Disappointment Peak, WY

 

Disappointment Peak

July3, 2025

The weather only looked good enough for a half-day adventure in the Tetons so Laura and I opted to do a short rock climb on disappointment peak. The five-pitch east ridge goes at 5.6 or 5.7 and we felt we could get it done in 9 or 10 hours. Waking at 4 AM after forgetting to set an alarm the night before, Laura and I looked at the skies and saw dark clouds all around. 

The sky was pink and purple as we started hiking.

After discussing our options and the weather for a few minutes in the tent, we decided to at least go take a look. We made the 45-minute drive to the Lupine Meadows trailhead and began hiking at 5:30 AM. 

Justin hiking up the trail towards Ampitheater Lake

One of the friends we made on the morning hike

We made quick time up the steep trail, gaining elevation quickly and reaching amphitheater lake in just 2 1/2 hours 3,000 feet and 5 miles above where we started. 

Ampitheater Lake with a view of our route behind.

There was a social trail above Amphitheater Lake that led us towards the east ridge of Disappointment Peak. We spent some time looking across at what we had hoped to climb that day, the Koven route on Mount Owen along with the traverse from Teewinot to Mount Owen and the Grand Teton, the Cathedral Traverse.

Amazing views of Mount Owen and the Koven couloir that we had wanted to climb.

We racked up our gear and got the rope out. After climbing, two pitches of rock, we walked across a flat bench to a steep wall that led to the summit. It was three more pitches from here. 

First roped pitch for us on the east ridge of Disappointment Peak

After climbing one pitch up a corner and face, I reached a small cave as sprinkles began to fall from the sky. I made a belay here to stay dry, and Laura climbed quickly. By the time she was to me the sprinkles had stopped, but now the rock was wet. 

Fun corner pitch just before the rain started

We decided that it was better to go up and over the top rather than try to rappel where we were. So we climbed, wet rock, two more pitches, including the 5.7 hand crack variation to the top of the east ridge. 

5.7 crack we climbed after the rain

Topping out on the climb, the rain had stopped and skies had partially cleared. We decided to make the 45-minute scramble to the summit of Disappointment Peak, which holds some of the most amazing views of the Teton range we had ever experienced.

Summit of Disappointment Peak with the Grand Teton behind us.

We quickly descended off the summit and reached the Amphitheater Lake from there. We jogged at a moderate pace down the 5 miles back to the trailhead and finished in just over nine hours. 

Justin chimneying down a 3rd class section on the way back to Ampitheater Lake

We had a great day out and only got a little bit wet, but we’re safe and had fun. We’re glad to have another Teton summit under our belt even though it wasn’t one of the big ones of the range. We made it back to camp in time to cook bratwurst over the fire with Hazel, Grandma and Bob and had an early night to bed.

Our campfire dinner after the climb.