Trips in the Cloud Peak Wilderness

“North of Cloud Peak, within the radius of a few miles, is a group of needles whose jagged outlines would do credit to Chamonix.”

So wrote W.B. Wilcox in his report on the Bighorn Mountains for the American Alpine Journal in 1934. Wilcox was describing the peaks of Blacktooth, Woolsey and Innominate, mountains that Bighorn Mountain Guides is fortunate enough to have permits to guide. He later boasted that the team’s campsite had “pasturage enough for a half-dozen horses, and beauty enough for a hundred climbers.”

Bighorn Mountain guides is permitted by the Bighorn National Forest to guide trips up these mountains based out of Sawtooth Canyon, a hanging valley with a series of lakes that sits at 11,000 feet. The surrounding peaks reach another 1,000-2,000 feet above the valley floor, and form one of the highest sections of the range, including Blacktooth Peak, the range’s second highest peak.

Black Tooth Mountain

Leaving off from the Little Goose trail above Sheridan, the trip up to Black Tooth involves an eight-mile approach to the Sawtooth Canyon lakes, passing Princess Falls and multiple alpine lakes along the way. After a night camped between two of the Sawtooth lakes, you will start the ascent to the summit, beginning with a three-mile approach around the turquoise Sawtooth Lakes. After passing the last lake, we hike along a broken slope of scree and boulders, which give way to the mountainside itself – a tall, ramp of granite that delivers climbers to the summit. 

Ascending Black Tooth is a strenuous and rewarding undertaking, full of challenges and spectacular views. Those who make it to the summit will be able to see into the surrounding drainages, along the Hallelujah Ridge, and the Northern flank of Cloud Peak, and to sit in a place that few get to visit. Sawtooth Canyon and the summit of Blacktooth is visible from multiple points around Sheridan, which gives those who have climbed it plenty of chances to reflect on the awesome experience.

By the numbers:

Elevation of Peak: 13,009.

Recommended time: 3 days

When to go: August

Round trip: 20 miles

Elevation gain: 4,000 feet

Trips up Blacktooth start at $1,500

Penrose Peak

Though not as tall as Blacktooth, Penrose peak offers an amazing hiking experience, with a truly unforgettable summit view. A trip up Penrose begins by hiking to the Sawtooth Lakes saddle, an eight-mile hike starting at the Little Goose trail above Sheridan, just like an ascent of Blacktooth. After making camp in the Sawtooth Lakes area, we will hike up the broad shoulder of Penrose, which alternates between grassy fields and boulders. Eventually the meadows disappear and only boulders remain until we reach the breathtaking summit of this lovely peak.

Like Blacktooth, this peak can be seen from Sheridan, giving the viewer plenty of chances to reflect on their trip.

By the numbers:

Elevation of Peak: 12,405

Recommended time: 3 days

When to go: August

Round trip: 18 miles

Elevation gain: 3,500 feet

Trips up Penrose start at $1,400

Call or email to inquire at Ben@bighornmountainguides.com or 256-348-5323.

Cloud Peak Wilderness

A wilderness area is a region where the land is in a natural state; where impacts from human activities are minimal—that is, as a wilderness. In 1984, through the Wyoming Wilderness Act, the Cloud Peak Wilderness was designated in the Bighorn National Forest. The Cloud Peak Wilderness is home to Cloud Peak (13,187’ above sea level) and Black Tooth Mountain (13,004’ above sea level).

“As a whole, the mountaineering is certainly equal to what we found in the Tyrol … We returned to the East with the convication that the mountains we had happened upon were ideal for a short climbing holiday. They certainly provided us with some of the most superlative fun of our mountain experience.” — W. B. Wilcox, whose party named many of the mountains in the Bighorns, writing to the American Alpine Club, 1934.