| Ladd Peak | |
| Elevation Ft: | 12967 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Prominence Ft: | 660. |
| Isolation Mi: | 0.66 |
| Parent Peak: | Mount Whitecap (13,025 ft) |
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Wyoming |
| Region: | Sublette |
| Region Type: | County |
| Part Type: | Protected area |
| Part: | Bridger Wilderness |
| Range: | Rocky Mountains Wind River Range[2] |
| Etymology: | Dr. William S. Ladd (1887–1949) |
| Map: | Wyoming#USA |
| Label Position: | right |
| Map Size: | 270 |
| Coordinates: | 43.175°N -109.7022°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [3] |
| Topo: | USGS Gannett Peak |
| Rock: | granitic |
| First Ascent: | 1921 |
| Easiest Route: | scrambling East Ridge |
Ladd Peak is a 12967feet mountain summit in Sublette County, Wyoming, United States.[3]
Ladd Peak is located in the remote Wind River Range, which is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. It is set 2.35miles west of the Continental Divide within the Bridger Wilderness, on land managed by Bridger-Teton National Forest. The nearest town is Pinedale, 23miles to the south-southwest. Ladd Peak ranks as the 40th-highest peak in Wyoming and is 2.5miles west of Gannett Peak, the highest peak in Wyoming.[1] Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into headwaters of the Green River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises nearly 3600abbr=offNaNabbr=off above the river in 1.25 mile (2 km) and the 4,500-foot rise above Three Forks Park is the largest rise in the Wind River Range.[4]
The first ascent of the summit was made in 1921 by Dr. William S. Ladd, Evans Clark, Freda Kirchwey, and Dr. Adolf Schultz via the East Ridge.[2] [4] [5] The North Couloir was first climbed in 1974 by Stan Hilbert and Bill March.[4] The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.[3]
In addition to making the first ascent of this peak, Dr. Ladd is also credited with first ascents of Mount Saskatchewan and North Twin Peak in Canada. An avid mountaineer, he served as president of the American Alpine Club from 1929 through 1931.[6] He was born in Portland, Oregon, on August 16, 1887, and died unexpectedly on September 17, 1949.
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Ladd Peak is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[7] Due to its altitude, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter and as thunderstorms in summer.
See main article: Hazards of outdoor recreation. Encountering bears is a concern in the Wind River Range.[8] There are other concerns as well, including bugs, wildfires, adverse snow conditions and nighttime cold temperatures.[9]
Importantly, there have been notable incidents, including accidental deaths, due to falls from steep cliffs (a misstep could be fatal in this class 4/5 terrain) and due to falling rocks, over the years, including 1993,[10] 2007 (involving an experienced NOLS leader),[11] 2015[12] and 2018.[13] Other incidents include a seriously injured backpacker being airlifted near Squaretop Mountain[14] in 2005,[15] and a fatal hiker incident (from an apparent accidental fall) in 2006 that involved state search and rescue.[16] The U.S. Forest Service does not offer updated aggregated records on the official number of fatalities in the Wind River Range.