Missouri Springs

Approach

From the parking area, walk through the locked gate and start heading up the primitive road. Wilson Ridge is still a few miles to the west. The road is faint in places, and it's easy to get off track. The road starts heading up a gentle slope towards the mountains. Much to our surprise, we soon encountered a flowing stream. On this 100-degree day, having the spring around was nice. Continue up the road for about two and a half miles. You will then arrive at some water tanks that collect water from the stream. You will leave the road here and head right towards this drainage.

Route Description

Once the primitive road ends, bear right and descend slightly into the main drainage. Then, start heading up the rugged drainage. Your goal is to get to this point on Mount Wilson's south ridge. There appears to be a few different ways to get there. We climbed out of the drainage because it got too difficult, but that probably wasn't the best route. The route we took was tough in places, and we really didn't know where we were going. The terrain seemed confusing, and we had to make a steep sidehill traverse at one point, but ultimately we made it to the south ridge. It might be best just to stay in the drainage the whole way if you can.

Once we got to the south ridge, I thought the summit was just in front of us, but it turned out to be a false summit. It was then that I suddenly saw the true summit off in the distance. Going up, we climbed up and over the false summit. However, we later found out that you can traverse around the false summit to the left, and head straight for the saddle between Wilson and the false summit. Once at the saddle, make the final push to the summit, where you can enjoy the views.

Hiking Distance: About 10 miles round trip.
Elevation Gain: About 3,200'.

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