Hike Hoback Peak via Kilgore Creek Trail Bridger-Teton National Forest, WY

Sep 05, 2022 — Hoback Peak is a large mountain in the Wyoming Range, offering excellent views of the colorful peaks of the area. It would serve as a lighter outing before we headed up Grand Teton the following day. We drove to the Kilgore Creek Trail, which leaves WY-189 here (43.16076, -110.36804) and heads southwest. Any vehicle can make it. Chris and I set out along the nice trail, which initially headed though some meadows and crossed Kilgore Creek a couple of times. Slowly gaining elevation, the trail entered some pretty forest and progressed toward the head of the drainage. Quite abruptly, the trail climbed with some steepness and emerged at a view of a gorgeous waterfall cascading from the west.

Past the waterfall, the trail continues north and beyond, but a social trail pops in just below 9200' on the left and leads above the waterfall and into the wide basin on the east side of Hoback Peak. Initially pretty easy to follow, this trail sort of ends at a small stream, so we just continued west into a combination of tundra and ankle-high brush. Often we found what resembles a social trail, but at this point it didn't matter. Hoback Peak was mostly visible and we just had to chose one of many steep slopes to gain the peak's northeast ridge. The hike was a bit steep from here, and it didn't seem like any ascent choice would be better than its neighbors. Once along the northeast ridge, some Class 2 led up steep and lightly-colored terrain and over to the summit.