The first recorded ascent of Kinnerly Peak was made by a Sierra Club party led by the noted mountaineer Norman Clyde, in 1937. The standard climbing route ascends the northwest face, starting from the south shore of Upper Kintla Lake. It involves a large amount of elevation gain, mostly by scrambling, but with some exposed and mildly technical sections (Class 4 or easy Class 5). Other routes exist on the southeast and southwest faces.: