Elk Mountain Drive

While it was a short drive that we did to wait out some stormy clouds, we were treated to some wonderful views of the Sawtooth Mountains, Stanley Lake, and Elk Meadow from this little drive.  

---

GPS Info

We collected all of the following data from our GPS unit during the adventure:

Maps

This Google Map is provided by GPS Visualizer

Elevation Profile

This profile is provided by GPS Visualizer

Coordinates and other details

Mileage:  Time:   Average:  Starting Coordinates:   Ending Coordinates

3.1 Miles 32:38 6 Miles/Hr. N 44º 14.752, W 115º 03.964 N 44º 15.297, W 115º 04.122

If you would like to use this info with your GPS unit, the full GPX file is here.
If you want to view this in Google Earth, you can download the KMZ files of the track and topographic overlay.

Eightmile Creek Drive

This is a drive we'd have never found had it not been for geocaching.  While exploring the history of the Yankee Fork area, we thought we'd try to find some geocaches.  While we never did find this geocache, it took us along a fascinating road, high up the windy Estes Mountain road, with sweeping views of the mountains and a huge open-pit mine.  We couldn't reach the 9600-foot top of the mountain, where the geocache was, because a large tree had not been cleared from the road during the previous winter.  We had to settle on 8400-foot views of the surrounding area instead.

Now defunct, this is a picture of the cyanide lake at the site of the disappointing and devastating Grouse Creek open-pit gold mine operated by the Hecla Mining Company.  (The interesting white-colored pattern on the lake is caused by sprinklers... we're guessing that these are used to help aeriate or dilute the toxic lake.)

---

GPS Info

We collected all of the following data from our GPS unit during the adventure:

Maps

This Google Map is provided by GPS Visualizer

Elevation Profile

This profile is provided by GPS Visualizer

Coordinates and other details

Mileage:  Time:  Average Speed:    Beginning Coordinates:   Ending Coordinates

11.7 Miles 01:01:04 11 Miles/Hr. N 44º 23.249, W 114º 41.799 N 44º 26.313, W 114º 42.590

 
If you would like to use this info with your GPS unit, the full GPX file is here.
If you want to view this in Google Earth, you can download the KMZ files of the track and topographic overlay.

Elk Meadow Hike

Elk Meadow was just pretty near to our campground on Stanley Lake, so it made for a nice hike one day.  Other than seeing a couple of motorcycles on the trailhead, we literally had the whole trail to ourselves and never saw any other hikers.

This three-frame panoramic picture of Elk Meadow demonstrates some of the many vast meadows

found scattered throughout the jagged Sawtooth Mountains.

---

GPS Info

We collected all of the following data from our GPS unit during the adventure:

Maps

This Google Map is provided by GPS Visualizer

Elevation Profile

This profile is provided by GPS Visualizer

Coordinates and other details

Mileage:  Time:  Average Speed:    Beginning Coordinates:   Ending Coordinates

4.1 Miles 02:55:04 1.4 Miles/Hr. N 44º 17.289, W 115º 04.278 N 44º 16.183, W 115º 05.579

Fishhook Creek Meadow Hike

After our vacation to the Sawtooths, Suzanne claimed this hike as her favorite activity of the trip.  It was a pleasant hike mostly along a creek that eventually opened up into a panoramic meadow with views of the Sawtooth Mountains from behind Redfish Lake.

Two-frame panorama of the Sawtooth Moutains from Fishhook Meadows.  An entrance to the
Sawtooth Wilderness Area begins here, and we hiked a little way into it.

---

GPS Info

We collected all of the following data from our GPS unit during the adventure:

Maps

This Google Map is provided by GPS Visualizer

Elevation Profile

This profile is provided by GPS Visualizer

Coordinates and other details

Mileage:  Time:   Average:  Starting Coordinates:   Ending Coordinates

6.6 Miles 4:33:37 1.5 Miles/Hr. N 44º 08.864, W 114º 55.181 N 44º 08.320, W 114º 58.220

If you would like to use this info with your GPS unit, the full GPX file is here.
If you want to view this in Google Earth, you can download the KMZ files of the track and topographic overlay.

Ponderosa Pines Scenic Byway

The Ponderosa Pines Byway follows Highway 21 from Boise, ID to Stanley, ID.  This page records the northern section from Lowman.  The last half of this drives provides some amazing vistas of sweeping alpine meadows and the aptly-named Sawtooth mountains.  

McGown Peak - One of the Northernmost Peaks in the Sawtooths visible from
the Ponderosa Pines Scenic Byway

---

GPS Info

We collected all of the following data from our GPS unit during the adventure:

Maps

This Google Map is provided by GPS Visualizer

Elevation Profile

We don't believe that this profile is correct at all, except for the starting and ending elevations.  It looks like our GPS just plain wasn't tracking elevation gain from about mile 10 to about mile 47.

This profile is provided by GPS Visualizer. 

Coordinates and other details

Mileage:  Time:   Average:  Starting Coordinates:   Ending Coordinates

60.5 Miles 04:38:30 13 Miles/Hr. (Slow going... too much to see and too many pictures to take!) N 44º 04.953, Wº 115 36.872 N 44º 14.837, Wº 115 03.962

If you would like to use this info with your GPS unit, the full GPX file is here.
If you want to view this in Google Earth, you can download the KMZ files of the track and topographic overlay.

Wildlife Canyon Scenic Byway

Also known as the Banks-Lowman highway (for the two towns that bookend this drive,) this byway follows a section of the South Fork of the Payette River which is extremely popular with kayak afficionados.  There are some really nasty rapids along this stretch, and it's pretty fun to watch the kayakers bob up and down through the cascades here.  

Vista from the Banks-Lowman Highway

---

GPS Info

We collected all of the following data from our GPS unit during the adventure:

Maps

This Google Map is provided by GPS Visualizer

Elevation Profile

This profile is provided by GPS Visualizer

Coordinates and other details

Mileage:  Time:   Average:  Starting Coordinates:   Ending Coordinates

33.7 Miles 59:33 34 Miles/Hr. N 44º 05.057, W 116º 06.870 N 44º 04.953, Wº 115 36.872

 
If you would like to use this info with your GPS unit, the full GPX file is here.
If you want to view this in Google Earth, you can download the KMZ files of the track and topographic overlay.

Payette River Scenic Byway

We've driven this section of the byway several times.  It has been the source of our first and most frequent bald eagle sightings.  The river along this stretch from Banks, ID to Horseshoe Bend, ID is a popular one for kayaks and white water raft tours.   Here are some pictures from our first drive along the byway.

South Fork Payette River during Huge Runoff Season

---

GPS Info

We collected all of the following data from our GPS unit during the adventure:

Maps

This Google Map is provided by GPS Visualizer

Elevation Profile

This profile is provided by GPS Visualizer

Coordinates and other details

Mileage:  Time:   Average:  Starting Coordinates:   Ending Coordinates

35.6 Miles 42:04 51 Miles/Hr. N 43º 55.047, W 116º 11.836 N 44º 05.052, W 116º 06.867

 
If you would like to use this info with your GPS unit, the full GPX file is here.
If you want to view this in Google Earth, you can download the KMZ files of the track and topographic overlay.