Last weekend before school starts! 5 of my favorite car-camping spots in C. Idaho

Need a good 4WD truck to reach Railroad Ridge

Flowers were everywhere ... feeling on top of the world in Central Idaho ... 

Hi all,

Don't panic but this weekend is the last one of the summer vacation before school starts! That is, Boise Schools and Boise State University both start on Monday, Aug. 20. If you're still ginning to go camping, I thought I'd share five of my favorite car-camping spots in Central Idaho. Some have easy access; some of them require driving on gnarly 4WD roads.

But once you arrive at your destination, you'll be perched high on a mountaintop or ridgetop, with beautiful mountains and meadows as far as the eye can see. Or, you'll be hanging out in a lawn chair with the sand sifting through your toes by the Salmon River.

All of these camping spots are excellent for dark sky and stars. But with all of the fire smoke, you never know! BTW, here's a cool interactive smoke map with the latest fires and smoke conditions. 

Here we go, my top five:

1. Railroad Ridge, White Cloud Mountains, near Clayton, Idaho. Getting there: Take Idaho 21 to Stanley, and Idaho 75 past Yankee Fork and Clayton to the turnoff for the East Fork of the Salmon River Road. Head up the paved East Fork Road about 10 miles to Big Boulder Road #667. Go right on #667 and proceed to the Livingston Mill. A Forest Service sign indicates the turnoff for the primitive single-lane 4WD road to Railroad Ridge. You, no, the truck, must climb from 7,200 feet to elevation 10,600 feet, 3,400 feet of gain over just a few miles of steep road. It's WAY COOL! 

It took us, no, the truck, less than an hour of climbing, and we were cruising up the backbone of Railroad Ridge, which was absolutely smothered with multiple layers and colors of wildflowers. We hit it at the peak! Sweet! Perched at 10,600 feet, it was so cool to look at eye level with 10,000-foot peaks in theSawtooths to the west, and the Frank Church Wilderness to the north, while the higher Lost River Range and Lemhi Mountains lorded over the eastern side of the state. We were on the rooftop of Central Idaho! I hiked down to Crater Lake to fly fish, just in time for a thunderstorm to hit and lightning bolts to land around the edges of the lake. We had a great evening watching a storm hammer the Lemhi's and the Borah Peak area. The only downside with the spot, is that there's no cover anywhere, no trees for shelter, no rocks, nothing. You are totally exposed. Bring a good tent! 

Stanley Overlook map ... Click to enlarge 

2. Stanley Overlook - South foothills overlooking Stanley, with the Sawtooth Wilderness smack dab right in your face! Getting there: Go to Lower Stanley and take the Nip and Tuck Road (the turnoff is off to the north, kind of hidden), a public dirt road that climbs over to Stanley Creek. There are spur roads that peel off to the left, climbing up to the hilltop overlooking Stanley. 4WD is necessary. 

I've sipped cocktails with friends on that knoll, sitting in a lawnchair on a gorgeous summer evening, taking in the spectacular views, feeling lucky to live in Idaho! In the morning, sandhill cranes echoed from the Valley Creek meadows below. 

The camp is a great jump-off point for day trips around Stanley -- biking the Potato Mountain Loop, Fisher-Williams, riding up to the Basin Butte Lookout, or hiking in the Sawtooths and White Clouds. Be sure to leave some stuff there while you're gone for the day so someone doesn't take your spot. 

Steve loves to ride Bear Pete Trail! 

3. Cloochman Summit - Great overlook campsite north of McCall, next to the trailhead for Bear Pete Trail. You're also in the vicinity of Burgdorf Hot Springs, Loon Lake Loop, etc. Getting there: Take Warren Wagon Road north of McCall, past Upper Payette Lake, to a signed turnoff for Bear Pete Trail and Cloochman Summit, Forest Road #492. It's only about three miles to the summit. 4WD rig is recommended. Chainsaw recommended. There's a couple of pullouts that make for a great car-camping spot right at the summit. One of them looks south over Squaw Meadows, 20-mile lakes, the Payette National Forest peaks, and lots of burned timber from a big forest fire in the early 1990s. Go hiking or biking on Bear Pete Trail ... it's an ass-kicker of a climb uphill from the trailhead, but once you're on top of the ridge, it's a promo skyline trail.  

Having fun on the Salmon River beach scene 

4. Salmon River Beaches - Love those white sandy mansion-like beaches along the Salmon River, upstream of Riggins. Getting there: Turn right on the Salmon River Road as you drive into Riggins. The river road goes for 25 miles past French Creek to the Vinegar and Carey Creek boat ramps. There are oodles of places to camp along the road, particularly on some mansion-like beaches. Go early on a Thursday or Friday to snag a primo spot for the weekend. Potential nearby activities include rafting, kayaking or SUPing on the Salmon River. Launch from your campsite and position a shuttle vehicle downstream. Or go hiking on the Wind River Pack Bridge next to the Carey Creek boat ramp and climb a nice Forest Service trail to the Bullion Mine or beyond. 

Floating Bear Valley Creek (Courtesy Idaho Rivers United)

5. Bear Valley Campground - Great spot for folks who like to paddle a canoe or flatwater kayak. The Campground is located at the junction of Elk Creek and Bear Valley Creek, both of which are excellent for canoeing. Getting there: Take Idaho 21 to Banner Summit, between Lowman and Stanley, and then watch for a left-hand turn on the Boundary Creek Road. Follow the road to Bear Valley Campground. This is an area where you might see elk in the early morning or late evening, and you might hear a wolf howling. The meadows around Bear Valley can be spectacular when the flowers are blooming. You could also go mountain biking on the Wyoming Creek Trail and return via the Fir Creek Trail and Boundary Creek Road. You could fish the streams in the area, or drive over to Dagger Falls and hike the Marsh Creek or Middle Fork trails. 

