Shaw Mountain

Shaw Mountain (a.k.a. Lucky Peak) - 5,908 feet

Click on images below for the full-sized versions.

Trip Report (May 2001):
This was my second trip to the top of Shaw Mountain, my first being in 1998 - my first hike ever. In 1998, the 8 mile/3,000+ foot climb took me and a friend about 10 hours round trip. This time it took me 5 hours total, including an hour on top. The views on this trip of Boise are excellent. I highly recommend this hike for the views and because it will get you in condition for the real stuff in the summer. On the day I was on top, a group of hang gliders were up there. Each year, the cell towers on top seem to get larger and larger.

Route:
This area burned in the summer of 2005, so be prepared for that. Hike up the Squaw Creek trail (really a closed road). Follow the road past houses in the Harris Ranch subdivision. The road is flat at first, as it heads northeasterly. Once it reaches the hills, it steepens and turns easterly. It cuts across the hills until it eventually heads northeasterly in a steep area with several switchbacks. Above the switchbacks you reach a gate and the junction with Trail 12 (Squaw Ridge trail). You basically just keep following the road northeasterly and can see Shaw Mountain most of the time. Once you reach the base of the mountain, you can continue on the road, which nearly loops around the peak before making it to the top. I usually hike directly up the southwest ridge.

Pictures:

Gliders getting setup on the flat summit of Shaw Mountain.

The view of southeast Boise from the top.

The view of downtown Boise from the top.

The summit of Shaw Mountain, notice the hang glider overhead.