mtmtnslayer406 - Feb 24, 2024 6:54 am Date Climbed: May 29, 2023
Successful Summits!
Summited Trapper twice, once via trail #234 and Baker Lake, and once via the Trapper Peak trail #133 last Memorial Day.
wildfiredjade - Feb 12, 2024 6:59 am Date Climbed: Jul 9, 2020
Easy, fun peak
Camped at Gem Lake below the peak - would recommend. It's beautiful down there.
Kruser - Jan 19, 2024 6:49 pm Date Climbed: Sep 6, 2022
Smokey
I didn’t see anyone on the mountain or at the trailhead probably due to the thick smoke, views were still fantastic. I hope to make it back on a clear day. wonderful easy to climb peak.
Jamez - Oct 26, 2023 10:04 pm Date Climbed: Jun 23, 2023
June 23
Quick evening hike after work...3 hours up 2 down beautiful red sunset.
OkayZen - Sep 28, 2023 9:48 am Date Climbed: Sep 24, 2023
via Baker Lake Ridge
Overcast and windy day, didn't make the views any less great. We camped at Baker Lake for a nice evening and an early start. The SummitPost route page for this is very helpful, as well as a solid look on Google Earth.
As others have noted, the "route" at the top is a bit of a mess - cairns everywhere that don't seem to lead anywhere. I enjoyed the boulder-hopping traverse under the lower peak (wife disagrees), and eventually we found the well-trodden dirt path maybe 200' below the summit. We used that to descend, but I think that would have been a bummer to climb straight up - not interesting and steep!
Brian Jenkins - Jul 31, 2023 9:24 pm Date Climbed: Jul 30, 2023
Beautiful
After spending two days with thousands of bugs on Hyndman, this was an awesome hike. Beautiful forest hiking in, nice lake (popular though) at Baker. Cool hike up and stunning views. Highly recommended. And the route page for Baker Lake was very helpful and accurate. Beer and burger in Hamilton after.
droot - Aug 20, 2022 6:01 am Date Climbed: Aug 11, 2022
from baker lake
Climbed from Baker Lake, fun day, about 2 hours from the lake with a baby in my backpack
mikekernan - Apr 26, 2021 9:49 am Date Climbed: Aug 8, 2020
Hiked up
Steep trail, great views up top
huskertriguy - Sep 13, 2020 11:27 pm Date Climbed: Aug 26, 2020
ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-THUN! DER!
This was part of a Montana trip involving county high points for Shoshone (ID); Mineral; Ravalli; Granite; Deer Lodge; Beaverhead; Fremont (ID); and Madison. (Initially I had wanted to go after the remaining county high points in the Beartooths (having summited Granite Peak in 2018), but my body was providing some signs that I not provided myself sufficient recovery time this summer, so I kept this trip to day hikes/scrambles.)
After the mix-up on the roads to Quartz Benchmark's eastern approach, I spent the previous night grasping around in the dark for a good place to sleep. I happened upon Big Pine Campground, a free and lovely NFS site. This was still several hours from Trapper Peak, and due to a late night and a subsequent late morning, I did not set off from the trailhead until noon.
Trapper Peak is the closest I would get to the Bear Creek Fire (which was 70% contained by the time I was there), so I did not expect to see much amid the smoke. Still, I could see some surrounding peaks, and overhead the sun broke through a partly cloudy blue sky. It was already clearer than just 18 hours earlier when I was on Illinois Peak.
Within minutes of starting, I was surprised and disappointed to find myself breathing heavily and sweating profusely; this in spite of the fact that my pace was modest and the temperature was perfect. I attributed it to inadequate rest and recovery and the fact that I had started only a small handful of summits above 6000’ this year. Suffice to say it was fortuitous that I had bailed on Quartz Benchmark with a notion of making this a dual summit day; it appeared likely I would have to scale back my ambitious itinerary.