Have fun!
- SS

Five fall car-camping destinations sure to please in the Boise National Forest

Top of Whitehawk Mountain with Quinn (elevation 8,500 feet) 

Early-morning fog hovered over the tall -grass meadows in Bear Valley ...
We awoke to a chorus of sandhill cranes every morning ... 

Ah, the Middle Fork Salmon River ... Huck wanted to catch fish

Hi all,

Last weekend was quite the scene for the solar eclipse on Monday ... what a thrill to see that from the top of a mountain like so many others did in Idaho ... I took my son Quinn to Bear Valley to see the eclipse on Whitehawk Mountain (elev. 8,450 feet), which was right in the bull's eye for 100% totality.

We went up to Bear Valley on Saturday morning to get a choice car-camping spot near the lookout road in a tall-grass meadow that's full of sandhill cranes. There weren't hardly any people up there on Saturday, and a few more dribbled in on Sunday. Bear Valley is a sweet spot for car-camping that's only about 1.5-2 hours from Boise. The #582 road from Lowman was freshly graded as of last week. At elevation 6,700 feet, Upper Bear Valley is nice and chilly at night, and warm during the day.

Side trips: You can hike, bike or run to the top of Whitehawk Mountain, or drive to other potential trails in the vicinity. Being close to Boundary Creek, we had to scoot over to the Middle Fork Salmon (45 minutes), visit Dagger Falls and fish the Middle Fork. We spent most of Sunday over there, mesmerized by the pristine beauty of the pure water rolling downriver from Boundary Creek. Almost strange to be there, and not be launching on the river!

On Monday, we biked to the top of Whitehawk Mountain (tough, continuous climb, about 4-5 miles, 2,000 feet of gain). Get into a low gear and grind it out! When Quinn was 12, I dragged him to the top of Whitehawk Mountain on his mountain bike, and he toughed out the climb, stopping for breaks, and made it to the summit. I was really proud of him, because it was his first mountain summit on a bike. Now at 19, Quinn is in top shape. He totally dusted me on the climb to the top, which is fine with me! That's the way it should be!

Anyway, for my outdoor tip of the week, I'm recommending five fall camping spots for you, your friends and family, including Upper Bear Valley. Even though the kids are back in school, there's still 4-6 weeks of fall camping remaining before the weather turns winter-like in October or November. Gather up your camping stuff and get the kids out in the mountains while you can! Remember to dress warm, and hopefully the Stage 1 fire restrictions will be lifted so you can have a camp fire!

2. Dagger Falls Campground - There's only a few camping spots at Dagger Falls, but most people are camping across the way at Boundary Creek, getting ready for Middle Fork trips. When we visited Dagger Falls last Sunday, there was only 1 party camping there. You can see Dagger Falls Rapids from the campground, and the Middle Fork is just a hop, skip away! Side trip: Go hiking on the Middle Fork or fish the nice holes between rapids in the top 1.5 miles of the river. USFS web site.
Getting there: Take Idaho 21 past Banner Summit to Boundary Creek turnoff on the left. Follow signs to Boundary Creek and Dagger Falls.

3. Deadwood Reservoir - The long drive to Deadwood Reservoir -- many miles of dirt road from the Banks to Lowman Road -- deters a fair number of people from visiting Deadwood Reservoir, but it's a super cool place to go where you can camp on the waterfront, go swimming, fishing, and bring your SUPs, kayaks, blow-up toys, whatever! USFS web site.

This Forest Service video gives you a sense of the setting at Deadwood Reservoir



There are multiple official fee campgrounds around the lake to choose from. Side trips: Several hiking and biking trails vector off from the lake on the west side and south side. Getting there: Take Forest Road #555 from the Banks to Lowman Road to the reservoir. Take your time.

4. North Fork Boise River - This is a car-camping mecca along the North Fork, with potential hiking and biking opportunities in the neighborhood. Black Rock Campground is the main developed campground in the area, but there are scores of primitive sites available for self-support car-camping. Barber Flat is a choice spot, and so is Deer Park, farther to the east. Can't go wrong! Side trips: Fishing on the North Fork, try adjacent logging roads for walking or biking. Getting there: Go to Idaho City and take Forest Road #327 over the Rabbit Creek grade into the North Fork canyon.

Nothing like hanging out by the campfire in the fall! 

5. Middle Fork Boise River - This is another car-camping mecca relatively close to home. The Middle Fork is worth visiting because the fishing is markedly better than on the North Fork. There are many car-camping spots to choose from, plus developed campgrounds such as Badger Creek, Troutdale, and Neinmeyer. Side trips: Fishing, hiking on the Sheep Creek Trail or Cottonwood Creek Trail, explore old logging roads that you may encounter.

With Quinn on top of Whitehawk Mountain the first time we went up there together! 

There you have it! It really already feels like fall if you head into the mountains right now. It can get downright chilly at night! That's a nice break from the 90 degree weather in Boise.

If you'r looking for something to do Friday night, Aug. 25? The Land Trust of the Treasure Valley is hosting their annual dinner and fund-raiser in the Dry Creek Valley in Hidden Springs. I support the Land Trust for all of the benefits that they've brought to our community, including the purchase of Harrison Hollow, easements in Dry Creek and Shingle Creek, and access to Stack Rock. They are a worthy organization to support big-time!
- SS