The Knob

The Knob (6,614 feet)

Me hiking towards The Knob. Zach Vickery photo.

Trip Report (4/28/2002):
The Knob is a rocky, pointed peak in a gorgeous area of lava rock formations, big canyons, and sweeping views. The view north from the top takes in a panoramic view from Danskin Mountain, all the way east to the Pioneer Range. Steele Mountain, Smoky Dome, and Big Peak are particularly dominating. The green, water covered Camas Prairie and huge drifts of the surrounding hills accentuated the view. Some of the nearby drifts had to be 30 feet high... not too bad for a desert.

Turning south reveals huge canyons and a view of the Magic Valley. In clear view is the Snake River and several towns. To the east are high, wind-swept plateaus. West of you, is Bennett Mountain, the range's namesake.

As you can tell, I was very fond of this peak. I highly recommend it!

Trip stats:
Time: 2.5 hours
Length: 3.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 1100 feet
Class (difficulty): 2

Directions:
From Hill City on US 20, head south on Swamp Road. At 3.2 miles, bear left; at 3.9 turn right up Monument Gulch. Follow the Monument Gulch road for 3 milesFollow Monument Gulch road to a saddle (the end of the creek you've been following). Park here. This is 2-wheel drive accessible the entire way.

Route:
From the saddle, a 4-wheel drive road heads north directly next to Monument Gulch road. Follow this road, which is not shown on the USGS quad. Eventually, this road heads more easterly and climbs out of the Monument Gulch Creek drainage, then drops into another drainage before popping out at a saddle (marked 6,256 on the quad). From the saddle, follow a lesser trail/road southeast into a drainage (the road you have been following heads northeast). From here, The Knob is obvious and about 1/2 mile a way, just head right for it.

Pictures: (by Zach Vickery)Click on the pictures below to see the full-size version.

Smoky Dome from the summit.