Morgan Ridge sits just 3.5 miles northeast of Sun Valley, ID. I originally became interested in climbing it with snow when I saw a photo of the Pioneers from the top. Then last year, I discovered that the road is plowed each winter nearly to its base, providing short access to the base of the mellow west ridge.

I was in the area for work, so I decided it was time to head up Morgan Ridge. I used the west ridge, which is steep to begin with, then gets mellow as it gains elevation. On the drive to the peak, I started thinking about something I hadn't before... how the heck am I going to cross Trail Creek?

I parked at the end of the plowed road at the "Road Closed" sign. The road was snow free miles beyond that point, but I didn't want to get a ticket, and why not warm up the legs on a flat portion anyway? I walked nearly to the Boundary Campground seeing Trail Creek was not crossable. Finally near the campground, I found a place where it looked like ice was covering the creek in several places. I ventured out onto the ice which was solid, ran across the creek, then climbed up the steep snow-covered bank on the other side. A 5 minute walk from there got me to the base of the west ridge.

The lower portion of the ridge was melted away and had a game trail on it. I made great time up this steep portion, putting 1000 feet of elevation below me in 45 minutes. The day was really nice with sun and just a few clouds drifting by, but it was a bit chilly with a 15 mph wind blowing. After this initial 1000 feet of gain on dirt, I jumped on the snow. It was solid and the going remained quick.

Around 8400', the ridge steepens and swings south. This is the one section where the ridge is steep enough to pose problems for you if the snow is deep enough. Fortunately for my trip, this area was windblown, so there were only a few inches of lose snow.

The views got even better and the snow stayed great all the way to the summit. Views of the Pioneers and Boulders were great and this is an ideal spot to look over at Bald Mountain and Ketchum / Sun Valley. It took me 2 and 10 minutes to get to the top. The snowshoes never came off my pack for the ascent. After only 10 minutes on top, I was cold and needed to get moving.

The way down was uneventful. The weather held as did the snow bridge over Trail Creek. Very nice day to get out and get some views!

In winter just follow Trail Creek to the end of the plowing, just past the gun club.

In summer park near the Boundary Campground.

From Trail Creek Road, hike toward the base of the west ridge. This requires crossing Trail Creek at some point.