Gannett Peak - Wyoming's High Point

Order of Visit: High Point # 45

Date Visited: July 20, 2022

Route Taken: Ink Wells Trail (from Cold Springs) and and Glacier Trail (exiting at the Glacier Trailhead) – 50 miles (round-trip)

Type of Terrain: A challenging, alpine route deep in Rockies that includes boulder scrambling, snow travel, glaciers, crevasses, and a bergschrund. Hikers will need mountaineering gear (ropes, crampons, ice axe) for the ascent up Gooseneck Glacier and Gooseneck Couloir.

Elevation: 13,804 feet

Ancestral Lands: Crow, Eastern Shoshone, Cheyenne

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Like several other state high points, Wyoming’s highest peak is named after a noteworthy American geographer and surveyor from the late 19th century – Henry Gannett (1846-1914).

Born in Maine and educated at Harvard during the Civil War, Gannett’s professional career began with a bold gamble. In 1871, he turned down the chance to go to the North Pole as part of the Polaris Expedition. Instead of going to sea, Henry Gannett took a position with Ferdinand Hayden’s survey team as they headed to the Yellowstone area.

Gannett was only 25 years old when he volunteered for the 32-member expedition of the Western territories. But, as one of the team’s top topographers, he was responsible for determining the precise elevations of the area’s highest mountains

While surveying Montana’s Gallatin Mountains just north of Yellowstone in 1871, Gannett and his team spotted a jagged mountain that dominated the landscape. He took a small party up the unnamed peak to measure its height. But little did he know, this climb would prove more dangerous than he expected.

Storm clouds gathered around the group of men as they slowly moved up the mountain carrying an assortment of fragile tools. They kept climbing despite the adverse conditions, only to realize they were passing through a dangerous electrical cloud. When Gannett reached the summit, he described the electrical noise in the air as deafening. His hair stood completely on end, and the tingling pain became excruciating as the electricity coursed through his body at 10,969 feet. After surviving the hazardous weather event, Gannett named the prominent mountain Electric Peak, a name it still bears today

The quality and accuracy of Gannett’s survey work on the Hayden Expedition rocketed him to immediate prominence with his peers and various government agencies. Moreover, the survey of the Greater Yellowstone Region was an overwhelming success and influenced Congress to pass legislation designating Yellowstone as the nation’s first National Park in 1872.

In 1879, Gannett and other geographers began lobbying the U.S. government to consolidate federal mapmaking functions into a single agency. This led to the establishment of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), where Gannett served under its first director, Clarence King—the namesake of Utah’s Kings Peak.

During his tenure with the USGS, Gannett focused on creating precise quad-shaped topographic boundaries for America’s census surveys. These quadrangles eventually became the foundations for the grid-style markings we use on topographic maps today. As a result, Henry Gannett is often called the“Father of Topographic Mapmaking.

Surveying and mapmaking weren’t Gannett’s only legacy, though. In 1888, Gannett became one of the founding members of the National Geographic Society, serving as the organization’s first secretary, then treasurer, vice president, and finally president in 1910.

In 1890, Henry Gannett and renowned meteorologist Thomas Mendenhall pushed Congress to create the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (USBGN). This body approves official names of locations within the United States and its territories and resolves conflicts among spellings and multiple names. After the USBGN was officially established in 1890, President Benjamin Harrison appointed Henry Gannett as one of the board’s ten inaugural members.

Wyoming’s high point, and the highest point in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, was ultimately named for Henry Gannett in 1906, the same year he turned 60 years old. Five years later, Mount Gannett, a 9,629′ peak in Alaska’s Chugach Mountains, was also named in his honor.

TRIP SUMMARY

Sitting at the northern end of the Wind River Range of the Rocky Mountains, Gannett Peak is one of the handful of state peaks that highpointers tend to fret over.

In terms of elevation it’s the 5th highest state high point at 13,804′ (just behind Denali, Mt. Whitney, Mt. Elbert, and Mt. Rainier). In additional to the high elevation, the imposing mountain buried deep into the backcountry and requires some technical mountaineering skills to get to the summit.