After the first couple miles I heard the echoes of thunder — hours before the forecast called for it. As it happened I was able to acquire a cell signal so I checked the forecast again: 40% chance starting at 4:00. I mentally prepared myself for the possibility of hunkering down for hours, as I would rather do that than have to return. As I continued walking, I took note of every protected spot that caught my eye. But by the time I exited tree line, it had been a good 45 minutes since I had last heard thunder, and it was apparent that the dark clouds were passing to the east and south. Above me was an abundance of blue sky and sunlight, so I continued on, knowing I would never be 30 minutes at most from the relative shelter of treeline.
The elevation gain is relatively constant with few flat stretches and almost no loss. The trail is straightforward until the last 400-500 vertical feet — at least I found it to be so on the ascent (more in this below). Then there is some boulder-hopping past a couple false summits. A variety of cairns lead in different directions; on my part I tried to stick climber’s left of the ridge where the beaten path seemed more apparent.
The slowly clearing smoke offered breathtaking views of dozens of unnamed peaks to the north, as well as Sugarloaf, Como Peaks, and El Capitan.. To the south wildfire smoke and dark clouds precluded sighting much, though Bare Peak was clearly visible. (Bare Peak Northwest is ridiculously close to Trapper Peak, an objective I found difficult to pass up given the proximity. However I had designed my itinerary with other strategies in mind. Also Bare Peak Northwest is one of two summits required to complete Idaho County, and having a county only half-complete for some indeterminate period of time would be sufficient to drive me insane.) At the summit I found not one, but two benchmarks. I did not find a register, nor did I look very hard. The dark clouds blanketing the south were foreboding, so I lingered only briefly.
Sure enough, shortly into my descent, thunder once again echoed across the range. Not 100 vertical feet below the summit, I took note of some cairns marking THE trail, as it appeared far more well-traveled and marked by cairns than my ascent route. Had I taken this on my ascent, I likely would have saved a little time and energy, as this entailed far less boulder-hopping. But how did I lose the trail on my ascent? This question nagged at me, and I quickly realized that this was NOT the correct route, as the cairns led off down the fall line into a gully, well off the official trail. How many hikers have been led astray by this I cannot say, but judging by the extremely well-worn path, that number is not small. Whether these plentiful cairns are the handiwork of the well-intended and inept, teenage pranksters, or numbnut rock-stackers I cannot say (boy can I not wait until THAT fad goes the way of bear-bells and external-frame packs). At 9600’, I traced the contours back to the actual trail. On my part, I kicked over all remaining stacks I encountered. Clearly these wayward stacks are a potential danger of misleading, not to mention the added impact on the scant remaining plant life up there. Who knows, maybe I thwarted the clandestine gathering of a secret society. Anyway, be mindful of the route you take on both your ascent and descent. Kicking over any errant stacks you encounter is also helpful.
As I continued down into the trees, the echoes of thunder began to increase in frequency. I considered the fire under my ass well lit and kindled and I wasted no time hauling it on down to the trailhead. I never did see any lightning, but it was enough to get me going. It was not a bad thing -- no sooner than I returned to the trailhead than the skies opened up as I was taking off my daypack. Perfect timing. Up in 3 hours, down in 2:15.
I saw no signs of humanity from the moment I departed the highway to the moment I returned. The sole exception was the ORV parked on the shoulder 1/2-mile from the trailhead on my descent. I did not see the occupants, but as rain and pebble-sized hail were pouring down, I assume they were taking shelter somewhere nearby. Roads, by the way, are fine for all vehicles.
Camped at the trailhead for July 4, substituted the usual fireworks display in town for a lightning storm. Summitted the next day. Several large snowfields to cross, with significant postholing. Snowshoes might have made things easier, though I'd have been carrying them most of the way.
Epic day of spring skiing down the NE couloir in perfect conditions!
freedeep - Mar 25, 2020 8:02 am Date Climbed: Jun 4, 1978
Easy day hike
Working in Missoula at the time. No prior hikes to build fitness. Was straight forward easy hike. Great views of course.
Kyle Van Vleet - Sep 28, 2019 11:48 am Date Climbed: Sep 22, 2019
Fresh Snow!!
