Spider Peak is a 12,234-foot-elevation (3,729 meter) mountain summit located in Fremont County of Wyoming, United States.[4]

Spider Peak
Northeast aspect
Highest point
Elevation	12,234 ft (3,729 m)[1][2]
Prominence	834 ft (254 m)[1]
Parent peak	Downs Mountain (13,355 ft)[3]
Isolation	0.86 mi (1.38 km)[3]
Coordinates	43°19′27″N 109°39′10″W[4]
Geography
Spider Peak Location in Wyoming Show map of Wyoming Spider Peak Spider Peak (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Fremont County, Wyoming, U.S.
Parent range	Wind River Range
Topo map	USGS Temple Peak
Geology
Type of rock	granitic
Climbing
First ascent	July 18, 1960
Easiest route	class 3[3] North ridge

Geography

The peak is situated 1.5 mile east of the Continental Divide in the northern portion of the remote Wind River Range. It is set in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness, on land managed by Shoshone National Forest. Neighbors include Downs Mountain, 1.4 mile to the southwest, and Torrey Peak 2.4 miles to the northeast. Topographic relief is significant as the east aspect rises 1,700 feet (518 meters) above Turquoise Lake in one-half mile. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into Torrey Creek, which is a tributary of the Wind River.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Spider Peak is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[5] Due to its altitude, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter, and as thunderstorms in summer. This climate supports the nearby Continental Glacier and East Torrey Glacier.

Climbing

Established climbing routes:[6]

• North Ridge – first ascent 1960 – Dave Dornan, Maurice Horn
• East Buttress – (II 5.7) – 1964 – Fred Beckey, Jerry Fuller, Alex Bertulis
• Southwest Ridge – class 5.5 – 1972 – Vince Lee, Dennis Pierce, Terry Sawyer, Tom Wolff
• Southeast Face – (II 5.6) – 1975 – Tom Warren and party
• Northeast Buttress – (III 5.8) – 1975 – Fred Beckey, Steve Jackson, Brian Leo
• Northeast Face – (IV 5.9) – 1978 – Randy Cerf, Herbie Ogden, George Schunk

The 1960 first ascent party named the peak based on the numerous hairy, dark-brown spiders they encountered here.[7]

Hazards

Encountering bears is a concern in the Wind River Range.[8] There are other concerns as well, including bugs, wildfires, adverse snow conditions and nighttime cold temperatures.[9]

Importantly, there have been notable incidents, including accidental deaths, due to falls from steep cliffs (a misstep could be fatal in this class 4/5 terrain) and due to falling rocks, over the years, including 1993,[10] 2007 (involving an experienced NOLS leader),[11] 2015[12] and 2018.[13] A 54-year-old climber from Durango fell 400-800 feet to his death from Steeple Peak in 2017.[14] Other incidents include a seriously injured backpacker being airlifted near Squaretop Mountain[15] in 2005,[16] and a fatal hiker incident (from an apparent accidental fall) in 2006 that involved state search and rescue.[17] The U.S. Forest Service does not offer updated aggregated records on the official number of fatalities in the Wind River Range.

See also

• List of mountain peaks of Wyoming

References

External links

• Spider Peak rock climbing: Mountainproject.com
• Weather forecast: Spider Peak