Consequently, almost all highpointers (excluding those with tons of mountaineering experience) hire a guide to assist with finding their way up Gannett Peak.

I had two options to try to check Wyoming’s highest mountain off my bucket list in 2022. I could sign on for a guided trip with a local outfitter, or I could take an 8-day Alumni Trip through NOLS (which I qualified for because I graduated from their 80-hour Wilderness First Responder Course).

The NOLS trip really appealed to me because it focused on backcountry education, where I would get the opportunity to actively improve my navigation and mountaineering skills with instructors, rather than just relying on a guide to do the heavy lifting. (For a complete day-by-day overview of what this backcountry adventure was like, you can check out my trail journal, here.)

Approaching the Wind River Range on foot

My group approached Gannett Peak from the Wind River Indian Reservation, on the east side of the mountain range. After paying to enter these tribal lands, three pick-up trucks drove us up the gnarly, rocky, dirt roads to the Ink Wells Trail near 9,750′ elevation.

From there, it took our team of 13 climbers (10 students and 3 instructors) two full days to hike to the edge of the mountain’s the terminal moraine (i.e., the boulder fields that mark the glacier’s furthest advance) via the Ink Wells and Glacier Trails.

Our third day in the mountains was a “skills” day, where we worked on the techniques that would allow us to move together in snow with ropes and crampons, and it was very similar to the “snow school” days that I experienced prior to climbing Mt. Hood and attempting Mt. Rainier earlier this year.

The instructors also pointed out our intended route up Gannett Peak, which would consist of five phases: (1) crossing the boulder fields in the terminal moraine; (2) traversing the Dinwoody Glacier; (3) ascending the Gooseneck Couloir; (4) rock scrambling to the ridgeline; and (5) crossing the snowy ridge to the summit. This one-day climb was going to take all of our mountaineering skills.

Our summit bid was to begin at 11 pm that evening, so everyone laid down in their tents and gave their best effort at resting for a few hours. I’ll admit, I’m always in awe of people who can nap in the middle of the day. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. Sleep never came for me, so I would have to rely on adrenaline and determination to get me through the arduous night and up to the summit safely.

We departed our camp in the dark, moonless night and spent the next two hours navigating the most tedious boulder fields ever while trying our best not to turn an ankle as we hopped from rock to rock. Some of these boulders were barely the size of a toaster, while others were bigger than refrigerators, and it was quite the challenging feat with just in the narrow beams of our headlamps marking our path.

Our first technical test came while traveling on the Dinwoody Glacier though. We broke into two rope teams and zig-zagged up the glaciated snowfield. Our ascent included a few unfortunate mishaps, including some loose crampons that would have to be adjusted on the fly. Nonetheless, we soon found our rhythm and the rope teams made steady progress up the snow.

Once we got above that portion of the Dinwoody Glacier, we scrambled though another rock field (sans crampons) before reaching our scariest obstacle yet. We’d need to make a much steeper roped ascent up the Gooseneck Couloir – a narrow gulley between two rocky pillars with a slope of about 40-degrees.

Despite the palpable fear from one or two of my teammates, our rope teams moved smoothly through this section, carefully hooking and unhooking ourselves from the two snow pickets our instructors placed along the route. And before long, we found ourselves removing our crampons and stowing our ice axes as the early sunlight outlining the horizon crept toward the sky.

The next 45 minutes would be almost entirely rocks and boulders as we scrambled up the toward the snowy ridge above us. Then it was time to put our ropes and crampons — yet again — to traverse the ridgeline toward the final rocky outcropping marking the summit.

Traversing the ridgeline toward the summit

The NOLS group reached the top of Gannett Peak around 7:15 am, and was the first of several groups that would summit that day. Our careful ascent took us just over 8 hours’ time.

