Always a treat to ride Loon Lake, plus 10 more Idaho classics

Brian, Steve and Mark at Loon Lake 

Hi all, 

I was rocking out to a Grateful Dead Tribute band Friday night with a group of friends, and on the spur of the moment, three of us agreed to meet up Saturday morning in McCall to ride the Loon Lake Loop. 

Loon Lake is one of my favorite "Idaho classic" rides. Starting from Chinook Campground, about 45 minutes north of McCall via Warren Wagon Road, the ride covers 10 miles -- all singletrack -- and takes about 2-2.5 hours to complete for experienced strong riders. 1,500 feet of vertical gain. Rated: Advanced. A longer version starts at Ruby Meadows and requires a shuttle back to the trailhead or it's 22 miles if you ride the whole thing. 

Now that we're moving into late August, and September is close at hand, this is a perfect time to plan trips to bag some other "Idaho classic" mountain bike rides in Sun Valley, McCall, Central Idaho and Boise. More details about that below ... 

Trail was quite buffed last week! 

We awoke a perfect post-card day last Saturday to ride Loon Lake. High temperature of 85 forecast for the mountains. We'd had thunderstorms for two days in a row, so it was nice to see the cloudless, cobalt-blue sky on the drive going past Upper Payette Lake toward Chinook Campground. Our group consisted of Mark Anderson, Brian Ellsworth and me. 

I like to ride the Loon Lake loop counter-clockwise, so we rode across the Secesh River on the steel bridge to start the ride on Victor Creek Trail #081. You follow that singletrack trail over three different climbs and descents to a tall-grass meadow just to the south of Loon Lake. Pedal through the meadow, turn left at a junction, and ride to Loon Lake. Take a breather, have lunch, go swimming, take photos! What a spot!    

Return to the meadow, and then turn right on a singletrack that plunges into the Secesh River canyon. There's a cool little beach by the Secesh River there by the trail bridge, and then you pedal 3.5 miles back to Chinook Campground on a rocky, technical singletrack that rises and falls along the river. Watch for any spawning salmon while you're in that area. But keep your eyes on the trail, too, because there are many opportunities to crash along the way! Be careful! 

Huck at Loon Lake 

It took us 45 minutes to reach the lake, and 1.5 hours to return to the trailhead. We stopped in a few places for photo ops. Just a beautiful day! 

Wendy checking out the Secesh River on the steel bridge. 

Now, for other classic rides, I'd refer you to a story I wrote for Visit Idaho about Five Mountain Bike Rides that Shine in the Fall.  This article includes Loon Lake, Around the Mountain at Bogus Basin, Fisher-Williams Loop in the White Clouds, Gold Hill switchback special near Sandpoint, and the Lynx Trail at Farragut State Park in N. Idaho. 

Secesh River 

I wrote about five other mountain bike classics in this 2016 post from Stueby's Outdoor Journal. These rides included traversing Bear Pete Trail, the Hard Guy-Dry Creek Loop, and the Bear Basin - Brundage Lookout - Elk Trail - Growler - 488 Road - Bear Basin Ride. 
- SS  

Try any of these three backpacking destinations in Central Idaho ... they're Idaho classics!

Fishfin Ridge in the Bighorn Crags (courtesy Summit Post) 

Wilson Lake, Bighorn Crags (courtesy Will Whelan)

Scenic hiking! Bighorn Crags

Alice Lake, Sawtooth Wilderness 

Hatchet Lake, Boulder Chain Lakes, White Cloud Mountains (courtesy Idaho Alpine Zone)

Hi all,

It's mid-July, nearly all of the snow has melted in the high-country, so the backpacking season is in full swing. This week, I'm going to highlight three backpacking trips in Central Idaho that I'd call "Idaho classics." Try to make plans and pick these off when you can. They are all stunningly beautiful and certainly worth the effort!

All of these backpacking trips end up at high mountain lakes where you can cool off and go swimming and/or go fishing. That's the big payoff. Plus, you have the option of hiking to high peaks or ridges above the lakes for a big view.

1. Alice Lake-Toxaway Lake Loop in the Sawtooth Wilderness. This loop is approximately 18-miles long, with 3,250 feet of elevation gain and loss. The trailhead starts from Pettit Lake, south of the Smiley Creek Lodge. A three-day trip for this loop would be great to allow time to enjoy the high mountain lakes before hiking back to your rig, but it certainly can be done in two days. I'd rate the hike strenuous.

Alice-Toxaway Loop (click to enlarge)

2. Boulder Chain Lakes in the White Cloud Mountains. This trip is also strenuous, but well worth it to get into the Boulder Chain Lakes in the Little Boulder Creek drainage. It's about 8+ miles to the first group of lakes, and another mile and more elevation to the upper lakes. Elevation gain is 3,500 feet to the upper basin. The cool aspect of this destination is the amazing choice of so many lakes to explore and consider for that premium lakeshore camp site. There are more than 10 lakes in the general area, once you reach the Boulder Chain Lakes Basin.

The only drawback to this trip is the time it takes to get to the trailhead. The best way to do it is to drive to Stanley on a Friday evening, and keep going toward Challis to the East Fork of the Salmon River Road (Forest Road #120) near Clayton. Go right up the East Fork Road and camp at the trailhead. It's about 4 hours to the trailhead.

Boulder Chain Lakes in the Little Boulder Creek drainage. 

3. Bighorn Crags in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. The drive to the Crags is even longer ... it takes at least a half day to get there, so it's best to plan a trip in the Crags for 4-5 days, or even a full week. Drive to Challis, go north of town, and turn left onto the Morgan Creek Road. Take the Morgan Creek Road over a summit into Panther Creek, then go left on Forest Road #112 in Cobalt and climb up to the Crags Campground Trailhead. It's 47.6 miles of dirt road to the trailhead.

From there, it's a strenuous hike of 7+ miles to Wilson Lake and Fishfin Ridge, a good place for the first night's camp. The main destination that a lot of people seek is Ship Island Lake, a huge, long lake that's set deep in the heart of the Crags. Like I said, allow plenty of time to explore the area.

Crags campground to Ship Island Lake (click to enlarge)

Here's what my friend Will Whelan says about the Crags:

 "The Crags are fairly similar to the Sawtooths, but a couple of differences stand out: 1) The Crags are embedded in a huge wilderness, and it takes hours of driving on dirt roads to even get there. As a result, the place has a really remote feel. No lights at night. 2) The free-standing vertical spires at places such as Fishfin Ridge are really remarkable. In places, they are tightly stacked together, making for very entertaining hiking as you pass in and around the jumbled landscape."

When it comes to backpacking, Idaho has a ton of great adventure opportunities throughout the state. There are many other places you can go, but these three are some of my all-time favorites. They are challenging to be sure, but the payoff in terms of scenery and fishing make everything worthwhile.

Have fun!
- SS