MichelleJuly 5th I left my sister and got ‘On The Road Again’! I had been to the Sawtooth Mountains Recreation Area near Stanley, ID once before but had forgotten how beautiful the drive is getting there. The highway follows a fork of the Payette River and it feels like Wilderness all around. The town of Stanley has only 60+ full time residents. It also has the coldest winter temps in the lower 48 states. So many outdoor activities and resorts make Stanley feel much bigger with the influx of tourists in summer.
I found a free campsite very close to Stanley Lake which is gorgeous. My campsite was on a pond at the outlet of Stanley Lake. A trail passed along the edge of the pond, then the outlet river (Stanley creek), and finally to the Lake with a sandy beach area and the Sawtooth Mountains overlooking the lake. One day I continued further on the trail around the side of the lake passing by a formal campground. There is a boat launch on this lake and I took the kayak out one morning when it was calm. Some people launched kayaks off my campsite into the pond then paddled up the river to the lake, but I wasn’t sure if I could paddle against the current so just drove to the boat launch. It was even more beautiful being out on the water and getting closer to the mountain scene.
Evenings produced a lot of mosquitoes, but early morning was quiet and still without bugs so I made a ritual of having my coffee and breakfast by the pond. It was so serene and relaxing! Unfortunately in these free camping areas people believe there are no rules and you don’t have to be considerate and respectful of someone’s campsite. I had many interlopers on my campsite because they wanted to be at the pond’s edge. No one asks, they just bring the whole entire family over to enjoy the water. There are definitely pros and cons to having a really good campsite! But! It was a hot day, so I turned on the very loud generator and air conditioner, and they soon all went away! Passive Aggressive I know!
Years ago, I would join my sister’s family for a long weekend in Sun Valley. Even though it has always been a popular ski destination for the rich and famous, back then it still felt small townish. Not anymore! High end everything, not quaint! I did a day trip to Sun Valley going over Galena Summit. Although seeing Sun Valley (Ketchum, ID) was a disappointment (except the Ice Cream stand!), the drive was anything but. Beautiful vistas everywhere you look, and the view of the valley from Galena Summit was spectacular. Green and smooth grassy meadows with streams running through. Another day I took a drive the opposite direction along the Salmon River to an old mining ghost town, Bonanza City. There are a number of old log buildings half falling down but super neat looking against the mountainous terrain. The logs were weathered into a reddish gray patina that showed up well in the sunlight. After taking lots of pictures, I continued up the road to an old cemetery. There were quite a few folks buried there but many had no headstones, or there were wooden markers with their names if known. Some markers just said ‘Unknown’. There was quite a large Chinese population, as always with mining or railroad operations. Many of the Chinese buried there originally had been moved back to China. One thing was very clear… people in mining towns didn’t live very long. Many died in their 50’s or before. This area was up very high in elevation and the wildflowers were blooming all around which seemed fitting for an old cemetery. Many of the gravesites had wooden or metal fencing around them, most of which were falling down. *Note: I had some awesome pictures but they have gone missing, probably user error. I have some pics that were from the same trip but no idea what happened to the ghost town/cemetery photos.*
On the way back to camp, I stopped at one of many hot springs in the area. This one called Sunbeam Springs I believe. There are multiple soaking areas right next to the river. The original hot spring water is over 200 degrees, so the soaking areas are open to the river. The river water mixes with the spring water to make it bearable to sit in. I didn’t go in but did put my hand in one of them. Still too hot for me!
Before leaving the Stanley area I happened upon a great find (wish I’d known sooner). There is a city park and walk/bike path above town. The walk/bike path is hard packed gravel and crosses private lands (so stay on the path). The path sits above the valley with the entire Sawtooth Mountain Range on the other side, and no obstacles at all to the view. It was meadows with wildflowers for miles. I did take a good walk and wished I’d had more time to bike the length. Hopefully another time. I only saw one couple out there the whole time.
Although I left the Sawtooth area, I stayed in the mountains further East in a little town called North Fork, ID. It is very close to the Montana state line, and also close to Salmon, ID which I wanted to see. I stayed at the Wagonhammer RV Park and had a riverfront site on the Salmon River which is known for it’s good fishing. This RV Park was well maintained, clean, and quiet. Very nice! I stayed at an RV Park because it was the start of a heatwave and I knew air conditioning would be running a lot (need lots of electricity). Also, I needed a good long shower, and laundry needed doing!
Salmon, ID is a cute little town with restaurants and a couple of shops. They have a nice riverfront park with a whitewater section built in. I spent part of a day there browsing and eating.
Knowing that the heatwave was going to continue at lower elevations, I decided to make a hasty retreat toward Wyoming and Colorado for higher elevations. I made this a quick trip staying at a couple of reservoir campsites and fairgrounds. Finally I made it to northern CO where I stayed in the mountains at 8700 ft elevation. Whew! So much cooler – 70’s during the days. But COLD at night… I had to break out the winter jammies!
I plan to spend quite a few weeks in Colorado to avoid the heat hitting so many other places. That’s where my next post will begin. Enjoy the photos!
