Well, at long last we're finally taking a trip to Idaho. We're leaving in mid-July and will be gone for 2 to 3 weeks. Having never visited the area I know nothing at all about it, except that I've seen some incredible photography of the Idaho mountains. We'll have a very capable 4 wheel drive and are planning to camp, hike and backpack while there.
I'm wide open to any recommendations y'all might have for hikes we can't miss, campsites to die for, 4WD roads we must drive, etc. Also, any local restaurants with killer food. Bear in mind that my six year old son will be with us. He's able to hike 6-9 miles in a day but not much more than 2,000' elevation gain.
Thanks in advance, everyone!
Posted by Doug Koepsel on June 6, 2015 at 11:22 PM
Bret, I have only been to Idaho a couple of time to boat Middle Fork, but an area I had seen interesting photos of was Merriam Lake and Pahsimeroi Valley.
In the south central area there is the Sawtooths which would be spectacular to shoot. I think these are the mountains you are thinking about. It would be good to camp on Stanley Lake so you could get good sunrise shots of the mountains. Also it would be a good base for other entries of the Sawtooths. A good dayhike would be Iron Creek to Sawtooth Lake. Check it out to see if is something your son could do. If you don't get a campsite reservation there are spots you can pull into and dry camp into the lake, but it would be best if you could get right on the lake. You could also shoot and play from Redfish and Little Redfish Lake. A great place for breakfast is the Stanley Baking Company and Cafe in Stanley.
The Boulder WHite Clouds are great but you would need a good hike in to get the best views. May have to wait until your son is ready for backpacking.
Going up and over the pass from Ketchum to Stanley is pretty and there are are dirt roads that go back into a few places towards the Sawtooths from 75. You can check out Shosone Falls on the Snake River in Twin Falls since you will be driving by it. The bridge there is a major base jumping location. The falls probably won't be very full that time of year but worth a quick peek if you go into Twin for lunch or dinner.
If you keep going east, you can drive up near Grand Targhee. I believe they have their lift open in the summer. You can take it up, take an easy hike around to the south and see the Tetons from the Idaho side.
Kathryn: We're actually planning to do a little backpacking with Jackson. We've done a handful of backpacking trips with him and every year he gets stronger. We're stoked to see some of Idaho's backcountry with him!
One of my favorite mountain ranges resides in Idaho, the Sawtooths. It has multiple trailheads but the most frequently used ones are just south of Stanley. Little Redfish Lake and Redfish Lake make great photo ops, sunrise. Stanley Lake is late aft or sunset. Take the forest service road about 10 miles west of Stanley that is signed for Boundary Creek (Dagger Falls on the Middle Fork of the Salmon is there, late aft or after sunset to avoid contrast issues. There's a free public hot springs east of Stanley on Idaho 75 near Sunbeam. There's also free hot springs west of Stanley (20-30 miles?) about 4 miles upstream of Big Falls on the South Fork of the Payette River. Near Bruneau, Idaho there's Bruneau Dunes Hot Springs State Park with free hot showers (at least they were free about 30 years ago when I was there last).
Discussion
5 repliesWell, at long last we're finally taking a trip to Idaho. We're leaving in mid-July and will be gone for 2 to 3 weeks. Having never visited the area I know nothing at all about it, except that I've seen some incredible photography of the Idaho mountains. We'll have a very capable 4 wheel drive and are planning to camp, hike and backpack while there.
I'm wide open to any recommendations y'all might have for hikes we can't miss, campsites to die for, 4WD roads we must drive, etc. Also, any local restaurants with killer food. Bear in mind that my six year old son will be with us. He's able to hike 6-9 miles in a day but not much more than 2,000' elevation gain.
Thanks in advance, everyone!
Bret, I have only been to Idaho a couple of time to boat Middle Fork, but an area I had seen interesting photos of was Merriam Lake and Pahsimeroi Valley.
In the south central area there is the Sawtooths which would be spectacular to shoot. I think these are the mountains you are thinking about. It would be good to camp on Stanley Lake so you could get good sunrise shots of the mountains. Also it would be a good base for other entries of the Sawtooths. A good dayhike would be Iron Creek to Sawtooth Lake. Check it out to see if is something your son could do. If you don't get a campsite reservation there are spots you can pull into and dry camp into the lake, but it would be best if you could get right on the lake. You could also shoot and play from Redfish and Little Redfish Lake. A great place for breakfast is the Stanley Baking Company and Cafe in Stanley.
The Boulder WHite Clouds are great but you would need a good hike in to get the best views. May have to wait until your son is ready for backpacking.
Going up and over the pass from Ketchum to Stanley is pretty and there are are dirt roads that go back into a few places towards the Sawtooths from 75. You can check out Shosone Falls on the Snake River in Twin Falls since you will be driving by it. The bridge there is a major base jumping location. The falls probably won't be very full that time of year but worth a quick peek if you go into Twin for lunch or dinner.
If you keep going east, you can drive up near Grand Targhee. I believe they have their lift open in the summer. You can take it up, take an easy hike around to the south and see the Tetons from the Idaho side.
Thanks, Doug and Kathryn!
Kathryn: We're actually planning to do a little backpacking with Jackson. We've done a handful of backpacking trips with him and every year he gets stronger. We're stoked to see some of Idaho's backcountry with him!
One of my favorite mountain ranges resides in Idaho, the Sawtooths. It has multiple trailheads but the most frequently used ones are just south of Stanley. Little Redfish Lake and Redfish Lake make great photo ops, sunrise. Stanley Lake is late aft or sunset. Take the forest service road about 10 miles west of Stanley that is signed for Boundary Creek (Dagger Falls on the Middle Fork of the Salmon is there, late aft or after sunset to avoid contrast issues. There's a free public hot springs east of Stanley on Idaho 75 near Sunbeam. There's also free hot springs west of Stanley (20-30 miles?) about 4 miles upstream of Big Falls on the South Fork of the Payette River. Near Bruneau, Idaho there's Bruneau Dunes Hot Springs State Park with free hot showers (at least they were free about 30 years ago when I was there last).
That's fantastic information, Don. Thank you! We love hot springs and it'll be fun to visit one of them after a good backpacking trip.