Idaho Lost.......River Range

Bob

Trailmaster
Joined
Mar 3, 2013
Messages
4,202
Along with @langutah we head out to check out some new country, the Lost River Range in Idaho. I worked in Challis many years ago so knew of it. Was looking for new places on GE and started checking it out. Looked promising. We got rained out of a Uinta trip and Art got interested in a link I sent him.
P1040210.JPG

Day 1 – After a 4 hour drive arrived at a camp spot in Bear Creek. After the monotony of getting to about Arco the mountain range gets interesting (Art had never been in the area). The aspen were just past peak but still great. Car camped that night by a running stream. Woke to bright sun and after a lazy morning got started. After all we were just ‘looking’. About 4 miles of really nice trail we made it to Bear Creek Lake. The rock formations are great, the most twisted and folded layers we both have ever seen. After a relaxing lunch we decided to head up to Bear Creek Pass…… all talus, looked to be a rough slog. Turned out way better, rocks were pretty stable and made it to the 10K pass in no time. Low elevation sure makes a difference (think Wind Rivers). Spectacular tundra type terrain. Down the other side, into the Wet Creek drainage we encountered some rougher talus and then shelf after shelf of limestone to negotiate. All the small tarns and any water source were absent. Lots of elk and goat sign around but only saw one elk during the trip. We headed down Wet Creek to complete a loop. Timber walking, talus walking meadow walking all mixed up. We went though some really nice old growth Douglas fir and Spruce stands. Finally, a nice spring started in the canyon, much needed. Headed down to the first flat meadow and ended up about ¼ mile from a road for the 2nd night camp. Really nice, stream, willows, spruce but could be cowed up earlier in the year. Mileage was 11 today.
P1040216.JPG

P1040222.JPG

P1040223.JPG

P1040230.JPG

P1040236.JPG

P1040239.JPG

P1040241.JPG

Day 2 – Woke up to high clouds but we only had 7miles to go, mostly on road. Quiet hike along the road, only two trucks (hunters) went by us. Got out to the main road (Pass Creek), the aspen and view was really nice. Headed out road hikingand back to our truck. Checked out the Little Lost River Valley and we returned over Doublesprings Pass road around the north side of Mt Borah (highest in Idaho) and home. Only rain we saw was driving back by Pocatello.
All in all a great two night loop hike. Great scenery and great hiking partner. We were successful in gathering some beta for a longer hike from one end to the other of the Range. Really an interesting mountain range, rugged and steep, a lot of timber, talus and little water at the higher elevation. Went 7 miles for the day. Maybe Art will post stuff as well……..

P1040249.JPG

P1040252.JPG

Featured image for home page:
slide.jpg
 
Last edited:
Great trip and great TR, @Bob! It was sure fun to walk some trail-less with an aficionado and especially fun to be scouting another new, long route. Our 17 mile trip is only a piece of a possible 45 ? mile through hike that Bob, and now I, am working on. Thanks for the vision and thanks for the invite pal.

Some interesting facts about the Lost Rivers. From Summitpost:
- highest range in Idaho
- 7 of the 9 coveted Idaho twelvers (12K')
- home of Borah peak, Idaho's highest at 12,662
- mucho alpine tundra and mucho talus
- http://www.summitpost.org/lost-river-range/171539

A few pics to supplant Bob's TR.

Bear Creek Lake and the Methodist Gulch Crags in the background
lostRivers.jpg

Bob pulling above treeline
bobLost (1).jpg

Checking out the situation from Bear Creek Lake pass looking at the folded rocks. "This doesn't look like the view from Google Earth!"
bobLost.jpg

Fossils in the rock which is Dolomite Limestone
fossils.jpg

Night one camp, our first and last night. Bob's shortest backpack :facepalm:
bob2.jpg
 
Last edited:
Nice scenery! There are some really dramatic lakes in those Idaho Mountains. I've been through Challis a few times, read an article years ago in backpacker magazine about the Lost River Range. Plan to check them out some time.
 
Art, gotta get you a couple more days off to finish that trip out there.... :)
 
Desolate. That's what the description from SP sounds like. Pics are awesome.
 
Nice trip @Bob and @langutah and kudos to the report and pics. You know, I was in Challis many moons ago and was denied lodging for my support of grizzly bear reintroduction into the Bitterroots and Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness. A very polarizing issue at the time up in that neck of the woods. Anyway, thanks for sharing.
 
ha ..... still is. No grizzlies in either as far as I'm aware. Now wolves, that's another story......
 
Nice trip @Bob and @langutah and kudos to the report and pics. You know, I was in Challis many moons ago and was denied lodging for my support of grizzly bear reintroduction into the Bitterroots and Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness. A very polarizing issue at the time up in that neck of the woods. Anyway, thanks for sharing.
Interesting. How did the hotel or whatever know about your reintroduction leanings?
 
