Sawtooth Mountains

Idaho may be famous for potatoes but a loaded spud was about the furthest thing from our minds when visiting the Sawtooth Mountains in central Idaho. What an amazing and incredibly beautiful place, and to think, we almost bypassed Idaho altogether!

A drive down the Salmon River Scenic Byway will give you an appreciation for the majestic beauty of this part of the country. The rugged mountains are the backdrop to the canvas which are reminiscent of the Tetons to a certain degree. The Salmon River with its crystal clear water provides a constant motion to the landscape as it seems to wind along the road forever. Green plush valleys mixed in with yellow and red wildflowers connect the mountains and river together to complete natures masterpiece.

Other than the Sun Valley ski area, you don’t hear much about the Sawtooth Mountains, but those who are in the know come back year after year. Some of the best river rafting and fly fishing in the country is done right here on the Salmon River and there are plenty of guides available to take you out. Mountain biking and ATV trails are also very popular with an abundance of trails and a lack of restrictions that have become common in other parts of the country. There is also plenty of hiking trails but most of the hikes are long and strenuous, averaging 12-15 miles with 1,500 to 2,000 foot plus elevation gains.

There are tons of high elevation lakes all throughout the region, although many of them can only be accessed via hiking trails. Possibly the most popular lake in the area is Redfish Lake, and for good reason. Redfish Lake is beautiful with its clear water and mountain backdrop. Many people stay at the Redfish Lodge in their rustic cabins or just visit for the day as we did on a couple of occasions. We took an early morning boat shuttle to the far end of the lake for some hiking one day. A boat trip is such a bonus to a hiking day. On another day we hiked Fishhook Creek on the near side of the lake and then hung out at the lake and let the dogs go swimming for a while. There’s something special about mountains and lakes together that I can just never get enough of.

As I previously mentioned, simply driving through this part of the country is amazing. We drove the entire stretch of highway 93 from Arco Idaho to the Montana border. Shannon and I both agreed that this was the most beautiful end-to-end drives that we have taken yet. Then you add in Highway 75 into Stanley where we stayed and across the Galena Summit into Sun Valley and, wow!

Of course we visited the Sun Valley/Ketchum area which is a pretty busy little town(s). There are plenty of museums and shops to keep you busy for days. We checked out the Hemingway Memorial while we were there. Ernest Hemingway called Sun Valley home and was the inspiration for many of his books. We also enjoyed the Blaine County Historical Museum in the neighboring town of Hailey.

Back in Stanley things are much quieter and peaceful and more to our liking. There are plenty of trails and backroads to get different, or even better, vantage points of the beautiful mountains and valleys and endless opportunities to stick your toes in the Salmon River. We left knowing we will be back someday to enjoy the serenity and take further advantage of the multiple recreation activities available.

Be sure to check out the rest of our pictures of the Sawtooth Mountains.