Planning To Climb This Summer? Here Are Idaho's 10 Tallest Peaks

Idaho is a hiker and climber's paradise. If you are into climbing, and are planning to see a good deal of the Gem State this summer, you might want to add some of the following climbs to your 2021 adventure itinerary.

I didn't realize until researching this story just how many tall mountains the state of Idaho really has. Idaho has nine verified peaks alone that ascend more that 12,000 feet. Heck, McGown Peak, which is my favorite state landmark to spend the day looking up at from my kayak and blows me away every time with its grandeur, isn't even in the top 40. Idaho also boasts close to 30 peaks at an elevation of more than 10,000 feet.

The tallest of all peaks in Idaho, Borah Peak, was also the site of one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in October of 1983. The quake measured 6.9 on the Richter Scale. It stands at 12,622 feet, and is located 158 miles northeast of Twin Falls.

From the Boulder Mountains in Custer County, and the Centennial Mountains in Clark County, to the Sawtooth and Smokey Mountains of Blaine County, the choices to explore are abundant. The majority of the tallest peaks in the state are found within the Lost River Range, in the Salmon-Challis National Forest.

Borah Peak; YouTube

The order of the top ten tallest peaks in Idaho start with Borah Peak, and are followed by Leatherman Peak (12,280), Mount Church (12,200), Diamond Peak (12,197), Mount Breitenbach (12,140), Lost River Mountain (12,078), Mount Idaho (12,065), Donaldson Peak (12,023), and although some websites have conflicting data on the ninth and tenth tallest mountains in the state, from what I can gather they are Hyndman Peak (12,009) and USGS Peak (named for the scientific agency), which stands at 11,982, according to worldatlas.com.

(All images from YouTube)