Bannock County Highpoint Trip Report

Bonneville Peak

Date: May 14, 2006
Author: Ben Knorr

I woke early on Sunday and drove from Salt Lake City to Inkom, ID. The exit for northbound traffic into Inkom is 57 on I-15. My notes have been lost, so I will try my best to remember. From the freeway off ramp, go left (under I-15). At the first stop sign, turn left and continue on this road for a while. I believe it is an I-15 business loop. Keep going past the freeway and the first left you'll see should be Green Canyon Road. Turn left here and continue up this road for a little over 4 miles, as other trip reports indicate. There was a fresh looking landslide near the top of the paved portion of the road that hadn't been cleared yet. I would assume it will be fixed soon as it blocks half the road. I parked at the upper lot at the ski patrol office. Snow still clung to the slopes above -- more than half of the left-most chairlift was over snow.

I used a mix of straight up hiking and traversing on the jeep path when it wasn't buried deep in snow. Eventually, snow covered everything so I just went straight up to the top of the right-most lift before traversing back to the left-most and highest lift. The snow was still supporting my weight as I continued directly up the hill behind the lift. Snow-free talus slopes near the cliff bands helped a little in my upward progress. Once on the ridge, it was a cakewalk on supportive snow to the top. I saw a cairn and a partially buried structure of some sort (maybe as big as a doghouse, or it was a normal shed buried DEEP) near the top.

While looking for a register, which there was none, I saw a coyote trotting along almost towards me. I got a few pictures of it before it saw me and changed course. On the way down, I signed a register in a hut near the top of the lift. Skis would've made a decent from the summit a 5-7 minute deal. Overall, a good, steep workout.