Bender Peak and Flat BM Hike

Last weekend I decided to go hiking in the Danskin Mountains outside of Boise.  This has become a bit of a Spring ritual as the area is only enjoyable before the opening of ORV season on April 10.  I decided to climb Bender Peak (a.k.a. Peak 4966') and Flat BM, two very minor summits which I'm sure rarely see visits from hikers.  This hike was very near to last Spring's Hutton Peak and Fiddler BM Hike and was a very similar outdoor experience.

I decided to hike from the Bender Creek ORV trailhead.  This was mostly for parking convenience as other places further along Blacks Creek Road would make for a shorter hike.  I started up the trail and soon encountered another hiker, a shocking sight on an ATV trail.  I continued to follow the ATV trail for awhile, passing some big washouts before reaching the spot where Bender Creek meets Flat Creek.  Here I crossed the creek which was a little annoying due to high water and lots of willows.  From this area I hiked straight up to the ridge leading to Bender Peak, which unsurprisingly had a motorcycle trail on it.  This trail led straight to the top of Bender Peak, which has good views of the surrounding country.  The views are very familiar to me by now but they never get old!  After staying for a bit, I simply followed the motorcycle trail along the ridge over to Flat BM.  Flat BM was most notable for not actually having a benchmark - at least, I couldn't find one anywhere, nor anywhere one likely would have been.  The peak really needs another name but there isn't much remarkable about it to suggest anything better...

After taking in the very similar views, I headed back down, retracing most of my route but taking a few shortcuts.  Interestingly, when I got back to the trailhead there was a USFS ranger parked waiting for two motorcyclists to return to their trucks.  Hopefully the "poachers" got their ticket in the end!

Bender Peak/Flat BM Hike Pictures!
GPS Track