Three places to cool-off, camp, fish or paddle in Central Idaho, plus Stage 1 fire restrictions in effect!

Alturas Lake (courtesy Triangle C)

Hi all, 

I hope everyone is finding ways to stay cool and close to water in the midst of this major heat wave in Idaho. 

Between the smoke from wildfires causing air quality issues, combined with the heat, it's hard to get that motivated to leave the comforts of A/C. 

But in reality, the higher-elevations in Central Idaho are a great place to go, and maybe the smoke and heat will keep some people camping on the couch at home! 

This week for my outdoor tip, I'm recommending three somewhat off-beat locations for high-elevation outdoor outings near water in Central Idaho. You can go paddling, fishing or camping in these locations or just sit on the river bank or lake shore, and soak your feet in the water. Can you feel it? 

Before I share my recommendations, I've got two things to share re: trip-planning. 

1. Head's up: The Forest Service, BLM and Idaho Department of Lands have gone to Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in Southwest Idaho, Central Idaho and North-Central Idaho. Those restrictions kick in today (July 15) and tomorrow. KVTB story here. 

The fire restrictions mean that it's illegal to have a campfire unless you're camping in an official campground, where they have those large circular metal fire-containment structures. See the KTVB story for details. 

Air Now Fire and Smoke map screenshot. (Courtesy of Air Now)

2. Smoke map. I like this Air Now interactive Fire and Smoke map.  Good way to see what's going on with fire smoke not only in Idaho, but in the Pacific Northwest or beyond. If you're a skier, your login for OpenSnow.com should work for OpenSummit.com. OpenSummit has some great interactive smoke maps as well, which will give you a sense of how the smoke plumes will play out over the next 24 hours. 

Now, as to my recommendations in no particular order:

• Deadwood Reservoir (elev. 5,334') - The lengthy drive from Cascade or the Banks-to-Lowman road usually keeps the crowds down at Deadwood. You can go boating, SUP'ing, camping or fishing. The fishing is quite diverse, with the possibility of catching rainbow or cutthroat trout, Atlantic salmon, or kokanee salmon. Some of the campgrounds can be reserved via Recreation.gov.

  

  Deadwood Reservoir, courtesy Peak Visor
  

  
  
• Landmark (elev. 6,630') - East of Cascade via the Warm Lake Road, you can go camping in this area at one of several Forest Service campgrounds like Penny Springs, go fishing in Johnson Creek or maybe float a section of Johnson Creek in a SUP, kayak or canoe. Road-scout the section you're going to try to look for trees across the creek (strainers). In Landmark, you're relatively close to Yellow Pine, if you'd like to take a side trip, and close to some access points on the west side of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness.

  

  Johnson Creek airstrip provides quick access to Yellow Pine.
  

  
  
• Alturas or Petit Lake (elev. 7,000'), Sawtooth Valley - It looks like the official campgrounds at these lakes are reserved or close-to-full. Perhaps you can find another place to camp in the valley or stay at Smiley Creek Lodge. You can catch rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, bull trout and kokanee at Alturas Lake. More details on the IDFG fishing planner. At Petit Lake, the same species are available, plus brook trout. More details on the IDFG fishing planner. 

There you have it! Have fun out there!
- SS

Five unsung off-the-beaten path paddling destinations for kayaks, SUPs + camping tips

The mountains are calling! Find your own Private Idaho at Upper Payette Lake.

Hi all,

It's mid-summer in Boise, and the mid-90ish temperatures definitely inspire us to head for cooler locations and our rivers and lakes in particular.

Last weekend, I floated the Cabarton stretch of the Payette River on Saturday, and it was busy as usual, but the Main Payette was absolutely slammed around Banks and the North Fork Payette also  was super busy with a lot of visiting Class 5 boaters testing their skills on the world-class river.

For my outdoor tip of the week, I'm recommending five more off-the-beaten-path paddling and Stand-Up Paddle Board (SUP) locations fairly close to home. Several of these recommendations come from my book, Paddling the Payette, a guide to 24 day trips on the Payette River system.

I also would take a moment to plug the Boise Goathead Fest happening Friday, Aug. 2 and Saturday, Aug. 3 at Cecil Andrus Park across from the Idaho Statehouse. This is an important event for bike-related nonprofits, so please try to participate in the parade (pre-register for $5 donation), drink beer, and buy food and merchandise to pump up the sales.

The Upper South Fork Payette River has a beautiful turquoise color.

Now for the unsung, off-the-beaten path paddling recommendations:

1. Upper South Fork Payette River - The upper South Fork just doesn't get very much public use. There's a nice Class 2 section between Eight Mile Creek (just upstream of Sourdough Lodge) and Helende Campground. It's running about 500 cfs right now, perfect low-flow level with some cushion. There's several Class 3 rapids below Helende and Kirkham Hot Springs, and then the river mellows again to Lowman. The Upper South Fork from Bonneville Hot Springs downstream has a number of gnarly and bony rapids at low flow (not recommended). There's a ton of self-support car-camping areas along Idaho 21 along the South Fork, and there's a hot springs in Grand Jean. Lots to do.

Middle Fork Boise River (courtesy John Keys)

2. Middle Fork Boise River - Drive up the Middle Fork road past Arrowrock to Troutdale Campground or any other spot of your choosing, and float the lower section of the Middle Fork Boise River. This is a mostly Class 2 flatwater run with rocks to dodge and small rapids. Good for kayaks, IKs, and skilled SUPs. Bring your camping gear and enjoy the setting along the Middle Fork Boise River. 

Deadwood Reservoir

3. Deadwood Reservoir - It's a long drive, but it's a scenic destination with good fishing, boating and camping in a remote location. Take Banks to Lowman Road to turnoff for Deadwood Reservoir near Little Falls. Go north to the reservoir. At least one developed campground, Cozy Cove, can be reserved through the Boise National Forest. There are lots of options for camping in the area. Deadwood Reservoir is a mile-high elevation-wise, so you can expect cool weather similar to McCall and the West Central Mountains.

North Fork Payette, south of Sheep Bridge

4. Sheep Bridge to Hartsell Bridge/Smylie Lane on the North Fork of the Payette River - The 9-mile float starts at Sheep Bridge, across Mission Street from the Forest Service Smokejumper Base. Leave a vehicle at the takeout at Smylie Bridge. It's a full day on the water, typically six hours, floating through millions of S-curves and meanders on a slow-moving river. Bring a lunch, your favorite beverages and enjoy it. Best for kayaks, canoes, IKs, and skilled SUPs. There's are a couple of log jams on the second half of the float that you'll need to portage. It can be decent fishing in there, too.

5. Upper Payette Lake - This one doesn't get much use either. It's got fishing and paddling in a beautiful setting surrounded by the Payette National Forest and granite mountains. The location is north of North Beach and Payette Lake, about 15 miles from Shore Lodge. Remember to take East Side Drive if you go during the middle of the week. Warren Wagon Road is closed during the day for construction. Upper Payette is 2 miles long and a half-mile wide, and it's got camp sites and picnic areas. Nice spot.

There you have it! Enjoy these unsung destinations and stay cool!
- 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