Pocatello couple completes 10-year journey to scale all 44 peaks in Idaho
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – For the average person, hiking is a hobby or a once-per-year excursion. For local couple Ben Nickell and Anne Koski, it became a 10-year journey with one goal– top all the highest point in all 44 counties of the state of Idaho.
Nickell and Koski are now two of just 15 people who have topped all 44 high points in Idaho counties. Not only did their accomplishment start back in 2016, it happened by accident.
"We didn't start out intending to hike all the peaks," Nickell said. "We climbed Hyndman Peak near Sun Valley with some friends and it was fun. We started looking around like, 'what should we climb next?'"
Nickell explained in the few years following that first hike, the couple did two or three peaks per year. They realized, looking at the county high points, it was an attainable goal to reach them all.
The highest point in the entire state is Mount Borah in Custer County, but Nickell says highest doesn't equal hardest.
"Some are harder just cause they're so remote, they're hard to get to on backcountry roads," he said. "Lots of rugged bumps and trees falling, snow and mud holes."
The hardest peak according to Nickell and Koski was their final hike in September 2026, Bare Peak Northwest on the Idaho-Montana border. The couple expected to take just over 16 hours to complete the hike. It ended up being a 22-hour process.
"There were lots of boulders, side hilling, very challenging terrain for sure," Nickell said. "It just never seemed to end. You'd come over one ridge and there'd be another."
The pair also had several run-ins with wildlife throughout their 10-year hiking journey. Nickell said at Scotchman's Peak near Sandpoint in North Idaho, there were mountain goats "everywhere."
"One of them got hold of my hiking pole and decided to use it for a sword," he explained. "They like the salt from your sweat, so he grabbed onto the strap for my hiking pole."
At Bell Mountain in Lemhi County, they ran into a massive herd of elk. They also side-stepped around the mountain goats on trails and saw cows on some lower hikes.
Nickell said he hadn't explored much of northern Idaho before beginning the journey. He said part of the appeal is to reach those remote locations and corners of the state many will never get to see.
The lowest and easiest peak in the state is Pickles Butte in Canyon County near Nampa. Nickell said it overlooks a dump and seagulls flew around them while they explored.
"There's a few that are just long drives down really bad roads, but are a really short hike to the top," he said. "There was a few where we did multiple peaks in the same day, one in the morning and one at night because they were adjacent to each other depending on where the county lines are drawn."
The couple used peakbagger.com to keep track of their progress, a website that stores information about front runner hikers and the highest points in every state. Nickell said the GPS and technology has come a long way, so much so they didn't ever get lost or stranded on the hikes.
Though some hikes are popular tourist destinations like Borah, many are remote with no trails. Nickell and Koski relied on bushwacking and finding their way via GPS tracking to reach several of the peaks.
"I think I counted 100 downed trees just on one Bare Peak section within like two miles," he said. "Just a lot of climbing over and around things in the middle of the night, it was difficult navigation for sure."
He said climbing gear actually isn't necessary for any of the peaks in Idaho, just regular backpacking gear carried the couple to their 10-year goal.
"You can usually find a route through that you can climb, you might just get a little uncomfortable if you're scared of heights," he said.
The best part of the journey for the couple was the time they got to spend together on each hike. The gorgeous views and feelings of accomplishment when they reached the peaks were sweeter, together.
"Coming down off one peak in North Idaho, I remember it was just a gorgeous sunset and there was a little crescent moon and just over the forests, so many beautiful places," Nickell said.
The couple encourages others to try their hand at hiking some high points. Nickell said to start with the one in your county. In their home county in Pocatello, the high point is Bonneville Peak up behind Pebble Creek Ski Area.
"It was definitely a long journey and I'm glad to have it done, now I need to find another hobby," Nickell said. "We're kind of resting and recovering a bit first but then I'm sure we'll find more adventures."