@langutah - I drove up to Challis to attend a public hearing on reintroducing the grizzly to the Bitterroots and Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness put on by the Fish and Wildlife Service. I had made a reservation at a motel and when I arrived the owner asked if I was in Challis to go to the meeting. I told him that I was and then he wanted to know if I was for reintroduction. When I told him that I wouldn't mind seeing grizzlies back in Central Idaho, he refused to let me stay. :(
 
@langutah - I drove up to Challis to attend a public hearing on reintroducing the grizzly to the Bitterroots and Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness put on by the Fish and Wildlife Service. I had made a reservation at a motel and when I arrived the owner asked if I was in Challis to go to the meeting. I told him that I was and then he wanted to know if I was for reintroduction. When I told him that I wouldn't mind seeing grizzlies back in Central Idaho, he refused to let me stay. :(

How long ago was this?
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
NorthwestWanderer Backpacking the Lost River Range in Idaho : Bear Creek Lake & Upper Basin Backpacking 7
Bob Idaho Lost........ Backpacking 11
Bob Dog Derby ...... Idaho General Discussion 0
M Hello from Idaho! Noobs: Introduce yourself! 3
NorthwestWanderer Backpacking Idaho's Cecil D. Andrus-White Clouds Wilderness : O'Calkens Lake & Bighorn Basin Backpacking 2
Mountain Wanderer Hiking the Idaho Centennial Trail in the Great Burn Backpacking 0
swmalone Fly Fishing in SE Idaho General Discussion 4
Tim Valentine Market Lake Idaho: Birds Photography 3
Jackson Bill to kill up to 90% of Idaho wolves signed by governor General Discussion 17
stretch Idaho Centennial Trail to Oregon Desert Trail Backpacking 23
NorthwestWanderer NORTHWEST | 4K Timelapse Film : Featuring Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming & Montana General Discussion 4
Outdoors24 MTB Idaho/Wyoming Everything Else 1
NorthwestWanderer 3 days in Idaho/Oregon's Hells Canyon: Pittsburgh Landing to Willow Creek Backpacking 2
pstm13 HELP NEEDED- Idaho in Early June for 2-3 Days Trip Planning 6
U Any recommendations for 5 days hiking in Wyoming, Idaho or MT? This is around July 15-20. Not counting on Glacier being open Trip Planning 9
Eugene Stanley Idaho area hikes Trip Planning 2
Bob Idaho Centennial Trail Backpacking 7
Parma Idaho's White Cloud Mountains - Boulder Chain Lakes - Chamberlain Basin Backpacking 8
B Infinity Lake in the Sawtooths Idaho? Trip Planning 1
Bob Snowpack Idaho General Discussion 0
S Two weeks in the White Clouds, Idaho, July 2018 Backpacking 6
TaraGodfrey Hello from Idaho Noobs: Introduce yourself! 3
Jonnyapple Hi from SE Idaho Noobs: Introduce yourself! 1
Ugly A few days Running Oneida Narrows, Idaho On The Water 5
MTNgoat Visiting Shoshone Falls, Idaho and Cauldron Linn Everything Else 8
Mountain Wanderer Hello from North Idaho! Noobs: Introduce yourself! 4
Coomba Hello everyone, noob from Idaho here Noobs: Introduce yourself! 8
blueeyes Lava Trail on Hell's Half Acre, Idaho Hiking & Camping 6
Eugene Idaho Sawtooths - Hell Roaring to Imogene Jul 18-21 2017 Backpacking 5
Tater Head Alice/Toxaway loop, Idaho Trip Planning 1
tomcat32 Sawtooth Wilderness Idaho Parking Passes Trip Planning 2
Parma Salmon River in Idaho is running very fast now General Discussion 0
RangerBear Hello from Idaho Noobs: Introduce yourself! 11
leatherman Langer Lake, Idaho Hiking & Camping 8
kimbur96 First Solo overnight, Navigation Trail, Upper Priest River, Northern Idaho Backpacking 10
blueeyes Black Magic Canyon, Idaho April 2016 Canyoneering 8
kimbur96 North Idaho Trail suggestions Trip Planning 0
BZ Adventures North Idaho Backpacker and new bride signing in here Noobs: Introduce yourself! 4
kansas new Idaho WIlderness General Discussion 0
Rob Grandjean TH Sawtooths Idaho Trip Planning 0
blueeyes East Idaho backpacking suggestions Trip Planning 11
Bob Proposed Caldera National Monument ...... Idaho General Discussion 3
Bob Idaho Mapping GIS - Online Topos and more Resource Discussions 1
Bob Idaho Fires Trip Planning 8
slc_dan Idaho/Oregon/Norcal Camp reccomendations Trip Planning 4
Bob Palin Northern Idaho day hikes and camping spots? Trip Planning 0
Tater Head Outdoor Idaho... General Discussion 4
Kraken Bass Swan Falls Idaho Fishing Report On The Water 0
Bob Beavercreek Fire, SunValley, Idaho Photography 0
Deadeye008 Idaho Steelhead 3/7/13-3/10/13 On The Water 9

Similar threads

Back
Top