IDAHO visit (Sandpoint, Salmon, Challis: home, earthquake, camping)

[xPlorer48]

No, we are not looking to move to Idaho. We are confirmed Puget Sounders. But, we spent 3 weeks driving around your beautiful state exploring the small towns, ghost towns, Rockhounding, gold panning, photographing and camping. We came in from NE Washington, explored Priest Lake area, then over to Sandpoint, Bonner's Ferry, a bit of Montana, Salmon River area, Challis and Stanley then home across Oregon then north along the coast.

People were really friendly and helpful. We were Rockhounding south of Challis on BLM land when a rancher gal came up on her ORV and told us about some other areas nearby. We found some cool rocks and a neat little Canyon. We mostly encountered ranchers, loggers and hunters who told us some interesting places to explore.

Hopefully, we can return again to see what else IDAHO has to offer. Our favorite area was highway 28 south of Salmon, then the Big Lost River Valley and the area south of Challis.

[jadbad2004]

I came from the Salmon area before moving to NID and I love the drive around Rt 28 and 93 South to the Mackay Reservoir just past Mt Borah very cool geological area with the earthquake that happened there and actually elevated the mountains higher there is still physical evidence of that event, also take 28 further south past Gilmore and there are some old kilns near Birch Creek. Glad you enjoyed our state. https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.id0...tos?st=gallery

[GregW]

As part of our planning for our Solar Eclipse trip next year I am "flying" the State with Google Earth. One of the first things I explored was the Sumter Valley with its steam train and stranded mining dredge. Amazing example of long term environmental damage. Check it out. it is just SW of Baker City.


Sorry. Wrong place to post. Sumter Valley and Baker city are in Oregon.


I am also "flying" Idaho.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by jadbad2004

I came from the Salmon area before moving to NID and I love the drive around Rt 28 and 93 South to the Mackay Reservoir just past Mt Borah very cool geological area with the earthquake that happened there and actually elevated the mountains higher there is still physical evidence of that event, also take 28 further south past Gilmore and there are some old kilns near Birch Creek. Glad you enjoyed our state. https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.id0...tos?st=gallery

Yup. Another killer great drive!

That one is hard to stay on the main road without taking little side trips. There's so much cool stuff to see it's almost impossible to avoid them, even when a person is really pressed for time.

What is so great about drives like this is they never get old. I have driven some of them a hundred times or more, but the last one was just as good as the first or the 35th. Familiarity only makes me love them the more.

[jadbad2004]

Originally Posted by banjomike

Yup. Another killer great drive!

That one is hard to stay on the main road without taking little side trips. There's so much cool stuff to see it's almost impossible to avoid them, even when a person is really pressed for time.

What is so great about drives like this is they never get old. I have driven some of them a hundred times or more, but the last one was just as good as the first or the 35th. Familiarity only makes me love them the more.

I never get tired of it, there was still some places we didn't get to yet we plan on it if we could stop being side tracked by other sites.

[xPlorer48]

Yes, I believe we will revisit Idaho again, especially the Salmon-Challis area north and south, east and west 25 -50 mile radius. I would like to really explore the Parsimeroi area not only due to the scenery but of that cool name. We especially enjoyed the lack of traffic.

[jadbad2004]

Originally Posted by clikrf8

Yes, I believe we will revisit Idaho again, especially the Salmon-Challis area north and south, east and west 25 -50 mile radius. I would like to really explore the Parsimeroi area not only due to the scenery but of that cool name. We especially enjoyed the lack of traffic.

Pahsimeroi Valley is pretty awesome, you can drive for miles and not see much but Lost River mountains, if you drive past May, Idaho there is a warm natural hot springs with tropical fish in it, for real lol.