . . . we hope that plans are in the works to restore this lookout
(Click here for more history on this lookout)

Looking at North Horton Peak (9,868 ft) . . . looks a little steep, but doable 

Looking east towards Castle Peak (11,815 ft) in the heart of the White Clouds

Time to take a quick selfie and get off the top of this mountain!

"Getting out of Dodge" and heading for safety!

Here's a closeup of some graupel . . . which are basically water droplets frozen onto snowflakes

South Horton Peak (9,928 ft) . . . 
This picture gives you an idea of how steep this trail really is!

How did we miss this on the way up?  Surprisingly, in usable condition!

The storm began to let up as we got lower on the mountain . . . 
It gave us good views of Alturas Lake, across the valley in the Sawtooth's

Looking back towards the top . . . maybe we should have waited a little longer for the storm to pass??
Nah!!!

Horton Peak (9,896 ft)
(Allison took this picture one-week later as we were passing back through Stanley . . .
The trail starts near the golden aspens in the valley and makes its way up the ridge, left center of picture)

While not as spectacular, in appearance, as the peaks in the Sawtooth Range across the valley, this peak is every bit as high as many of them. We suppose that the difficulty (2,800 ft in 3.6 miles) keeps many from attempting this peak.  It appeared, from the register, that maybe one or two parties hike this trail each week . . . a little surprising with such a well maintained trail and amazing 360° views on a clear day!  If you're up to it, click here for a link and a map, that shows the trail up this peak, as well as, a route for North & South Horton Peaks.  If you're in the area, don't miss out on this fun hike!