Sawtooth Wilderness Backpack

This is our first-ever backpack trip.  Backpacking is something Mike has wanted to do his whole life, and we were not disappointed with the activity.  Yes, we overdid it, hiking over 24 miles in three days while covering nearly 5000 feet of climb distance.  We got blisters, and plenty of mosquito bites.  However, it was all worth it in the end.  Nestled in the heart of Idaho, the Sawtooth National Wilderness Area has some of the most spectacular scenary we've ever enjoyed!  Rushing creeks, crystal clear lakes, towering mountain peaks, and lush meadows left us in awe after for the last half of the hike.  We saw nearly a dozen lakes and several creeks and cascades.  Take a look at our online photo album for some of the views that we enjoyed.

Cove on Edna Lake, Sawtooth Wilderness Area

---

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:  Trailhead Coordinates Toxaway Lake Campsite Coordinates:   Rendevouz Lake Campsite Coordinates

24.2 Miles 04:19:22 1.5 Miles/Hr. N 43° 59.776, W114° 52.796 N 43° 57.817, W 114° 58.262 N 43° 58.604, W 114° 58.469

 
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.

Yankee Fork Drive

Typically, when we plan our vacations, we have a set of things that we'd like to do and see.  The Yankee Fork Drive (a.k.a. Custer Motorway) was not on that list when we left for our Sawtooth vacation.  In fact, we hadn't ever heard of the Yankee Fork before we left.  Instead, it was a very spontaneous trip that we made after finding some signage along the Salmon River Scenic Byway.  It turned out to be one of the most pleasant and enjoyable aspects of our trip.

Ghost towns, old cemetaries, historic stories, mining equipment, and a museum in an old school house were delightful components of the drive.  Gold mining scars from old-time dredging are notably obvious all along the Yankee Fork of the Salmon River.

Wooden grave markers are scattered amongst some more modern tombstones
depict the harsh lifestyle of the gold mining town of Bonanza, Idaho.

---

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:  Starting Coordinates:   Ending Coordinates

8.0 Miles 18:03 27 Miles/Hr. N 44º 16.249, W 114º 44.082 N 44º 22.355, W 114º 43.633

 
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.

Salmon River Scenic Byway

Overall, we really didn't cover a whole lot of this byway.  There's still plenty to explore.  However, we really did enjoy the views along the Salmon River as well as some of the history of the area.  We would've explored this road more, except that we spent the rest of the day exploring the Yankee Fork of the Salmon River--an alternate connector between Sunbeam, ID and Challis, ID--which pleasantly distracted us from the attempt.

This historic dam along the Salmon River was briefly used for hydroelectric power generation for gold mining establishments along the Yankee Fork.  Once the gold ran out and the power was no longer needed, the dam was blown up in order to allow a more natural and ecological flow of the river.

---

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 elevation profile is provided by GPS Visualizer

Coordinates and other details

Mileage:  Time:  Average Speed:  Starting Coordinates:   Ending Coordinates:

13.0 Miles 19:37 40 Miles/Hr. N 44º 12.983, Wº 114 55.806 N 44º 16.263, Wº 114 44.226

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.

Dagger Falls Drive

By definition a wilderness area typically precludes vehicular activity of any sort.  One exception to that is a road that ventures into the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, the largest wilderness area in the contiguous 48 United States.  The road was allowed in order to provide white water enthusiasts with access to the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.  For us, the highlight of this trip was watching a kayaker put-in just above the falls during peak run-off of an exceptionally snowy year.  What a ride!

Dagger Falls on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.  We saw a kayaker completely disappear in the froth for a second or two shortly after putting in above the falls!

---

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

37.5 Miles 1:23:00 27.0 Miles/Hr. N 44º 15.513, W 114º 59.782 N 44º 31.719, W 115º 17.169

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.

Chocolate Gulch

Shortly after moving to Idaho, we wanted to experience some of the Fall color in our area.  Hearing about the Big Wood River area near Sun Valley Ski Resort, we opted to take a weekend drive and check it out.  While we went a little late in the season, we were still very impressed with the yellows, reds, and oranges mixed in with the evergreens of the elevation that still abounded in the area.

Chocolate Gulch Trail along the Big Wood River near Ketchum, Idaho

---

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:  Trailhead Coordinates:

5 Miles N 43 45.400 W 114 24.090

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.

Disneyland

 

After leaving Southern California for Idaho, we decided to go back so we could make our first family trip to Disneyland.  We wanted to wait until Raymond was "regulation" height for most of the rides, and naturally that happened after we moved over 1000 miles away from Anaheim. In order to get there, we opted to fly on Jet Blue out of Salt Lake City, since it was much cheaper than our other airline options.  However, this also gave us a chance to visit Temple Square in Salt Lake as well as the Malad Gorge in Idaho. Disneyland's Magic Kingdom Park © Eastman Kodak Company You can read a full weblog of our visit to Disneyland, or click on any of the links to our photo albums below: Disneyland Days 1 & 2 Disneyland Days 3 & 4 Disney California Adventure Temple Square in Salt Lake City Malad Gorge State Park in Idaho