Cervidae Peak - Southeast Ridge Route

Short and steep hike along ridge overlooking Lucky Peak Reservoir with great views, Boise National Forest

Related Posts: 
Four "Grand Slam Peaks" in Boise National Forest -
Mt. Heinen - Grand Slam Peaks Completed!
Lucky Peak - Winter Ascent
​Kepros Mountain Hike

Trip Stats
Overview:  Trail to Cervidae Peak is only 17 miles east of Boise and traverses along the ridge between Mores Creek to the west and Lucky Peak Reservoir to the south.  Vegetation includes bunch grasses, rabbitbrush, antelope bitterbrush and sagebrush.  Spectacular views of Spring Shores Marina and Lucky Peak Reservoir to the south, Lucky Peak to the west, and Shafer Butte to the northwest.
Distance:   2.3 miles to summit (according to my GPS)
Elevation Gain:   Trailhead at 3,120 feet,  summit at 4,987 feet = 1,867 feet.  Add to this ~ 120 feet of elevation due to loss/gain on ridge - Total elevation gain ~ 2,000 feet in 2.3 miles.
Coordinates:   Cervidae Peak:  43°36'50.66"N, 115°58'26.75"W.
Driving Directions:  Drive ID-21 north from Boise past Lucky Peak Dam, over Highland Summit.  Cross over the High Bridge that crosses Mores Creek with vertical basalt cliffs.  Almost immediately after the bridge, turn right on FS-269 that leads to Spring Shores Marina and Atlanta.  About 2 miles past the marina, park on the right in a large pull-out.  Trailhead at large gate across road.
Trail:  After passing the gate, the trail starts to the left of a short gravel road, where it contours the bottom of the southeast ridge heading east and then turns to the northwest, gaining the ridge.  The trail is well-worn and heads straight up the southeast ridge to the summit.

View of Lucky Peak Lake and Lucky Peak from Cervidae Mountain trail

View from east side of ridge

Cervidae Peak is one of the 4  "Grand Slam Peaks" that Tom Lopez, author of Idaho:  A Climbing Guide describes.  The other 3 peaks are Mt. Heinen, Kepros Mountain, and Lucky Peak, all close to Boise.  As Tom Lopez does, Fred and I use Cervidae and Lucky Peak to train for our summer  mountain summit hikes.  We discovered Cervidae when we wanted to add variety to our usual Lucky Peak training.

Cervidae Peak is great for a lot of reasons:  it's close to Boise, the trail is steep with no switchbacks once you get on the ridge, so you can get a decent work-out in a short amount of time and see some awesome views.  It's a great opportunity to get a good view of Lucky Peak Reservoir and identify landmarks at the 360 degree view at the top.  The family Cervidae is a scientific classification that includes deer, elk, moose and reindeer.

Southeast Ridge route and elevation profile -  Cervidae Peak (4,987 feet)
Lucky Peak Lake at bottom of photo - High Bridge  over Mores Creek (ID-21) lower left
Distance = 2.3 miles one way with elevation gain of ~ 2,000 feet

Lucky Peak Reservoir
Lucky Peak (high forested peak on left)

Gate at start of Cervidae Peak hike - follow gravel road to right, in about 200 yards, the trail starts  on the left side of the road

History
The Lucky Peak Dam was built in 1955 to be included in the system of flood control and use of irrigation water from the Boise River.  This was done mainly as an assurance to water users of the Boise River system that their supply of water would be protected and the Arrowrock Dam and Anderson Ranch Dam above the Lucky Peak Dam could be drained down during flood control measures.  It was a way of adding water capacity; building Anderson Ranch and Lucky Peak reservoirs were moves toward multiple-use reservoirs.

The Reclamation Service, a U.S. Federal government agency started construction of Arrowrock Dam, a few miles further upstream from Cervidae's trailhead on the Boise River for the purpose of storing water for irrigation in the early 1900's.  Arrowrock Dam was dedicated in 1915 by Reclamation; it was the tallest dam in the world at that time and 4,000 people gathered to witness the dedication.  The report, History of Boise River Reservoir Operations gives a great history and overview of management of the Boise River.

Geology
Large granitic intrusions during Cretaceous time (144 - 65 mya) that formed the ​Idaho Batholith  make up the bedrock of Cervidae and the upper Boise River drainage.  Cervidae Peak can also be summited from its west ridge; it's near this access where basalt dikes that cut through the granitic basement are seen along the east side of ID 21 a few miles past the high bridge that spans vertical basalt cliffs.  

No switchbacks here - Cervidae is on right side of ridgeline

Native Grey Rabbitbrush and bunchgrass overlooking Lucky Peak Reservoir
Owhyee Mountains to the south on far horizon

Most of the trail is steep and it's about all that you can see in front of you at times,  but then you get to a rise on the ridge and see expansive views.  About 3/4 of the way up this trail, the trail from the west side of the ridge intersects.  This trail is accessed from Highway 21 and provides a more direct hike to the summit.  The trail loses some elevation near the summit only to regain it,  followed by less steep terrain toward the top.

We found a register at the summit pile of granite.  A steady, bitter cold breeze had made us cold despite having climbed almost 2,000 feet.  Surprisingly, the summit was calm but cold.  Looking toward the northeast, we tried to identify Mount Heinen, a climb on our spring bucket list.

We did this hike with 2 friends a couple of summers ago - in the afternoon!  Not the best time to do this hike - it was hot and there's no shade.  This is a good late winter/early spring hike.  

View of Lucky Peak (far left)  ~ 900 feet higher in elevation than Cervidae Peak
Lucky Peak elevation = 5,904 feet

Cervidae Peak summit - 4,987 feet

 References
Bliss, James D., and Phillip R. Moyle. 2001.  Assessment of the Sand and Gravel Resources of the Lower Boise River Valley Area, Idaho.  U.S. Dept. of the Interior - U.S. Geological Survey,  41 pages.

Idaho Batholith:  Idaho's Natural History Online from Idaho Museum of Natural History/Idaho State University.  Retrieved from:  http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/geo/bathlith/bathdex.htm.
​
Othberg, Kurt L. and Willis L. Burnham. 1990.  Geologic Map of the Lucky Peak Quadrangle,  Ada County, Idaho.  Idaho Geological Survey, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID,  13 pages.

Stevens, Jennifer. 2015.  History of Boise River Reservoir Operations, 1912-1995.  Stevens Historical Research Associates, 67 pages.