Five high-elevation hiking destinations guaranteed to please close to home

View looking south from Observation Peak (courtesy Idahosummits.com) 

View of Baron Peak from the top of Observation Peak (courtesy Idahosummits.com) 

Hi all,

Well, the weather forecast looks pretty fab this weekend for hiking! Temps should be in the 70s in the higher elevations in the afternoon on Saturday, so it seems like a perfect weekend to bag a peak or hike to a high mountain lake.

Drawing from my recently updated Boise Trail Guide: 90 Hiking & Running Routes Close to Home (Spring 2015), here are five high-elevation hiking destinations guaranteed to please close to home:

• Observation Peak (9,151 feet), Sawtooth Wilderness - This is the only peak in the Sawtooth Mountains accessible by an actual trail. The view of the Sawtooth Range from here is truly SPECTACULAR! The route from Grand Jean is 12.5 miles ... you can go out and back in a day. Travel time is 5-7 hours. Difficulty: Strenuous! (Over 4,000 feet of gain!) How to get there: Go to the Grand Jean trailhead in the Sawtooth Wilderness, east of Lowman, and take the Trail Creek Trail to Observation Peak. After climbing several miles, go left at the junction with the Trail Creek Lakes trail and climb to a saddle, At a three-way junction, go left to climb Observation Peak. Bring a lunch and enjoy your time on top! Retrace your tracks to the trailhead. 

  

  Jennie Lake 

• Hike to Jennie Lake, northeast of Idaho City - It's 9 miles out and back to Jennie Lake, with 1,950 feet of elevation gain. Bring your backpack and camp at the lake if you have the time. Hiking time is 2.5-3 hours one-way. It's a beautiful pine-scented hike to Jennie Lake. Good one for kids over 8 years old, too. Getting there: Take Idaho 21 past Idaho City and Mores Creek Summit to Edna Creek Road (USFS Road #384). Turn right and follow #384 for over seven miles to the trailhead. When you get to some hairpin turns, watch for a spur road on the left leading to the trailhead. Follow Trail #197 to Jennie Lake. 

  

  Tripod Peak Lookout 

• Hike to Tripod Peak on West Mountain, near Smith's Ferry - It's almost 12 miles out and back to Tripod Peak. The hike is rated strenuous, featuring 3,160 feet of elevation gain from the trailhead. Travel time is about 5-6 hours out and back. West Mountain Trail is shady in the lower elevations, and then you break into the open in the last mile or so to the peak. Once on top, you can enjoy 360-degree views of Long Valley and the country north of Emmett to the west. Getting there: Take Idaho 55 to Smith's Ferry. Turn left on USFS Road #626 toward Sagehen Reservoir. Follow the dirt road about three miles to a signed trailhead on the right for West Mountain Trail. This is your route to the top of Tripod. 

  

  Huck likes Around the Mountain just as much as I do ... 

• Hike the Around the Mountain Trail at Bogus Basin - Enjoy a cooler, forested environment at Bogus on this wonderful loop around Shafer Butte. It's probably even more fun to bike this route than to hike it, but it's a great hiking loop, too. It's 9.2 miles to do the loop, with 2,440 feet of elevation gain. Hiking time is approximately four hours at a robust pace. You'll enjoy multifaceted views of the Boise National Forest from the trail as it wraps around the mountain. Bring plenty of food and water. Getting there: Park at the lower lodge. Take Deer Point Trail #91 uphill about a mile or so to a junction with the Around the Mountain Trail. Follow the well-marked trail as it loops around the mountain. When you emerge at the Pioneer Lodge, you'll have several options for the final descent to the lower lodge. Take your pick. 

  

  Blue Lake! 

• Hike to Blue Lake - This is the easiest hike by far of the group I'm recommending this week. I call it the "Blue Lake Family Special" in Boise Trail Guide. It's only 1.3 miles round-trip to the lake and back from the Snowbank Road. The trail descends .65 miles to the lake. Hang out at the lake, go swimming or fishing, and then hike back. Bring a lunch and some drinks to enjoy your time at the lake. Getting there: Take Idaho 55 to the Cabarton Road turnoff, next to Clear Creek Station, several miles north of Smith's Ferry. Follow Cabarton Road to USFS Road #435, the road to Snowbank Mountain. Drive 10.5 miles to the trailhead/parking area for Blue Lake.

