Idaho Backpacking

[Henry Homer]

Irrespective of hunting, are there any backpacking recommendations in Idaho (specific trails or areas)?

I'm thinking about making some trips to ID this summer and would love to see some cool country. Anything from 5-50 miles, and 1-3 days.

Any recommendations for where you've been or would like to go?

 

[Henry Homer]

I'll submit Stanley Hot Springs to the conversation. Snowshoed in and stayed the night. Froze my ass off but brought enough whiskey to help keep me warm!

 

[JackOfAllTrades]

Things are already crowded enough to be naming names. Find a high mountain lake on google maps and hike into it

 

[EdP]

The Sawtooths west of Stanley and the Whiteclouds east of Stanley have a bunch of great trails. I'm sure you can find a guidebook on Google. I hiked there in '84, 85, and '99 so it's been a while. The Guidebook I had was "Trails of the Sawtooth and White Cloud Mountains by Margaret Fuller, 3rd edition. I bought USPS survey maps but there are better options now. The whole area is spectacular.

 

[Henry Homer]

The Sawtooths west of Stanley and the Whiteclouds east of Stanley have a bunch of great trails. I'm sure you can find a guidebook on Google. I hiked there in '84, 85, and '99 so it's been a while. The Guidebook I had was "Trails of the Sawtooth and White Cloud Mountains by Margaret Fuller, 3rd edition. I bought USPS survey maps but there are better options now. The whole area is spectacular.

Drove through Stanley last summer and was hoping for a reason to go back. Incredible area! Thanks for the tip.

 

[Rams horns]

Backpacked the Sawtooths in mid-September 2017. Not too crowded at that time of the year, although there was plenty of evidence of heavy use. The weather ended the trip early.

 

[Idahobugler]

Anywhere in the sawtooths, tons of trails and high mountain lakes to get into.

 

[TaperPin]

Personally I’ve really enjoyed the areas that had major fires go through and removed a lot of timber - and some really large areas have been burned. Trailheads and campgrounds that used to be packed every weekend, are almost deserted. The areas definitely look different, but they are still interesting in their own way. Every year they come back a little more, so hiking old burns is also educational. The only thing to look out for are dead trees blowing over - I won’t set a tent within striking distance of a burnt tree.

 

[Randle]

Seven Devils has some great little lakes and cool country

 

[WeiserBucks]

Seven Devils has some great little lakes and cool country

This.

 

[dgfavor]

This.

Yah, ditto. Traveling thru couple weeks ago and just caught 'em peaking out as I was flying down WB Grade. It was a long poke with the 300mm but pulled over and took a stab at 'em with the camera - a bit outta range:


I did the whole loop in my teens with just my bird dog with me...woke up to a ruckus outside my tent one pitch black night with the dog growling, unzipped tent door and had handful of mtn goats ghosting around my camp scared bejeezuz out of me.

 

[WeiserBucks]

I did the whole loop in my teens with just my bird dog with me...woke up to a ruckus outside my tent one pitch black night with the dog growling, unzipped and had handful of mtn goats ghosting around my camp scared bejeezuz out of me.

Like this?

 

[dgfavor]

View attachment 801966
Like this?

Exactly...but more menacing... . Was easy to freak myself out at that age trying to sleep in shadows of He Devil, She Devil, the Ogres, the Goblins, etc.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Exactly...but more menacing...

That one was terrifying It hung around camp most of the day and didn't really care about us.

 

[Johnnybobcat]

Seven devils, Stanley/challis area, wind river bridge

 

[naneumranch]

Seven devils

Seven Devils Loop

The Seven Devils Mountains aren’t terribly extensive, but that is made up for by prominence, with He Devil, at 9,400 feet of elevation, the third-most-prominent peak in Idaho. Add to that a s…

www.naughtyhiker.com

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bene-201]

Seven devils

Seven Devils Loop

The Seven Devils Mountains aren’t terribly extensive, but that is made up for by prominence, with He Devil, at 9,400 feet of elevation, the third-most-prominent peak in Idaho. Add to that a s…

www.naughtyhiker.com

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great view!

 

[Rotnguns]

Sawtooths are like none other. Main trailhead near Redfish Lodge and just go from there. Make sure to use an app like OnX to plan out your trail and mark waypoints! Signage is sparse and somewhat random. Check AllTrails for some good beta on the various hikes. But I want to put a word in for the Lost River Range, particularly, Mt. Borah, if you're into ridge scrambling with some risk involved. It's quite a rigorous approach with a surprisingly steep gradient. Best climbed in late july / august / september when most of the snow is gone off of the higher parts. Highly advised to go with people who have summitted before. Bring trekking poles and mosquito repellant!

Idaho’s Borah Peak: A Beginner’s Guide to Climbing Mt Borah

Embark on an unforgettable adventure with this beginner's guide to climbing Mt Borah. Conquer Idaho's majestic peak and experience the thrill of a lifetime!

visitidaho.org

 

[fuzzymarindave]

Sawtooth Mountains Area is very nice. Imogene Lake was a great place to spend the total solar ecliplse in 2017.

 

[mtg]

Sawtooths get crowded, but are great. The Whiteclouds are my favorites. I never get tired of going in them. This picture is from last summer, and note there’s 2 lakes in the picture and others very close by.