North King Mountain Climb

For a long time, North King Mountain, or "The King's Crown" has been on my list of peaks to climb.  It is accessed from a high elevation hang glider launch site which makes it more accessible than most peaks of its stature.  Sadly, the direct road from Moore, ID, washed out in 2018.  Instead I took the back road from Arco over Beaverland Pass to the upper launch site.  This drive was uneventful but does include some 4WD sections.

Once at the upper launch site, I checked out the launch ramp.  After about two seconds I became convinced that hang gliding looks terrifying and it will not be added to my bucket list!  The hike from the launch site follows a very steep use trail up a ridge directly to King Mountain, an intermediate point before reaching North King Mountain.  The trail is easy to follow and eventually leads you onto some class 3 terrain to bypass a tower near the top of the ridge.  After about 2500' of elevation gain up a veritable staircase, the climb to King Mountain is over!  King Mountain offers great views of the surrounding area and a good place to take a breather before continuing the quest.

The ridge to North King Mountain is much more moderate and makes for enjoyable hiking.  A small class 3 section adds some interest to the traverse.  On top of North King Mountain, there is an infrequently signed summit register (only three other parties signed this year) and even better views of the numerous surrounding mountain ranges and valleys.

Downclimbing was uneventful but the steepness of the ridge descent was tiring and led to sore knees and sore feet.  When I got back to the vehicle, I knew I had to time to visit nearby Peak 8150 which is accessed from Beaverland Pass.  A road leads most of the way up the peak.  I followed the road until I felt like I abused the XTerra enough.  I then hiked the last 500' of gain to the top.  Peak 8150' has great views of King Mountain, the Arco Hills, and the Lost River Valley.  I wanted to continue further to Peak 8082 but sore feet and a sinking sun caused me to head back to the vehicle so I could drive the 4WD road back to town in daylight.

In short, this was a great day in the mountains and a highly recommended climb.  I saw two pronghorn and no other people!

North King Mountain Photos!
North King Mountain GPS Track
Peak 8150 GPS Track