Could not have asked for better weather. The dog and I got to make first tracks through a fresh sheet of snow! Made the 'scramble' to the summit a bit more fun than I remember.
Chickenonabun - Sep 17, 2019 11:06 am Date Climbed: Sep 16, 2019
Late start, easy hike up
Got a late start after visiting gold bug hot springs in the mostning, only took a little less than 3 hours to get to the top from the trailhead.
missoula - Aug 7, 2019 8:27 am Date Climbed: Aug 7, 2018
bagged it
camped at gem lake, took the gully to bag the high point of the bitterroots!
ToTheHeights - May 4, 2019 2:20 pm Date Climbed: May 3, 2019
Spring overnight trip
05/03/19 w/Paul Fotter. Gem Lake Gully route. Had to park the car about 5 miles from the TH. Camped between Middle and Gem Lakes. Great weather and snow conditions both days! Super fun and straightforward spring route.
ayoncha - Mar 19, 2019 9:12 pm Date Climbed: May 6, 2018
Snowy summit of Trapper
Started with a bushwhack up to the trailhead, which added an extra mile and 1000 ft or so. Hit snow soon after that, no visibility but fun time at summit! Back down in the trees we descended in the sun.
MTfred19 - Dec 12, 2017 7:41 pm Date Climbed: Dec 10, 2017
Ski Day
Got to the trailhead chained up and then had to carry up the first 20 minutes or so, but then it was a good skin to the top. Amazing bluebird day with little wind so spent a long time up there with some friends.
Young Royce - Apr 29, 2017 11:15 pm Date Climbed: May 22, 2016
Snowshoe Ascent Snowboard Descent
Drivable to the trailhead, completely snow covered trail approximately 1 mile in. Bushwhacked to shoulder and traversed to summit. Amazing 2500' vert snowboard down the South Face.
mtmtnslayer406 - Feb 24, 2024 6:54 am Date Climbed: May 29, 2023
Successful Summits!Summited Trapper twice, once via trail #234 and Baker Lake, and once via the Trapper Peak trail #133 last Memorial Day.
wildfiredjade - Feb 12, 2024 6:59 am Date Climbed: Jul 9, 2020
Easy, fun peakCamped at Gem Lake below the peak - would recommend. It's beautiful down there.
Kruser - Jan 19, 2024 6:49 pm Date Climbed: Sep 6, 2022
SmokeyI didn’t see anyone on the mountain or at the trailhead probably due to the thick smoke, views were still fantastic. I hope to make it back on a clear day. wonderful easy to climb peak.
Jamez - Oct 26, 2023 10:04 pm Date Climbed: Jun 23, 2023
June 23Quick evening hike after work...3 hours up 2 down beautiful red sunset.
OkayZen - Sep 28, 2023 9:48 am Date Climbed: Sep 24, 2023
via Baker Lake RidgeOvercast and windy day, didn't make the views any less great. We camped at Baker Lake for a nice evening and an early start. The SummitPost route page for this is very helpful, as well as a solid look on Google Earth.
As others have noted, the "route" at the top is a bit of a mess - cairns everywhere that don't seem to lead anywhere. I enjoyed the boulder-hopping traverse under the lower peak (wife disagrees), and eventually we found the well-trodden dirt path maybe 200' below the summit. We used that to descend, but I think that would have been a bummer to climb straight up - not interesting and steep!
Brian Jenkins - Jul 31, 2023 9:24 pm Date Climbed: Jul 30, 2023
BeautifulAfter spending two days with thousands of bugs on Hyndman, this was an awesome hike. Beautiful forest hiking in, nice lake (popular though) at Baker. Cool hike up and stunning views. Highly recommended. And the route page for Baker Lake was very helpful and accurate. Beer and burger in Hamilton after.
