The high point of the Absaroka Range (the western Beartooths) at 11,206 ft, above Paradise Valley. The scramble is one of the classics of the region, and the approach is long enough that almost everyone camps.
Climbing beta
- Standard route is class 3–4 with some steep snow depending on the year, and the summit block is gained by a 5.4 chimney — short, but real climbing at the very top.
- Carry a 30-ft rope: it is plenty to belay or rappel that last section, and it is the difference between topping out and turning around for most parties.
- Helmet. The route climbs a gully, and anyone above you makes rockfall a live hazard.
- Route-finding gets tricky near the summit and several sections are exposed.
- Northeast Arête is the harder classic: sustained fourth and low-fifth with 5.6 steps depending on line choice, on good granite/gneiss.
Notes
- Approach from the East Fork Mill Creek trailhead: about 9 mi and 3,600 ft to Elbow Lake, where there is good camping on the south shore. Figure ~20 mi and ~6,000 ft for the round trip.
- Season is roughly July through early September; earlier means more snow in the gully and on the upper mountain.
- Grizzly country, with a food-storage order in effect — plan a hang or a canister.
- Beta: SummitPost · Northeast Arête on Mountain Project