Heading to Stanley for 4th of July? Five rock-solid ideas for hiking and biking in the area

Group at Bench Lakes (courtesy of Knowles Gallery.) 

Hi all,

I sure am enjoying the cooler weather that we're experiencing right now, and it is expected to stay on the cooler side for the 4th of July holiday if you're planning on heading into the mountains. High temperatures are expected to be in the low 70s in the mountains this weekend (60s on Friday), and continuing into next week for the holiday. Perfect weather for hiking and biking!

I did a post recently on some popular and scenic trails that are open for hiking and biking in the McCall area, and so for this week, I'm recommending 5 rock-solid ideas in the Stanley area. These are mostly hikes and one ride. Overall, I am hearing that snow levels are between 8,500-9,000 feet in the Stanley area, creek crossings are high and hazardous (bring hiking poles and a rope for safety), but the snow is melting quickly. 

As you break out of the trees on the Boundary Creek Trail, the views get more and more spectacular. 

1. Boundary Creek Trail in the White Cloud Mountains - The Boundary Creek Trail rises steeply from the valley floor (trailhead is across Idaho 75 from the Sawtooth Hatchery), and for that reason, the trail affords magnificent views of the Sawtooth Valley, the Sawtooth Mountains and Redfish Lake as you climb the mountain. Here's an online map of the trail. It's about 3 miles to the top, and 2,000 feet of climbing. Rated strenuous but worth the effort for the big view! This trail is best for hiking, but hard-core strong bikers could climb it as well.

Bridal Veil Falls (courtesy of Idaho Campground Review) 

2. Hike to Bridal Veil Falls from Stanley Lake - Roundtrip distance is about 8 miles. Only 570 feet of elevation gain. Rated easy to moderate. This is a popular hike for good reason ... it's very scenic at the falls. Here's a nice writeup on the trip with a short video of the falls. 

3. Hike to Bench Lakes from Redfish Lake Lodge - Take the Bench Lakes trail from the trailhead next to Redfish Lake Lodge and hike to one of the lower Bench Lakes. The uppermost lakes are likely to be snow-bound. There are five lakes overall. Here's a nice writeup from the Outbound Collective. Distance round-trip is about 8 miles, depending on which lake you go to. Rated easy to moderate.

Hell Roaring Lake (courtesy of Idaho Campground Review)

4. Hike to Hell Roaring Lake or Imogene Lake in the Sawtooths - It's an easy 5.5-mile hike to Hell Roaring Lake in the Sawtooths. You'll need a 4WD vehicle to reach the trailhead. The trail is pretty flat, less than 1,000 feet of elevation gain. But the payoff is big with spectacular views of the Sawtooths at the lake, and super cool view of the Finger of Fate. See writeup and pics courtesy of Matt Leidecker, author of excellent full-color guides to the Sawtooths and the White Clouds.

Margie and a couple of teen-age boys loved the Potato Mountain Ride ... Quinn wasn't so sure at the time. 

5. Ride the Potato Mountain Loop near Stanley - This is one of my favorite bike rides. The crossing of Big Basin Creek might be kind of gnarley this time of year, but it sure is fun to do the ride. It's about 13.5 miles to do the loop. It starts out kind of steep but once you get over the hill and drop into Little Basin Creek, you're smiling all the way. The trail runs very close to the creek. See full description on the MTB Project site. I took my son Quinn on this ride when he was about 13, and he whined most of the way, but he survived. Several other teen-age kids went with us. So that's an option if you want to take kids.

Have a great 4th of July holiday!
- 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