droot - Aug 20, 2022 6:01 am Date Climbed: Aug 11, 2022
from baker lakeClimbed from Baker Lake, fun day, about 2 hours from the lake with a baby in my backpack
mikekernan - Apr 26, 2021 9:49 am Date Climbed: Aug 8, 2020
Hiked upSteep trail, great views up top
huskertriguy - Sep 13, 2020 11:27 pm Date Climbed: Aug 26, 2020
ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-THUN! DER!This was part of a Montana trip involving county high points for Shoshone (ID); Mineral; Ravalli; Granite; Deer Lodge; Beaverhead; Fremont (ID); and Madison. (Initially I had wanted to go after the remaining county high points in the Beartooths (having summited Granite Peak in 2018), but my body was providing some signs that I not provided myself sufficient recovery time this summer, so I kept this trip to day hikes/scrambles.)
After the mix-up on the roads to Quartz Benchmark's eastern approach, I spent the previous night grasping around in the dark for a good place to sleep. I happened upon Big Pine Campground, a free and lovely NFS site. This was still several hours from Trapper Peak, and due to a late night and a subsequent late morning, I did not set off from the trailhead until noon.
Trapper Peak is the closest I would get to the Bear Creek Fire (which was 70% contained by the time I was there), so I did not expect to see much amid the smoke. Still, I could see some surrounding peaks, and overhead the sun broke through a partly cloudy blue sky. It was already clearer than just 18 hours earlier when I was on Illinois Peak.
Within minutes of starting, I was surprised and disappointed to find myself breathing heavily and sweating profusely; this in spite of the fact that my pace was modest and the temperature was perfect. I attributed it to inadequate rest and recovery and the fact that I had started only a small handful of summits above 6000’ this year. Suffice to say it was fortuitous that I had bailed on Quartz Benchmark with a notion of making this a dual summit day; it appeared likely I would have to scale back my ambitious itinerary.
After the first couple miles I heard the echoes of thunder — hours before the forecast called for it. As it happened I was able to acquire a cell signal so I checked the forecast again: 40% chance starting at 4:00. I mentally prepared myself for the possibility of hunkering down for hours, as I would rather do that than have to return. As I continued walking, I took note of every protected spot that caught my eye. But by the time I exited tree line, it had been a good 45 minutes since I had last heard thunder, and it was apparent that the dark clouds were passing to the east and south. Above me was an abundance of blue sky and sunlight, so I continued on, knowing I would never be 30 minutes at most from the relative shelter of treeline.
The elevation gain is relatively constant with few flat stretches and almost no loss. The trail is straightforward until the last 400-500 vertical feet — at least I found it to be so on the ascent (more in this below). Then there is some boulder-hopping past a couple false summits. A variety of cairns lead in different directions; on my part I tried to stick climber’s left of the ridge where the beaten path seemed more apparent.
The slowly clearing smoke offered breathtaking views of dozens of unnamed peaks to the north, as well as Sugarloaf, Como Peaks, and El Capitan.. To the south wildfire smoke and dark clouds precluded sighting much, though Bare Peak was clearly visible. (Bare Peak Northwest is ridiculously close to Trapper Peak, an objective I found difficult to pass up given the proximity. However I had designed my itinerary with other strategies in mind. Also Bare Peak Northwest is one of two summits required to complete Idaho County, and having a county only half-complete for some indeterminate period of time would be sufficient to drive me insane.) At the summit I found not one, but two benchmarks. I did not find a register, nor did I look very hard. The dark clouds blanketing the south were foreboding, so I lingered only briefly.
Sure enough, shortly into my descent, thunder once again echoed across the range. Not 100 vertical feet below the summit, I took note of some cairns marking THE trail, as it appeared far more well-traveled and marked by cairns than my ascent route. Had I taken this on my ascent, I likely would have saved a little time and energy, as this entailed far less boulder-hopping. But how did I lose the trail on my ascent? This question nagged at me, and I quickly realized that this was NOT the correct route, as the cairns led off down the fall line into a gully, well off the official trail. How many hikers have been led astray by this I cannot say, but judging by the extremely well-worn path, that number is not small. Whether these plentiful cairns are the handiwork of the well-intended and inept, teenage pranksters, or numbnut rock-stackers I cannot say (boy can I not wait until THAT fad goes the way of bear-bells and external-frame packs). At 9600’, I traced the contours back to the actual trail. On my part, I kicked over all remaining stacks I encountered. Clearly these wayward stacks are a potential danger of misleading, not to mention the added impact on the scant remaining plant life up there. Who knows, maybe I thwarted the clandestine gathering of a secret society. Anyway, be mindful of the route you take on both your ascent and descent. Kicking over any errant stacks you encounter is also helpful.
