Owyhee Trip

Owyhee Mountains Trip

Hayden Peak, the highest point in the Owyhee mountains.

Trip Report (May 2001):
My trip to the Owyhees was enjoyable, but the numerous roads and atv's in the area detract from its beauty. I did enjoy the views from the top of Hayden Peak and Turntable Mountain, but the short walk up War Eagle was a waste.
The top of Hayden Peak is the highpoint of Owyhee county and the Owyhee range. It contains a large collection of buildings and radio towers.

Trip stats (Over Turntable, then up Hayden's north ridge):

Time: 2 hours
Length: 4 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,000 feet
Class (difficulty): 2

Directions:
Drive to about 4 miles south of Murphy on Idaho 78. Turn onto the signed Silver City road. Follow the high quality road for 18 miles to New York summit. Drive past the summit for .7 miles and turn (left) onto the signed "War Eagle Mountain" road. Follow this rugged road as it works its way around War Eagle Mountain. Once on War Eagle's south side, follow the road to a flat meadow, where it forks left onto the ridge that contains Turntable Mountain and Hayden Peak. Follow the road as it works its way along the western side of the ridge until the saddle just west of Turntable Mountain. There are numerous side roads once on War Eagle road to confuse you. Just have keep heading in the direction of the ridge holding Hayden Peak and you'll be fine. For detailed instructions with mileages and each fork mentioned, visit this trip report.

Route:
From the saddle just west of Turntable Mountain, I climbed up through trees and brush to the summit of Turntable. I then dropped down to the saddle between Hayden and Turntable. On the descent to that saddle, be sure to stay on the ridge top, the south and east sides of the route are full of brush. From the saddle between Hayden and Turntable, I just stayed on the ridge line and climbed to the top of Hayden Peak. There is a road, but I felt that this was a more challenging ascent.

I hiked the road down Hayden and across Turntable to get back to my vehicle.


Turntable mountain, the second highest point in the Owyhee mountains.	War Eagle peak from the top of Turntable Mountain.

Looking north towards the Treasure Valley from the summit of Hayden Peak.	Looking down the northface of Hayden Peak, this would be an excellent snow climb in late spring, early summer.