Mount Tyndall North Rib

The route starts at Shepherd Pass and ends at the summit of Mount Tyndall, about 13 miles and roughly 7,700 vertical feet away. From the trailhead, start up Shepherds Pass Trail. Cross Symmes Creek three times in the first mile, then climb a long series of switchbacks — 53 in total — up the exposed south wall of Symmes Creek canyon to Symmes Creek Saddle at 8.0 miles. From the saddle, the trail counterintuitively descends about 500 vertical feet to bypass a cliff band before climbing again to Anvil Camp at 10,300 feet, 10.3 miles in — the last site with reliable tree cover. Beyond Anvil Camp, pass The Pothole, the final dependable water source, and switchback up to Shepherd Pass at 12,000 feet, 12.5 miles from the trailhead. At Shepherd Pass, leave the trail and turn right (southeast), following a use trail for about 0.75 miles to the south side of a small, unnamed lake below Tyndall's North Rib — the prominent, visually obvious ridge running from the summit down to this basin. This section requires route-finding; no maintained trail continues from here. Climb the talus slope to gain the base of the rib, then follow it upward. Rock quality is good, but wear a helmet, since parties often climb above one another on this popular line. Crux: Near the top of the rib, trend left toward an obvious notch in the near-horizontal summit ridge. Aiming for the notch too early or too late puts you onto exposed Class 4 terrain; if the climbing feels harder than Class 3, back off and reset toward the notch rather than pushing through. Once through the notch, an easy boulder-hop leads along the summit ridge to the top. Retrace the same route to descend, using care reversing the notch and downclimbing the rib, where loose blocks are more likely to shift underfoot on the way down.