Idaho Trails

This is a wonderful little dirt trail that takes you off of Highway 21, bypasses the summer crowds in the town of Stanley, and offers amazing, expansive views of the Sawtooth Mountains. Nip and Tuck is part of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area that is managed as part of the Sawtooth National Forest and covers over 730,864 acres. This trail is a popular spot for dry-camping, hikers, and bikers. You feel you have just enough space to get away from the crowds and traffic of town and highway. On one side, you see rolling grassland hills with blooming wildflowers in the summer, and on the opposite side, you can see the Sawtooths peaking in and out of views. This trail is proof that your next adventure might just be one road away that is less traveled.

The Magruder Corridor Trail is a very accessible trail for most vehicles that takes you into the scenic and remote wilderness. It is on many people’s bucket list due to the fact that this is the only place in the lower 48 where you can be in the middle of 5 million acres of wilderness. There is history at every corner with plenty of information along the way and available from the ranger districts at each end. You can see first hand how a forest regrows after a burn, there have been many big forest fires over the past few decades that have swept through the area, and you get the chance to drive directly through that area. Most of the areas have a healthy regrowth already and the burnt trees offer a beautiful contrast to the greenery and wildflowers when they are blooming.

Anyone in the area, whether having been there for a lifetime or for the first time, should check out the views from Sawtelle Peak. The views from the top of this mountain are the closest you'll be to having a birds-eye view without being in a plane. On clear days, one can easily see the distinct features of the jagged Grand Tetons in Wyoming to the south 60 miles away. Folks are often amazed at how large Henry's Fork River and Island Park Reservoir are. You never get a feel for their size amongst all the trees! One can look down onto Henry's Lake with a glimpse of Hebgen Lake over the next ridge. The Red Rock Lakes are hidden behind Red Rock and Nemesis Mountains, but the Red Rock River can be seen snaking through the green grassy fields off in the distance. This trail is located in Island Park, Idaho, 30 minutes from West Yellowstone and the west entrance to Yellowstone National Park. If traveling through this area in the dry summer months, check out this trail. The views here may even rival your trip through Yellowstone and a whole lot less traffic.

This is a beautiful backcountry road that runs on in some spots and along the iconic Continental Divide Trail and bounces back and forth between Idaho and Montana. The incredible views along this dirt road will take you through fields of tall grass and wildflowers, up the mountains through Aspen Groves, and over the hill through stands of Pine and Spruce trees with breathtaking views of all the surrounding mountain ranges and lakes. This trail follows and crosses the borders of the Targhee National Forest in Idaho and the Beaverhead National Forest in Montana and is also the only way to access Henry's Lake Overlook which offers 360-degree stunning views as far south as the Teton Mountain Range 80 miles south. On a clear day, the Grand Tetons are very distinct on the horizon. This is a great trail for anyone that wants to explore some of the few sections of the Continental Divide Trail with vehicular access.

Squaw Butte is a prominent feature of the Emmett Valley landscape. You can watch for quail, pheasant, and the greater sage-grouse, also known as a sagehen, while you travel through the lower elevations of this beautiful mountain with seasonal streams from the winter snows at the peak. There is a beautiful, steep-walled canyon where you gain 1100 feet in only 1.5 miles, where you might see deer, elk, and even bighorn sheep. Near the summit, there are quaking alders on either side of the more shallow canyon you are now in where black bears have been spotted. The views of the valley below are amazing from the summit and even more so if you can drive to the Lookout Tower.

Formed by lava flows from the Yellowstone caldera thousands of years ago, the Fall River is appropriately named after its many waterfalls. What is unique about these falls is not their height, but rather their width. Cave Falls, located within Yellowstone National Park, spans 140 feet of the river and offers breathtaking views of the upper and lower falls. And, if two waterfalls aren't enough, there is a hiking trail to Bechler Falls upstream on Bechler River. This trail offers numerous campsites, fantastic views of the Grand Tetons, and access to an isolated and less-traveled section of Yellowstone National Park.

Horseshoe Lake is a popular off-road destination for camping and fishing on the outskirts of Yellowstone National Park. The lake is stocked with rainbow trout as soon as the snow melts. The lake bottom tapers off very slowly, making it a perfect spot to take the kids. The lake is deep enough for swimming and non-motorized boats. Dispersed camping is allowed right along the lakeshore, along with hiking trails into Yellowstone National Park from the camping area at the end of the trail. This area offers views of the Gand Tetons to the south and easy access to Cave Falls and the Fall River. As the name implies, this lake is in the shape of a horseshoe. It is located near Ashton, Idaho at the edge of the Targhee National Forest, just outside of Yellowstone National Park.

Bogus Basin Road ends a short way past the Boise Ridge Trailhead at the Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area, noted as a popular, local ski area. The trail itself is in the beautiful Boise National Forest just 30 minutes from Boise. The forest is over 2 million acres of spectacular beauty that you have to experience for yourself. The trail meanders southward along the main ridge east of Boise, providing panoramic 360-degree views. With the many spurs off of this trail, you can make your dispersed camping experience as remote as you like. The trail is open year-round, the only limitations would be you and your rigs ability in snow.

Middle Fork Road can be enjoyed year-round and is full of diverse scenery and natural hot springs. Plus, a gorgeous river, rushing waterfalls, beautiful rock formations, historic mining remnants, and an appealing lake make this a great trip. It ends at the historic mining town of Atlanta, which sits at the edge of the Sawtooth Wilderness and the base of the Sawtooth Mountains. The town of Atlanta is one of the most remote towns left in the Western US. You will be following water the entire time, starting with Arrowrock Reservoir and then the Middle Fork Boise River, which flows out of the Sawtooth Wilderness. It is said that there are over 80 natural hot springs along the Middle Fork River if you take the time to count them. For those who love hot springs, camping, bird watching, swimming, boating, fishing, horseback riding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and hiking, there are many places along this trail to do just that!