Indianhouse
Distance (Mi)
6.8
Summit Elevation
4,300
Elevation Gain
4,898
Elevation Loss
4,973
Duration
07:10:21
Summit Date
June 20, 2026
Difficulty
Non-Technical
Trailhead
The Approach
Non-existent. You park at the small turnout; there will be a slope that starts on the inland-facing side of the turnout. Meet Indianhouse!
The climb is split into 3ish parts. To me, the woods and the ridge are kind of the same section. Honestly, let's just go with 4: The Woods, The Ridge, The Sidehill, and The Gully. Keep in mind that this is an out-and-back, so each must be completed two times.
The Woods
This starts from the turnout and isn't too hard to follow. On the day I climbed, the initial trail that led into the woods was probably the hardest to find, but honestly it was more of a "Is that really it?". This section is by far the least steep. I made some noise in this section. I would bring some spray. Along the Turnagain Arm is bear central!
The Ridge
This section comes quickly and is the first real ascent. It's not too bad, very similar to Bird Ridge, which you can see across the valley. I was lucky — this was an amazing day and the view kept slowing me down! Don't turn your brain off, it's time to go off trail!
The Sidehill
So you get to the top of the ridge and it looks straightforward. Make the saddle thing, then head climber's right and follow the ridge to the top.
Yeah, don't do that. You actually need to sidehill over to the base of the protrusion and head up one of the gullies. You want to stay climber's right in the gully. Definitely stay to the right. The image below is taken about halfway through the sidehill. You see that yellow line? Don't go there. You still can't see the gully you are aiming for in this image.
AHHHHHHHHHHH
I encountered Kanye West in the wild. A real treat. I don't normally listen to music while I'm out in nature but obviously Ye was blasted for a lil bit.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, I would really recommend the following:
She said, "Ye keep makin' that. Keep makin' that PLATINUM AND GOLD FOR ME"
Rock Forever 21 but just turned thirtay? Whats one good girl worth? Dis that what we do don't tell your mom shit.
Tell me that ain't secure, school seems so secure, three years, ain't picked a career, I'll just say down here.
I feel the pressure, under more scrutiny, and what do I do? Act more stupidly.... So I parallel double park that muthafuka sideways? Back in my day?? Ohh am I Late? I mean Magic made it.
Scuse my French but I'm in Franceeeeeeeeeeee. I'm just sayin'
Gotta hit em with that deep track. Really a natural feel. Not one of my favorites but really hit in the moment
Really just the best way to do it.
I usually don't get to have close encounters with the goats, but these guys were pretty friendly and I was able to get about 30-50 feet from them on the way up. On the way down I was being very quiet and came around a rock and they were about 10 ft away! Nice goats. Their eyes were as black as gun barrels and in some ways I felt a satanic vibe. Maybe this is why they are the preferred victim of sacrifice. At least that's what I hear, I'm just a normal dude.
This was my legs' least favorite section on the way down. It felt longer than I remembered on the way up.
The Gully
So once you are in the gully you will want to stay climber's right. Going left leads to a sharp drop. The gully is pretty standard for the Chugach. I ran into a little snow and was glad to have an ice axe. I think that a helmet would be nice, especially if you have multiple people in your group. The gully is narrow and loose. It would be hard to hide from some falling rock.
At the top, you will need to head to the right, up a steeper section of the gully. I was a little worried at the beginning due to some snow at the top, but was able to finagle across onto the backside of the ridge into another gully and then it was an easy up.
The top is amazing!
The Left Side of the Gully
I didn't really read anything before heading up this mountain, so I ended up climbing the left side of the gully and was cliffed out. I am sure that you can see it on my Strava. I was able to cut over to the right side of the gully, but I pretty much had to go back to the bottom. This exploration killed about an hour of time.
Indianhouse was a fun one. Hopefully this weather continues to hold out!!!!
Stay Safe Out There
I was up there while they were searching for the guy who was surfing out in the Turnagain Arm. A sad deal. I think this copter is actually out of Kodiak, which is kind of crazy to think about. You wouldn't want to have an issue out there with that type of distance between you and the helicopter / Coast Guard. Stay safe out there! Here is the entire article -> ‘He started getting farther away’: Witnesses recount Anchorage paddleboarder’s struggles in Turnagain Arm
Just one GPX file on this guy! -> Indianhouse GPX
Okay but just one more
