Zach and I decided to get out on a lazy Saturday morning in between snow storms. The weather forecast was originally for near zero temps and clear skies. That changed to mostly cloudy skies and temps in the 20s. I personally would have opted for the colder, clear skies, but I don't have a say I guess. Since the forecast was grim and recent storms had piled up the snow in the big mountains, we opted for a local hike up Guffey Butte, which is not high, but appeared very cool in some trip report photos posted by Pat a few months ago on the message board.

On Saturday morning we headed to Celebration Peak south of Nampa to hike up the mountain. For a small mountain, Guffey has a lot of personality. The first thing that gives it personality is the fact that you immediately must cross the Snake River on an old railroad bridge, which is cool! After that, we followed an old trail that led us to a saddle between ridges containing very interesting rock formations, some volcanic rock and others a very neat conglomerate (dried mud with some rock in it). After passing through the rock formations, we ascended to the top, which surprisingly had a very tall summit cairn. The views of the Snake River from the top were pretty good, as was the view of southern Canyon County (what we could see of it). The views of the Owyhees to the north would probably have been cool, if they were not socked it. The north and west rim of the peak were very steep, so the summit is a neat perch. It is definitely worth revisiting in clearer weather.

Speaking of weather, while on top it started to snow on us. The rate of snowfall increased until we reached a rock formation with a hole in it. While checking that out and going through the geocache located nearby, the snow subsided. We hiked out and ended the day with a drive back on empty, snow covered roads.

Using the GPS device of your choice, follow directions to Guffey Railroad Bridge (Melba, ID). This bridge is located just west of Celebration Park. There is a small parking area along the road.

From the parking area near the bridge, cross the Snake River on the bridge. After crossing the bridge, there is a use trail heading south towards the butte. Eventually the trail peters out, but the cross-country travel is easy. See the photo to the right showing the route we utilized.