Mother Nature blessed us all with a bluebird day with hardly any wind, so we had unobstructed views all the way to the Tetons near 70 miles away! All told, we couldn’t have asked for more perfect conditions at the peak’s summit.

Standing atop the very highest point in Wyoming!

Unfortunately, due to the steepness of this climb, it would take us almost as long to descend Gannett Peak as it did to go up it!

It was bright now, and some of my teammates (who had a minor fear of heights) could see exactly how steep the snow was on the way back down. This apprehension slowed our movement as people took deliberate steps and tried their best not to fall or slide down the steep, snowy mountain.

By midday, we were all fatigued from the long night and intense morning. The sunshine overhead seemed to bake into our helmets as it reflected off the snow, and our rest breaks never seemed quite long enough to rejuvenate us.

When we finally reached our basecamp on the edge of the terminal moraine at 3:15 pm, we’d been moving for 16 long hours! Everyone was utterly exhausted, and it took all our energy just to cook and early dinner and eat before heading to bed.

All told, it was a fine adventure, though. Backpacking and climbing with a NOLS group was a novel experience for me, and the teamwork was unsurpassed. Everyone absolutely pulled their weight and cheered on their teammates during the tougher moments. And it was this camaraderie that made my Gannett Peak experience one I will never forget.

DETAILS

When to Visit: Located in the remote northern section of the Wind River Range, the various routes to Gannett Peak are covered in snow for much of the year. Thus, the peak climbing season is late June through mid-September. If you go early, expect swollen rivers and hordes of mosquitoes! If you hike later in the season, expect the Gooseneck’s bergschrund to become a wider obstacle as the snow bridge melts out.

Getting There: Gannett Peak is located on the western side of Wyoming, approximately 90 miles southeast of Jackson, WY. There are two different routes to the peak, both of which merge at the Gooseneck Ridge before the summit:

Western Route – The more popular western approach begins at the Elkhart Park Trailhead near Pinedale, WY. This route begins at 11,600′ and requires a 40-mile (round-trip) hike to the summit, and requires going over Bonney Pass and descending before heading up Gannett Peak.
Eastern Route – The alternate approach begins at the Glacier Trail Trailhead near Dubois, WY (east of Gannett). This route begins at 9,160′ and requires a longer, 50-mile (round-trip) hike to the summit, but is often considered a somewhat easier route because it eliminates the need to go over Bonney Pass. (Note: the NOLS route I did was a variation of this route, but rather than entering and exiting at the Glacier Trailhead, we began at Cold Springs and hiked the Ink Wells Trail before joining up with the Glacier Trail and using the remainder of that route.)

Fees/Permits: None, unless: (1) your group is larger than 8 people, or (2) you opt to cross the Wind River Indian Reservation, which requires special permission, fees, and tribal transportation.

Guides: Climbing Gannett Peak requires some technical mountaineering skills, which is why a high percentage of highpointers hire a guide company to help ensure a successful summit. One of the most popular guide companies is Jackson Hole Mountain Guides (aka TMG), which offers two different packages: a 6-day backpacking trip from Elkhart Park (the west side) and a 5-day backpacking trip from Cold Springs (the east side).

Parking: If you are hiring a guide for this trip, you will likely be shuttled to the trailhead and leave your car in town. Climbers with the requisite mountaineering skills to summit Gannett Peak without a guide usually park at the Pole Creek Trailhead near Pinedale, WY (if hiking in from Elkhart Park) or the Glacier Trailhead near Dubois, WY (if hiking from the east side). There are pit toilets at both trailheads.

Accessibility: Gannett Peak is one of the more difficult state high points to access for most people. The two primary routes to the peak’s summit are deep in the backcountry (20-25 miles from the nearest trailhead) and require high-altitude, rock-scrambling, and snow-climbing gear/ropes. Some professional guide companies use mules to assist with packing in gear and food for this long trek, but it will still require excellent physical fitness.

Bonus: Visitors to Gannett Peak only have about an hour’s drive to see two of Wyoming’s other natural wonders: Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park.