89. Tirzah Peak, 5208' (S)
Don’t let the short distance lull you into thinking that Tirzah Peak is a cake walk—this is a tough scramble, with some difficult route finding along the ridge. There are several rocky outcroppings that are passable, but not without some probing. Before embarking on this scramble check with the park to make sure there is a footbridge over the Carbon River. Otherwise, the river is not crossable. Apparently, every spring the rangers have to restore a crossing. The origin of the peak’s name is uncertain.
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Driving
Drive to the Carbon River Entrance and park in the small parking area by the old ranger station. The road is closed here owing to massive flooding and washouts in 2006.
Route
The road closure adds an extra 4 miles one-way from the Carbon River Entrance to the Chenuis Falls trailhead sign, located on the north side of the road. (You could bike this portion.) Cross the Carbon River and follow the trail. A very short side trail to the left takes you to lovely Chenuis Falls. The USGS map incorrectly shows the trail higher by 200' than it actually is. Hike the trail until approximately 2800' when you will come to a national forest boundary sign. At the boundary sign, leave the trail heading south until reaching a gentle ridge at 3200’. At a bearing of about 100 degrees, continue heading uphill through old-growth forest. You will be on a gently rounded ridge, which will become more apparent as you ascend. Stay to the left of the ridge and follow the best terrain. This is steep but not dangerous. As you reach 4600', you will come to some rock outcroppings. Most are easy to navigate with some probing, but one requires passage on the left and a descent of 100'. A higher outcropping, closer to the Tirzah summit, requires passage on the right.
Comments
Follow the return route carefully, as it is easy to take the wrong ridge at 4800'. We carried a scramble rope and used it as a hand line on a brief stretch to descend around one of the outcrops. The route is mostly in open forest with not much in the way of views, but Chenuis Falls, a short detour off the path, is worth seeing. In 2013 considerable blowdowns were reported along the lower approach ridge.
It is possible to traverse from Tirzah to Wallace. Following are notes from Gretchen Lentz and Grace Parker: The traverse from Tirzah to Wallace was straight forward by going over the top of the ridge and probing just slightly left or right when needed. Before the last rocky outcrop on the easterly ridge, begin a gradual descent right (south side) to a small saddle, before final uphill to Wallace. This descent crosses some minor loose talus. Resist descending on the south side of Tirzah to traverse over to Wallace, as we encountered endless downed logs about 5000 feet. The final ascent to Wallace involved some steeper scrambling on dirt but good veggie belays were available. Return to Tirzah by the same route.
Vital Statistics: Tirzah Peak
Skill: Moderate scramble
Beauty: 4
Effort: 7
Round-trip distance:5 miles; plus 8 miles on washed-out road
Elevation gain: 3500'
Total time: 10 hours
Best season: June through September, or first snow
Equipment: Scramble gear, scramble rope
Tirzah Peak Topo
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