Gannett Peak

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gannett Peak
Gannett Peak, west face, Bridger Wilderness, Bridger-Teton National Forest
Elevation	13,804 feet (4,207 m)
Location	Wyoming, USA
Range	Wind River Range
Prominence	7,074 feet (2,156 m)
Coordinates	43°11′04″N, 109°39′12″W
Topo map	USGS Gannett Peak
First ascent	1922 by A. Tate and F. Stahlnaker
Easiest route	rock/ice climb

Gannett Peak is the highest peak in the U.S. state of Wyoming and straddles the boundary between Fremont and Sublette Counties along the continental divide. Geographically, it is the apex of the entire Central Rockies; the largely continuous group of the chain occupying the states of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. Named for American geographer Henry Gannett, the peak is also the highpoint of the Wind River Range. The mountain slopes are located in both Bridger-Teton National Forest and Shoshone National Forest. Gannett is the highest peak within what is better known as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The 896 acre (3.63 km²) Gannett Glacier which is likely the largest single glacier in the Rocky Mountains of the U.S., flows down from the northern slopes of the mountain. Mammoth and Minor Glaciers occupy the western cirque of the peak while Dinwoody Glacier occupies the SE side of the mountain.

Gannett Peak is commonly climbed on a four to six day round trip, and is considered to be second only to Alaska's Denali in difficulty of state high points amongst mountaineers. However, many climbers rank Gannett Peak behind both Denali and Montana's Granite Peak, which was the last state high point to be climbed, in 1923.