After the Idahosummits Spring Outing on Bear Mountain the day before, we remained camped at Summit Creek Campground. We really didn't know what to do the next day. We batted around dozens of ideas, ranging from big to small hikes. I was pushing for something medium after 2 days of hiking in a row already. Eventually we settled in on Hawley Mountain.

Hawley Mountain is a big mountain that juts out into the Little Lost River Valley. It has a prominence of over 2000 feet and is highpoint of the Hawley Range, a small sub-range of the Lost River Mountains. With its prominence status and potential for great views, Hawley had been on my list a long time!

We departed our camping spot of the last 2 days and headed south to climb Hawley. We decided to climb the peak via north/northwest ridge starting from the small ponds at the end of the road at 7400 feet (Point 7432T on the Hawley Mountain, ID quad).

The road was certainly steep and rocky, but John's truck made easy work of it (yes, I have a crush on his truck as many of you know). Grant and Alicia would join myself and the 2 John's on this trip, while Tom (who had done this peak 3 times before) would stay back at the truck and guard the beer.

The route was pretty simple... follow steep, but easy slopes through the trees to the base of the the peak and follow the north ridge to the summit.

We gained elevation fast and were soon on the very appealing alpine slopes of upper Hawley Mountain. We arrived at the top in exactly 1 hour and 50 minutes (several in the group made it up 15 minutes quicker).

The views from the top are as imagined. The Lost Rivers are a sea of mountains on one side and the Lemhis are on the other, with the massive expanse of the Little Lost Valley between. We enjoyed the views for a while, before starting down so we could enjoy one last cold one and get back to Boise at a reasonable hour.

If you are like me and Hawley has always been on your list, by all means, head over there and climb it. It is a great peak!

From the small town of Clyde, Idaho, follow Pass Creek Road west for 5.7 miles.

Look for a road on the left hand side of the road just before the road crosses Wet Creek. Follow this road and take an immediate right. You are now on the road to the cow pond at 7400'. From Pass Creek, follow this road for 2.25 miles to the aforementioned pond.

The road actually continues past the pond and slowly deteriates into an ATV track. Park where you see fit.

We parked at the spot north of the peak marked 7432T on the Hawley Mountain, ID quad near a cattle pond. We hiked south up the tree covered slopes to the rockier terrain above and followed the ridge to the top of Hawley.