All Locations > Wyoming > Absaroka Range

Cody Peak Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Routes in Cody Peak

L › R R › L A › Z

	North Ridge T 5.7+ 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b R
	Southwest Face T 5.5 4b 13 IV+ 11 MS 4a

Order Wrong? Sort Routes

Explore this area in 3D

Use onX Backcountry to explore the terrain in 3D, view recent satellite imagery, and more. Now available in onX Backcountry Mobile apps! For more information see this post.

Elevation:	9,685 ft	2,952 m
GPS:	44.50147, -110.02877 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	58 total · 10/month
Shared By:	Zachary Lentsch on Jul 24, 2025
Admins:	Mike Snyder, Taylor Spiegelberg, Jake Dickerson Page Updates (admin only)

See Weather Forecast

Description

The north sentinel of the East Gate of Yellowstone, Cody Peak is often noticed but ultimately overlooked by passersby heading in and out of the park. What the peak lacks in elevation it makes up for in its wild character and technical difficulty, guarded by miles of steep off-trail travel through grizzly country and a summit pyramid composed of steep volcanic rock columns that climb well (and take surprisingly okay gear compared to many Absaroka peaks). Doable in a day, Cody Peak makes for a fine introduction to technical alpinism in Wyoming's largest and most rugged mountain range. But make no mistake, Cody Peak is a serious objective. Despite the mountain's proximity to the highway, the bushwhacking can be hateful, you may encounter a bear or five, the climbing is thoughtful, and there is no shortage of choss to be wrangled no matter the route.

If one is comfortable with the nature of winter adventure in the Absarokas, there's an argument to be made that Cody Peak is at its best a winter objective: the bears are (most of the time but not all of the time) asleep, much of the loose rock and deadfall is blanketed by snow, there is ice to be climbed in the form of waterfalls on the lower mountain and mixed runnels on the east and north faces, and there is some pleasant skiing if you know precisely where to go. That said, winter climbing in these mountains is a risky endeavor given you will be very alone, the snowpack is unstable, and everything about the trip, from the approach to the climb to the descent, will feel harder than it should.

Getting There

Cody Peak is best approached via Crow Creek or its southeast slopes by the park gate.

For the Crow Cr. approach, walk north from Pahaska on service roads/x-c ski trails, cross the creek, then hike the Crow Creek trail west for just over 3 miles. When you're due north of the peak, walk south through the bush to a nice meadow with log crossing options over the creek. A faint trail leads toward the large avalanche gully below the N Ridge. Trend just right of this gully to avoid the worst of the bush and sneak through a cliff band to a steep couloir of either snow or talus depending on the time of year that leads to the N Ridge. Continue up steep snow or talus if doing an east or south face route, or start traversing SW for the start of the N Ridge Route. This approach is best done in late spring/early summer before the snow has melted out in the gully, making for quicker travel (ice axe and crampons needed). It has also been skied in winter, but is a serious descent with considerable avy danger and waterfall ice.

From the park gate, follow a power line just east of the gate to its highpoint. Then turn northwest through thick bush to an open scree slope. At the top of the scree, trend back northeast following the path of least resistance through the bush, bypassing several springs along the way and plenty of deadfall. Once you reach a clearing and the slope flattens out, follow the andesite cliffband (home to several nice ice climbs in the winter) northeast to its terminus. Gain the ridge and then hike due west toward the peak staying just south of the crest of the ridge for the easiest travel through the trees. When you reach a beautiful crag of basaltic columns, sneak this cliff to the north, regain the ridge and walk to the base of the summit pyramid. This approach is also skiable in wintertime and has less avalanche danger than the north side.