Life and Adventures in the Last Frontier: Pioneer Peak Trail Day Hike

Pioneer Peak seen from the east side at about 4000ft.

Often it is those places in our backyard that we never see or visit. So was the case with Pioneer Peak Ridge Trail and me! The trailhead is less than 1 mile from our house and while I've been up the trail to just past the first picnic table, I never hiked any further. Getting up to the ridge was on my list of things to do, but it always seemed to find its way to the bottom each summer. Yesterday, the weather was nice and I had all afternoon and evening, so I decided I was going to hike up Pioneer Peak Ridge Trail. The top of the ridge is 4 1/2 miles with an elevation gain of 5300'. To get to the South Peak Summit it is at least another mile and 1000' more in elevation. Given the time of day I was leaving and that I was solo, I knew I wasn't going to summit the South Peak, but in back of my head I kept thinking that the ridge was attainable. Along the way, I stopped at the first picnic table for a quick break and a little while later for snacks and to take some pictures. But mostly, I became a woman with a mission, quickly putting one foot in front of the other, panting like a dog and sweating like a pig.

Time to turn around!

Eventually, I reached the knifeblade edge of the ridgeline that leads to the South Peak summit and figured it was time to take a break, turn around, and then head down. Downhill has its own set of problems. The grade is fairly steep in many places and controlling the decent had a way of zapping whatever leg strength I had left. When I reached the 1st picnic table, the grade became more gradual, the path is dirt and with a few roots, and I knew the end was in sight, so I was able to jog down to the parking lot at a fun comfortable gait. The whole trip took me about 5 1/2 hours.