There you have it!
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Couple of other tidbits:

• McCall is hosting a mountain bike festival this weekend, Saturday and Sunday! There will be group rides, shuttles, BBQ, beer and family fun. See the 2015 Festival Program. This is a great opportunity to learn about riding opportunities in McCall.  
• The Owyhee Mountains are closed to public use inside the burn zone until next year. BLM officials said they're asking the public to stay out of the burn zone so they can work on rehabilitation efforts and for public safety. This includes the Wilson Creek area and Jump Creek area. The Soda fire area is the nation's top priority for rehab work according to the BLM National Director, Neil Kornze, who was in Boise yesterday. Succor Creek and Leslie Gulch were not affected by the fires. 
• Ridge to Rivers is looking for volunteers to survey foothills users Sept. 19th and 26th. You can sign up online here.  
• There's still time to participate in the Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance's Goathead Contest. See details at their Facebook page. Basically, you post a picture of the largest goat head plant you've pulled, and the whole pile of goat head plants you've pulled and you could win a growler of beer, bike decals, a bike bell and more! Plus, bragging rights of course! 

Have fun!
- SS

Lots of things to do over Labor Day weekend; What sounds best for you? Avoiding the smoke Part III

Fire/smoke map from NASA dated Aug. 28, 2012

Hi all,

We've got a three-day weekend coming up for Labor Day weekend, and there are lots of fun things going on in SW Idaho. With three major wildfires burning well over 100,000 acres each, the big challenge still is trying to avoid the smoke. We might call this week's post "Avoiding the Smoke - Part III."

Two weeks ago, I recommended Priest Lake, N. Idaho bike trails and McCall. Last week, I recommended some spots in the West Central Mountains and provided a number of useful, if not critical resources for determining where it may not be as smoky in SW Idaho and Central Idaho.

Here's Irene on the summit of 12,140-foot Mount Breitenbach

Thanks to Facebook, I am noticing that a lot of people are boldly going where they want to go regardless of the smoke! Watch for an upcoming column soon on Irene Vogel, who is climbing all of the 12,000-foot peaks in Idaho in one field season! I think most, if not all of those peaks are in the Pioneer Mountains and the Lost River Range. Her pictures look kind of smoky, but the high peaks appear pretty clear. She's going for the summit of Leatherman Peak this weekend to finish off her journey. Go Irene!

Fires burning slowly on the bank of the Salmon River ... no big deal! (courtesy Ted Kielley) 

I also saw that Ted Kielley did a week-long trip on the Main Salmon in various amounts of smoke and haze, but he felt that it was a trip of a lifetime! I put out a news release for the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association last week, pointing out that Middle Fork trips are still happening without incident, the road is still open to Boundary Creek, and outfitters like Mystic Saddle Ranch is still offering horseback trail rides in the upper Wood River Valley and the Sawtooths, and guests are happy! 

"We are fully open for our trail rides, and there are no fires burning in the Sawtooths," says Deb Bitton, co-owner of Mystic Saddle Ranch. "I was at our corrals in the upper Wood River Valley yesterday, and it was a glorious day with no smoke in the air. There's still a lot of good fishing to be had in the high mountain lakes."

I think the main thing to remember is that "Conditions are changing on a daily basis." 

Leo Hennessy, who is a trip leader for the Idaho Outdoors Yahoo Group, has been traveling to different places every weekend for the last month. "I'm trying to thread the needle of smoke and haze between Sun Valley, Stanley and McCall, and all I can say is, "It changes day to day. It seems to be the most clear around McCall and Lick Creek, and that's where I'm going this weekend." 

Leo is going with a group that's backpacking into the Prince Lakes. It's very steep and challenging, trip leaders forewarn. If you'd like to tag along, see the invite on Idaho Outdoors.

He Devil Peak (courtesy Summit Post)

Pete Zimowsky asked four guidebook authors for their recommendations on high alpine lakes to explore this fall in the Statesman, and those folks recommended a number of hikes in the Bighorn Crags, Sawtooths, Seven Devils and Pioneers. Smoke-wise, I think the Seven Devils might be the best bet this weekend.
Smoke considerations aside, all of the popular campgrounds at Redfish Lake are open. See the Sawtooth National Recreation Area web site for a full report. Another good spot might be the Bear Valley and Elk Creek areas north of Lowman. That's a great spot for camping,  canoeing and wildlife-watching.  

Blue Lake near Snowbank Mountain (courtesy Dave Williams, from Boise Trail Guide)

Another option this weekend might be to go camping in the Lake Cascade area and take in the bluegrass festival in Round Valley nearby. You also could go hiking to Blue Lake or on the high ridge by Snowbank Mountain (you can drive to the top), go biking on the Eagle's Nest Trail (get free sample  trail/map download from my book Mountain Biking in McCall), or go boating on the Cabarton stretch of the North Fork Payette River. 

Well, hopefully these ideas will provide inspiration this weekend. If  you're stuck in town, I bet a ton of people will go to the Barley Brothers beer fest in Meridian Friday and Saturday. And plus, there are a number of great Labor Day sales at Boise's outdoor retailers. Idaho Mountain Touring, Boise REI, Greenwood's, McU Sports, Alpenglow Mountain Sport and Idaho River Sports all have some fantastic clothing and gear on sale right now. Great deals! 

Have fun! 
-- SS