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Traverse 25 carefully crafted backpacking trips to some of the most magnificent landscapes in Idaho.
A virtually undiscovered backpacking paradise, Idaho has numerous wilderness areas of vast size. Backpackers can find complete solitude, glimpse wildlife, and explore some of North America’s most amazing scenery. The state’s mountains boast great weather: fewer thunderstorms than the central Rockies, less rain than Oregon and Washington, and cooler summer temperatures than California.
Backpacking Idaho guides you to what author Doug Lorain calls a “Shangri-la” for backpackers. In the craggy Selkirk Mountains you’ll find lush forests, small cirque lakes, and jagged granite peaks. Watch for ospreys, river otters, and belted kingfishers near the swift Selway River. Explore hundreds of miles of trails in the gently rolling, forested hills of north-central Idaho, and head to Hell’s Canyon—the deepest gorge in North America—to find both alpine tundra and cactus-studded desert.
Inside you’ll find:
- 25 top backpacking trips throughout the state
- Comparative ratings for scenery, solitude, and difficulty
- Trail mileage, elevation gain, days on the trail, and shuttle distances
- Highlights, trip itineraries, and more
- 12 additional recommendations for backpacking trips
“As an Idaho native I’ve hiked and camped here all my life, but I took away from this book some great hikes that I want to do.... This is a really fine book.”
—Craig Gehrke, Regional Director, Idaho Office of the Wilderness Society
Map Legend
Acknowledgments
Featured Trips Summary Chart
Introduction
Featured Trips Overview Map
- SELKIRK MOUNTAINS
- Long Canyon Loop
- UPPER ST. JOE AND CLEARWATER RIVERS
- Snow Peak: Mallard-Larkins Loop
- SELWAY-BITTERROOT WILDERNESS
- Selway River Trail
- Big Sand Lake: Hidden Creek Loop
- HELLS CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
- Snake River Trail
- Seven Devils Loop
- GOSPEL-HUMP WILDERNESS
- Gospel-Hump Loop
- FRANK CHURCH–RIVER OF NO RETURN WILDERNESS
- Chamberlain Basin Loop
- Bighorn Crags
- Soldier Lakes Loop 100
- Middle Fork Salmon River
- Loon Creek Loop
- SAWTOOTH NATIONAL RECREATION AREA AND VICINITY
- Grand Sawtooths Loop
- Queens River Loop
- Pettit Lake: Hell Roaring Loop
- White Cloud Peaks Loop
- Big Boulder Lakes
- Fall Creek Loop: Pioneer Mountains
- LOST RIVER, LEMHI, AND BEAVERHEAD RANGES
- Lost River Range Traverse
- Central Lemhi Range Loop
- Divide Creek and Webber Lakes
- YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK REGION
- Bechler River Trails
- SOUTHEAST IDAHO MOUNTAIN RANGES
- Snake River Range Traverse
- Bear River Range Highline Trail
- OWYHEE AND BRUNEAU CANYONLANDS
- Owyhee Meanders
- Coeur d’Alene River Trail
- St. Joe River: Bacon Peak Loop
- Selway Crags
- White Cap Creek
- Meadow Creek
- Southern Seven Devils Mountains
- Big Creek
- Sleeping Deer Mountain: Middle Fork Salmon Loop
- Leggit Lake: Mattingly Creek Loop
- Smoky Mountains Loop
- Continental Divide Trail
- Caribou Mountains