Park County High Point Trip Report

Francs Peak (13,153 ft)

Date: September 1-2, 2001
Author: Dave Covill

We drove in to the Meadow Creek TH for the Park County highpoint. Saw 3 grizzlies way down low in a meadow near horses and bulls, around 6,000'. Quite a sight. Road was long, and followed a river bed of cobbles the last 3 miles. Lucky for us it was very dry.

We packed up to the cabin at the head of the Meadow Creek basin. I must say that the Absarokas are the ugliest range I've ever seen. Just a bunch of gray, fine-grain volcanic rock, all the same, crumbling, rotten, little vegetation, broad ridges mostly, some spires here and there due to erosion. Great camp site at 10,400 feet next to creek, right below start of faint climbers trail.

We headed up the next day with a 7:15 start, arrived at 12,000 foot ridge crest at 9:15, then walked ~4 miles to Francs, gaining 1,000 feet in the last mile. Spent a total of 6 hours above 12,000 feet. The summit register was placed by Mike Garrett of Golden CO in 1975! We packed out after a very long day, and chowed down in Meeteetse, then got a room in Greybull.