Williams Peak, at high is the 6th highest peak in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho and is located within the

Sawtooth Wilderness The Sawtooth Wilderness is a federally-protected wilderness area that covers of the state of Idaho. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it was designated the Sawtooth Primitive Area in 1937 to preserve the ...

portion of the

Sawtooth National Recreation Area The Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) is a national recreation area in central Idaho, United States that is managed as part of Sawtooth National Forest. The recreation area, established on August 22, 1972, is managed by the U.S. Forest Ser ...

. The peak lies north-northeast of

Thompson Peak Thompson Peak may refer to one of these mountain peaks: *Thompson Peak (Arizona), a McDowell Mountains summit 20 miles from Phoenix with amateur and Maricopa County government radio towers accessible via a service road from Fountain Hills () * Thom ...

, the highest peak in the range. The town of

Stanley, Idaho Stanley is a town in the Sawtooth Valley in Custer County, Idaho, United States. The population was 116 at the 2020 census; up from 63 in 2010. The center of population of Idaho in 2000 was located in Stanley. History Fur trappers of the Hud ...

is northeast of the peak. Views of the peak may be accessed from the scenic

Idaho State Highway 75 State Highway 75 is a two-lane highway that travels through the Sawtooth Valley of central Idaho. The highway's southern terminus is in Shoshone, and its northern is near Challis. It is designated as one of Idaho's scenic byways and provides ...

, and on hiking trails from

Redfish Lake Redfish Lake is an alpine lake in Custer County, Idaho, just south of Stanley. It is the largest lake within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The U.S. Forest Service has developed some facilities for hiking, camping, and water sports on Red ...

and throughout the Sawtooth and

White Cloud Mountains The White Cloud Mountains are part of the Rocky Mountains of the western United States, located in central Idaho, southeast of Stanley in Custer County. The range is located within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) and partially within ...

History

Williams Peak is named for pioneer Dave Williams, who was a part of the first ascent team in 1934 along with

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

and Miriam Underhill.Lopez, Tom. Idaho: A Climbing Guide. Seattle: The Mountaineers Books, 2000, p. 160 Williams also owned the property of what is now the Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch, which looks toward the peak.

Routes

Various routes are available for hikers and climbers as the mountain's southern slopes and ridgelines offer challenging and exciting scrambling, while the steep North Face offers the peak's classic alpine climb with over or 9 pitches of steep climbing. 1) The June/ North Couloir (III 5.7) – This prominent steep couloir cuts up the northeast face to a notch just below the summit. It's fairly easy access from the Alpine Way Trail near Marshall Lake. The couloir often has ice, rock, and snow and is blocked by a large cornice in the winter near the top. The first ascent came in 1986 by Kirk Bachman and B. Franklin. Rope up at the base of the couloir and expect highly variable conditions on snow and ice. The route is straightforward. At the top of the couloir, follow the ridge to the west and then the south to the summit. It's only from the top of the couloir to the summit proper. The easiest descent is to utilize the south facing routes to get back to the trail. 2) Southeast Slopes (Class 3) – Easy access from the Alpine Way Trail make this method probably the easiest and quickest route on the mountain. Winter time offers great snow climbing and ski descents here. 3) East Ridge (Class 4) – A more challenging route involves up and down scrambling on the prominent southeast ridge above the Southeast Slopes route. There are sections of extreme exposure and steep, loose gullies to cross over. Mountain Goats were encountered on this route. 4) Southwest Couloir (Class 3) – This route is readily accessible from the Thompson / Williams Saddle (Thompson and Williams can be done together) or the Lake 8865 area.

Images

Image:Williams Peak 1.JPG, Williams Peak from near Stanley Ranger Station Image:Williams Peak 4.JPG, Williams Peak from Alpine Way Trail Image:Williams Peak Idaho.JPG, Williams Peak File:Sawtooths2.JPG, Northeast aspect

References

External links

Rural Network

United States Department of Agriculture
{{Idaho Mountains of Custer County, Idaho Mountains of Idaho Sawtooth National Forest

History

Routes

Images

See also

References

External links