Mt Heyburn — Stur Chimney
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The classic, most-traveled line up Idaho's most photogenic peak above Redfish Lake — a steep, fun, well-positioned chimney (FA Louis Stur, Jerry Fuller, Jim Ball, 1 Oct 1958) topping out within feet of the summit with huge Sawtooth views. Grade is contested: Mountain Project 5.5, Lopez guidebook 5.2, Sawtooth Mountain Guides 5.7.
🥾 Approach · descent · season
Approach: Redfish Lake Rd (5 mi S of Stanley off ID-75) to the Bench Lakes TH. ~4.5 mi to the lower Bench Lakes, then ~1.5 mi of rough trail to the upper (5th) Bench Lake. Climb to the saddle above and traverse below the west face to the notch/saddle between the West Summit and West Pinnacle; scramble the large west-face ledge to the base of the chimney.
⬇️ Descent: Rappel the route: ~3–4 raps reversing the climbing anchors (top of P3, then alcove piton anchor and slung-horn/webbing anchor), final rap from a tree anchor down and looker's-left of the base of P1 on the same ledge system; then reverse the approach scramble and trail. No glacier.
🗓️ Season: Mid-July through September/early October once the high approach snow has melted; most ascents recorded Sept–Oct.
🎒 Gear & food
Rack: Single alpine rack — nuts plus cams to 3", alpine slings/draws to match. Comfort running it out in the chimney at low-5th helps.
✅ Before you leave the trailhead
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⚠️ Hazards · fire · emergency
- Loose/unconsolidated rock (limit party to 2 — rockfall onto belays); afternoon thunderstorms on the exposed summit
🌤️ Live conditions
Auto-updated 20h ago · °F · tap a link for the mountain-specific picture ↓
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