Continuing with this summer’s theme of exploring U.S. destinations for hikes, I joined a group heading down to Idaho to climb Borah Peak. Although the mountain appears as “Borah Peak” on government maps, it’s referred to by locals as “Mount Borah”. The mountain is a popular destination because of easy access and an exciting scrambling route to the top. According to the sign at the trailhead 3000-4000 people attempt to reach the summit every year via the southwest ridge – also known as “Chicken Out” Ridge. This is the route we used.
We stayed in the nearby town of Mackay (pronounced Mac-kee) and got off to an early start, setting out from the trailhead at 0515. There were already plenty of people on the trail ahead of us, their headlights visible ascending in the darkness. The route follows a very obvious trail ascending up a wooded valley west of the summit. After about 1.5 km the trail hooks to the north, heading more steeply uphill to the top of a broad ridge. From there the trail turns to the east again, following the ridge as it ascends beyond the trees and onto open rocky terrain. A long ridge walk leads to Chicken Out Ridge at roughly 4.5 km.
Navigating Chicken Out Ridge involves route finding and passing through areas of exposure. Three key areas stand out in my mind: An initial brief knife-edge section with steep drop-offs on both sides, a false/treacherous bypass trail going to climber’s left prior to the black rock section of the ridge, and the final down-climb from the ridge onto a small col. It’s difficult to capture this scramble in pictures, and some of the YouTube content out there makes use of devices whose lenses distort the terrain. This drone footage of a climber gives a pretty good idea of what to expect through the first section of the scramble. Through a portion of the initial knife-edge area I made things harder for myself for moving along the right of the ridge rather than the left. Aside from that self-imposed difficulty, I was pretty comfortable as I moved along.
After the down-climb off Chicken Out Ridge, the trail crosses a very small col. When I was there, it was bare and dry. However, this small stretch is frequently snow-covered, even into July. People refer to the stretch as the “snow bridge”, though there’s no gap actually bridged by the snow. It can be an area of concern since there are steep drop-offs on either side and a slip and slide could be deadly. Check out this post by Backcountry Fever for more on the snow bridge. Beyond the small col, the trail remains level for a time and heads northeast, traversing under a high-point then arriving at a col below the final steep climb to the summit. The final climb is a bit of a slog. Moving at a steady pace it took us about 4h 20m to reach the summit.
Unfortunately, although the weather was calm, it was a very smoky day. There were no distant views, just the outlines of nearby peaks in the murk. On the bright side, the company on the summit was excellent. People were generally considerate in allowing other folks space for summit photos and offering to take pictures. We had pleasant conversations, and I ended up spending an hour relaxing at the top. We returned along the same route, passing many ascending hikers. Back in Mackay we went to L7 Bar and Grill, a friendly place with good food and a wide beer selection which was our watering hole for our 3 nights in the area. Over some cold drinks we planned for our ascent of Leatherman Peak the following day.
Borah Peak, as seen from Leatherman Peak, several kilometers to the south.The information placard at the trailhead, referring to the mountain as “Mt. Borah”. This seems to be a preferred local name, though it’s named “Borah Peak” on USGS maps. We started out before sunrise, so I didn’t get any pictures aside from this of the initial parts of the trail.Dawn breaking, just as we’re making our way out of the trees.Looking back from higher up. As we got more daylight it became apparent that we were in for a very smoky day.The first good look at Chicken Out Ridge (the yellow/black striped area at the right) and route to the summit.Another view of Chicken Out Ridge and the summit from a little further along.A shot I took later in the day showing Chicken Out Ridge, as well as the small col at the left where the snow bridge sits earlier in the season. You can see tiny figures on the ridge.A closer look at the final part of the ridge. On ascent, when reaching this area, there’s a trail the veers left and gives the impression of bypassing the scramble (you can sort of make it out in the scree at the right of this picture). Unfortunately, it leads to very loose and steeply down-sloping terrain as it nears the col. It’s better to stay on the ridge.Continuing upward, ascending some fairly steep terrain on the way to Chicken Out Ridge.Rays of sunlight breaking over the mountain.Looking south towards Mount Idaho and Mount Morrison.At the start of Chicken Out Ridge. By this time we had plenty of daylight.Taking a look behind me at the long ridgewalk leading to Chicken Out Ridge.Making my way up the first section of Chicken Out Ridge. A short distance ahead is where I made life harder for myself by being on the right side of the crest instead of the left.Looking back as my group negotiates the first part of the ridge.There were areas of more mellow terrain in between areas of exposure.Taking a break to look south at other peaks of the Lost River Range.At the transition between yellow and black rock along Chicken Out Ridge. You can see a path to the left of the ridge which seems to bypass it. I wouldn’t recommend going that way.Looking back at scramblers approaching the yellow/black rock transition.Some fun scrambling terrain on the black rocks.The group was able to move along pretty steadily here.Prior to the final down-climb from Chicken Out Ridge there’s this large up-sloping slab. We found safe routes around it on both sides.This is the view from the top of the final down-climb. Two ropes were fixed here (by parties unknown). The blue one looks newer. We managed to descend without using the ropes. This is the crux of the route. Looking back after descending. This is where the snow bridge would be earlier in the season.This is the view to the right of the down-climb and the col. The slope is very steep (the picture doesn’t quite capture it) and leads to a big gully. The bypass trail leads to this slope. I’ve drawn a cartoon where we saw someone struggling uphill earlier to give you an idea of the scale. They made it to the col, but it was anxiety-provoking to watch and they didn’t seem happy.Back on the trail beyond Chicken Out Ridge. This was a section of easy travel before the final uphill slog.A look over at Borah’s west ridge.At the foot of the final section. A clear trail heads uphill through the rubble. The footing is pretty good – it’s not a scree treadmill.Some parts of this last section are pretty steep, but there’s no real scrambling involved.Looking back from a short distance below the summit.The final few steps before reaching Borah Peak’s broad summit.The summit of Borah Peak. A very crisp-looking flag was set within a small cairn. Somebody must make a point of replacing it every so often.Group shot at the summit. We were joined by a friendly guy from Boise named Tyler who ascended along with us for most of the route. Photo courtesy of Scott Mills.View to the northwest.View to the northeast.View to the southeast. Somewhere in that murk is Leatherman Peak, Idaho’s 2nd tallest mountain. We would climb that the following day.View to the southwest. The smoke was unfortunate. On the bright side, it was a calm day and it hadn’t yet gotten hot on the mountain. We relaxed on the summit for an hour before starting our descent.Heading back down.Me climbing back onto Chicken Out Ridge. Photo courtesy of Scott Mills.Making our way back through Chicken Out Ridge. This is another shot that shows the dodgy bypass trail to the left. I suspect the majority of people that go that way either turn back (thus defining the trail some more and making it more enticing) or ascend up to the ridge after a short distance.Looking back after coming off Chicken Out Ridge.With all the excitement behind us we walked back down to the trailhead.After we got back to town we cooled off with beers at L7 and planned for our ascent of Leatherman Peak the next day.
Hiking With Par 
Very good description, Par.
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