Warbonnet Peak — SE Face
🚐 Join the caravan
A striking Sawtooth alpine peak with a classic, adventurous SE Face (~5.7, 5–6 pitches) and a famously airy summit pitch — a near-blank 50-ft lateral traverse (5.4) with huge exposure. Approach via the Redfish Lake boat then ~5 hours to a Bead Lakes base camp. Season mid-July–September.
🚗 Getting there & comms
Trailhead: Redfish Lake (boat shuttle)
Redfish Lake Lodge, ~5 mi S of Stanley, ID
⛽ Last services: Stanley, ID + Redfish Lake Lodge
📶 Cell signal: None at the peak; spotty at Redfish — carry inReach
🧗 Routes
🎒 Gear & food
Rack: Standard alpine rack; tricams useful on the blanker sections
Ropes: 60m doubles — 4 rappels to descend the route
🪢 Skills needed
- multi-pitch trad
- exposed face traverse
- alpine routefinding
✅ Before you leave the trailhead
Auto-built from this dossier — ticks save on this device.
🏕️ Land · camp · water · permits
🪧 Land & passes: Sawtooth Wilderness (Sawtooth NRA / USFS)
Camp:
- Bead Lakes base camp
💧 Water: Bead Lakes · Alpine / Feather Lakes en route (treat)
📋 Permits: Free self-issue Sawtooth Wilderness permit at the trailhead
⚠️ Hazards · fire · emergency
- Extreme exposure on the summit traverse
- Loose rappel lines
- Afternoon thunderstorms
🪂 Bail / retreat: Descent is 4 rappels down the route — watch for loose / snagging rappel lines
🆘 Emergency contacts
- Custer County Sheriff (Stanley) — Sawtooth Wilderness SAR 208-879-2232 — Call 911 first if you have any signal
🌤️ Live conditions
Auto-updated 20h ago · °F · tap a link for the mountain-specific picture ↓
👀 In the field
Tap any for ID, edibility & first-aid.
📍 Nearby & other interest
- Elephant's Perch
- The Arrowhead
- Bead Lakes
💬 Comments
Comments are reviewed before they show up.