Little Matterhorn

ALPINE

MAP

Little Matterhorn (11,586’) is a large buttress and satellite peak on the serrated Northeast Ridge of Knobtop Mountain. It is an impressive feature when viewed from Odessa Lake. Approach 1: Begin from Bear Lake and take the Flattop Mountain Trail, Fern-Odessa Trail, and the Lake Helene Waytrail (p368). Continue about 75 yards beyond the outlet stream from Lake Helene, and look for a cairn where an old trail branches right (northwest). Follow this trail down, via many switchbacks, into the valley above Odessa Lake. Cross Fern Creek, then head west up the slope, out of the brush, into open talus, passing left of a low cliff that holds the winter ice climb, Guide’s Wall (p381). Trend right and gain the south end of a long forested ramp that leads out beneath the upper east face and around to the north side of Little Matterhorn. Stay above the trees. Continue up the right edge of the moraine for the Standard Route. Approach 2: Hike to Odessa Lake (10,020’) from the Bear Lake Trailhead (9,450’, 4.0 miles) or the Fern Lake Trailhead (8,150’, 4.5 miles). There are pros and cons either way. Follow a footpath around the north side of the lake to the stream that descends from Tourmaline Gorge. Start 50 feet right of the stream and pick up a vague path (marked with cairns) that leads up the draw toward Tourmaline Lake. In about 0.25 miles (c.10,360’), cross the stream and head south up the slope towards the north end of the forested ramp mentioned in Approach 1. Continue up to Tourmaline Lake for the Standard Route. Descent: Reverse the Standard Route.