Couch Peak

Couch Peak - 8,551 feet

The view of Couch Peak from the south, about an hour from the summit.

Trip Report (May 2001):
The view of the backside of Smoky Dome dominates the entire hike to the top of Couch Peak. From the top, you can also see the Pioneer and Boise Mountains. The view south of the Camas Prarie is spectacular. On top, you will find a radio repeater, very similar to the one atop Steele Mountain.

Trip stats:
Time: 4 hours
Length: 6 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,800 feet
Class (difficulty): 2

Directions:
Drive north on the main street (the only paved one) through Fairfield, Idaho. After a few miles, you reach the a small town named Soldier. Turn right (east) at the stop sign here. Drive about 1/4 of a mile and turn left (north). After 4 miles, you will see a large parking lot on your right. Turn right and drive through the large dirt lot. At the end, you will notice a sign indicating "Wells Summit 5 miles". Follow this road until you reach the signed summit.

Route:
From Wells summit, follow the road heading north for a couple of hundred yards and look for a trail heading up onto the ridge and fence line above. Once on the ridge, follow the decent trail northeast as it winds up and down ridges as it heads towards Couch Peak. Don't worry if you lose the trail, it will be easy to spot on the next ridge.

The trail gets you within a couple of hundred of feet of the peak. From there, scramble up to the top on stable ground.

Pictures: Click on the pictures below to see the full-size version.


The view of Fairfield from atop Couch Peak.	The view of Smoky Dome (high point of the Soldier Mountains) from atop Couch Peak.