Awesome Idaho Trails (Sandpoint, Clark Fork, Hope: rent, cabinets, legal)

[Clark Fork Fantast]

I thought it might be fun with a thread specifically about trails we love, travel often, have just discovered, or want to try out. Forest service roads, lakeside paths, ATV routes, hiking trails, all those wonderful off-road or good dirt-road opportunities out there. We've already got a good collection of trails in different threads, worth some browsing, but a dedicated thread might be fun.

I traveled on a spectacular trail this morning--sadly it was just on Google Earth , but better than no trail! I found out that one of my favorite dirt roads, Lightning Creek Road in Clark Fork, seems to hook up with Trestle Creek Road high up in the Cabinets. Wow! Has anybody tried that out? Can we do it in our AWD Forester, or does it take an ATV? Plotting out AWD day trips for next summer...

[Cnynrat]

I can give you a report on Trestle Creek Rd, since we were up there to hike to Lake Darling on our visit in June. Trestle Creek Rd does connect to Lightening Creek, but if I understood what the Ranger in Sandpoint told me correctly Lightening Creek doesn't go through all the way from Clark Fork to that intersection. I think he mentioned something about a washout. We didn't try Lightening Creek, so I can't confirm one way or the other.

Back to Trestle Creek, it's a well maintained dirt/gravel road that get's back there in the Cabinets. It's got some great views, and there are some interesting hikes that are accessed from the road. We did it in a rented Jeep Cherokee, but I think your Forester would have no problem getting up there so long as the road was relatively dry. Defintitely worth a drive.

I'm not sure you were asking about hiking trails, but since I mentioned it the hike to Lake Darling was very nice, and quite easy to go that far. In June the skeeters were out in force, and the trout were active in the lake. We wished we had brought our fishing gear. We decided to hike up to the ridge leading to Mt Pend Oreille, and then come down through Gordon Canyon. The views from the ridge where great - we could see big portions of LPO from there. The trail through Gordon Canyon appeared to be seldom used, and was quite rough, straight and steeply downhill for most of it, and not as enjoyable.

Dave

[hatin11r]

CFF.......now your talking right to my heart. Agreed about the dedicated thread about trails etc. Since our arrival in Sandpoint in June, we have explored over 1000 miles on ATV's. I got my hands on every map I could find and info.from numerous local folks who ATV.

Concerning TC/LC forest roads, there is a wealth of trails and sights to visit. Lightening Creek Rd does indeed intersect Trestle Creek Rd and it is in good condition. Washouts do occur but are usually repaired fairly quick.

A must see is Lunch Peak on trail 291 off TC rd. You can rent the old Fire lookout tower and stay the night. I have it for a night in Oct. (moonless nite so stars should be great if clear )

Another incredible trail is up to Porcupine Lake off LC rd. Have your ATV skills up to par as well as the machine.

I have so many places that are so adventurous and beautiful I could write pages. If folks are interested, just post here that you would like more ride reports. I just may get this thread going with a "weekly ride" report. Elousv could contribute too, he has posted bunches about his rides. (thanx E)

[eqttrdr]

Have to say for simply hiking purposes beautiful trails in Farragut State Park which we loved

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Thanks for the Trestle Creek/Lightning Creek info, guys! Didn't even think to add a hiking trip to Lake Darling to our plans, but as long as it is not a strenuous hike, we'll think about it. My limit is about 45 minutes out, take a rest, and 45 min back, with not much climbing. Got some issues with my back .

I remember reading about the fire lookout tower being available for overnight stays. That would be so cool! Keep us posted about your Oct. overnighter, Hatin. How do you reserve the tower? The FS website?

[Cnynrat]

Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast

Thanks for the Trestle Creek/Lightning Creek info, guys! Didn't even think to add a hiking trip to Lake Darling to our plans, but as long as it is not a strenuous hike, we'll think about it. My limit is about 45 minutes out, take a rest, and 45 min back, with not much climbing. Got some issues with my back .

The hike to Lake Darling is about 3 miles each way, and there is about 900' of elevation gain from the trailhead to the lake. We did this back in June, so I don't recall how long it took us to hike to the lake, but it was probably closer to an hour than 45 minutes.

Dave

[hatin11r]

fire lookout.org

recreation.gov

fs.usda.gov

All these have rental/general info.about the lookouts. Also, Lunch Peak Lookout is on FS road #1091 not 291. I will post a trip report on our stay.

[Toyman at Jewel Lake]

CFF, the loop from Lightning Creek to Trestle Creek is all good road, you can do it in any car. If you go from Clark Fork, there are several nice "off-shoots". The first is as Hatin said, the ATV trail to Porcupine Lake. It does take a quad (or decent bike rider), it crosses the creek right at the beginning so is only passable at low water levels. Other than that it's an easy trail (unless it's been washed out badly in the last year or so). Opens up to a beautiful alpine lake.

A few miles past that is Wellington Creek. It starts out as OK road, kinda rocky. You can get down into Hope from there, but the last few miles are ATV trail only, you can't take a car there. It's a great quad ride, but you need to backtrack, there is no where to (legally) do a loop, since you can't take an ATV on Hwy 200.

The next nice stop is at Char Falls. Really cool little spot, there are a string of waterfalls in a deep cleft in the rock. Worth a look, it's a very short hike, like 100 yards or so. Turnoff is right before the split to Moose Lake IIRC, which is the next neat spot. I've only been into Moose Lake on a snow machine, but don't recall it being far from the parking area. Finally as others have said is Lunch Peak. That is a beautiful area, with 360 degree views. IIRC the road is wide, but a bit rocky. Most cars would be OK, but a SUV/truck would be better.

[Toyman at Jewel Lake]

One thing I want to emphasize to anyone exploring the backcountry is that many (as in the vast majority) of the roads or trails are not signed in any way. Even worse, most maps are not accurate. Roads they show may not exist any more, or new ones have been cut. So if you think "I'll just go this way and take the 2nd right"...watch out. This is just as true (if not moreso) for GPS map database. Some are close, none are great. In addition, cell service is non-existent in most of the backcountry. So just because google Maps works great on your phone in town, don't expect it to do anything for you in the backcountry.

Before going out to explore, I recommend stopping at your local Forest Service office and picking up some maps. You will want two different ones-the first is the "visitors" map, which show all roads, trails property holdings and some geography. They are $10, but are on a nice, durable plastic backing. The problem is that they are not necessarily up to date and the scale is small. In addition, you want the "Motor Vehicle Use Maps". These are new every year, and show every road and trail legal for motorized use. The problem with them is that they only show public lands the FS manages. No private, state or BLM lands are shown, so they are useless alone. Between the 2 though, they give a pretty fair idea of what's going on.

I also strongly advise bringing a GPS or a GPS app that loads maps locally on your phone. I use OSMAND on my phone a lot, it's replaced my Garmin for backcountry travel. The nice thing about OSMAND is that the base "mapset" can be updated by any user. Meaning it can be more current and accurate than Garmin's or most others. I've put a fair amount of effort into updating the CDA section to reflect what is legal per the MVUM. Backcountry Navigator is also decent, but doesn't allow routing. Nothing wrong with having both OSMAND and Backcountry Nav loaded. Both do allow you to record your tracks.

With both maps and GPS you can do a pretty good job staying sorted in the backcountry. Be safe out there.

[LionFamily]

Great thread, CFF!

Now can everyone start adding snowmobile trails? Like, really easy, putt-putt trails? Daddy Lion is lobbying hard for snowmobiles, and Mama Lion is weakening...