As I continued down into the trees, the echoes of thunder began to increase in frequency. I considered the fire under my ass well lit and kindled and I wasted no time hauling it on down to the trailhead. I never did see any lightning, but it was enough to get me going. It was not a bad thing -- no sooner than I returned to the trailhead than the skies opened up as I was taking off my daypack. Perfect timing. Up in 3 hours, down in 2:15.
I saw no signs of humanity from the moment I departed the highway to the moment I returned. The sole exception was the ORV parked on the shoulder 1/2-mile from the trailhead on my descent. I did not see the occupants, but as rain and pebble-sized hail were pouring down, I assume they were taking shelter somewhere nearby. Roads, by the way, are fine for all vehicles.
buzzdainer - Jul 19, 2020 9:02 pm Date Climbed: Jul 5, 2019
Fourth of July celebration!Camped at the trailhead for July 4, substituted the usual fireworks display in town for a lightning storm. Summitted the next day. Several large snowfields to cross, with significant postholing. Snowshoes might have made things easier, though I'd have been carrying them most of the way.
guerinak - Jun 9, 2020 12:12 am
First climb/ski in the BitterrootEpic day of spring skiing down the NE couloir in perfect conditions!
freedeep - Mar 25, 2020 8:02 am Date Climbed: Jun 4, 1978
Easy day hikeWorking in Missoula at the time. No prior hikes to build fitness. Was straight forward easy hike. Great views of course.
Kyle Van Vleet - Sep 28, 2019 11:48 am Date Climbed: Sep 22, 2019
Fresh Snow!!Could not have asked for better weather. The dog and I got to make first tracks through a fresh sheet of snow! Made the 'scramble' to the summit a bit more fun than I remember.
Chickenonabun - Sep 17, 2019 11:06 am Date Climbed: Sep 16, 2019
Late start, easy hike upGot a late start after visiting gold bug hot springs in the mostning, only took a little less than 3 hours to get to the top from the trailhead.
missoula - Aug 7, 2019 8:27 am Date Climbed: Aug 7, 2018
bagged itcamped at gem lake, took the gully to bag the high point of the bitterroots!
ToTheHeights - May 4, 2019 2:20 pm Date Climbed: May 3, 2019
Spring overnight trip05/03/19 w/Paul Fotter. Gem Lake Gully route. Had to park the car about 5 miles from the TH. Camped between Middle and Gem Lakes. Great weather and snow conditions both days! Super fun and straightforward spring route.
ayoncha - Mar 19, 2019 9:12 pm Date Climbed: May 6, 2018
Snowy summit of TrapperStarted with a bushwhack up to the trailhead, which added an extra mile and 1000 ft or so. Hit snow soon after that, no visibility but fun time at summit! Back down in the trees we descended in the sun.
MTfred19 - Dec 12, 2017 7:41 pm Date Climbed: Dec 10, 2017
Ski DayGot to the trailhead chained up and then had to carry up the first 20 minutes or so, but then it was a good skin to the top. Amazing bluebird day with little wind so spent a long time up there with some friends.
Young Royce - Apr 29, 2017 11:15 pm Date Climbed: May 22, 2016
Snowshoe Ascent Snowboard DescentDrivable to the trailhead, completely snow covered trail approximately 1 mile in. Bushwhacked to shoulder and traversed to summit. Amazing 2500' vert snowboard down the South Face.
utclimber - Jan 1, 2017 4:43 pm
Trapper PeakClimbed some time in the early 90s.