ID · Mountain West
8 forest guides within driving distance
Boise National Forest spans 2.6 million acres of central Idaho's rugged mountains, river canyons, and high desert terrain, serving as the primary backcountry playground for the Boise metropolitan area.
6 min read
Sawtooth National Forest in central Idaho protects 2.1 million acres of jagged granite peaks, alpine lakes, and deep river valleys in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.
8 min read
The Salmon-Challis National Forest encompasses 4.3 million acres of Idaho's most remote wilderness, including the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness and the headwaters of the Salmon River.
7 min read
The Payette National Forest covers 2.3 million acres of central Idaho wilderness, anchored by the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness and the Seven Devils Mountains with views into Hell's Canyon.
6 min read
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest covers 2.3 million acres of northeastern Oregon, encompassing the Eagle Cap Wilderness, Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, and the rugged Wallowa Mountains known as the Oregon Alps.
6 min read
Challis National Forest spans the upper Salmon River basin and White Cloud Peaks of central Idaho, offering remote wilderness, world-class whitewater, and high alpine solitude.
5 min read
Whitman National Forest spans the Blue Mountains and Elkhorn Range of northeast Oregon, offering the North Fork John Day Wilderness, Anthony Lakes hiking, and remote gold rush country backcountry.
5 min read
Malheur National Forest covers 1.7 million acres of high desert plateaus, glacially carved mountains, and ponderosa pine forest in eastern Oregon, anchored by the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness.
6 min read
Eight Mile Mountain is a strenuous 8-mile round-trip in Boise National Forest that gains 2,400 feet to a high summit above the South Fork Boise River corridor with panoramic views of the surrounding terrain.
4 min read
Anderson Ranch Reservoir Trail is a 4-mile round-trip lakeside walk in Boise National Forest along the shores of Anderson Ranch Reservoir, offering easy access to mountain lake scenery with minimal elevation change.
3 min read
Big Smoky Creek Trail is a 7-mile round-trip through a forested canyon in Boise National Forest, following the creek upstream with 600 feet of gentle gain through ponderosa pine and Douglas fir country.
3 min read
Trinity Mountain Trail is a 5.5-mile round-trip in Boise National Forest that climbs 1,200 feet to a summit with views of the Trinity Lakes basin and the surrounding central Idaho mountains.
3 min read
Queens River Loop is a 10-mile circuit through the Queens River drainage in Boise National Forest, offering a moderate backcountry loop through mixed forest and open terrain with 1,500 feet of elevation gain.
4 min read
Bald Mountain via Crooked River is a 6-mile round-trip hike in Boise National Forest that climbs 1,800 feet along a remote creek drainage to a summit with panoramic views of central Idaho's mountains.
4 min read
Grandjean to Goat Lake is an 8-mile round-trip that climbs from the Grandjean trailhead hub into the Sawtooth Wilderness, gaining 2,200 feet to a high alpine lake at the base of the Sawtooth peaks.
3 min read
Goat Lake Trail climbs 10 miles round-trip with 2,300 feet of elevation gain into a remote Sawtooth basin, reaching a high alpine lake with views of the surrounding granite peaks.
4 min read
Thompson Peak is the highest point in the Sawtooth Range at 10,751 feet, reached by a 14-mile round-trip route that gains 4,200 feet through granite basins and talus fields.
5 min read
Baron Lake Trail is a 9-mile round-trip into the Sawtooth Wilderness, climbing 2,200 feet to a remote alpine lake in the Baron Creek drainage with access to upper Baron Lakes and the Sawtooth Divide.
4 min read
Alice Lake Trail is a 13-mile round-trip from Pettit Lake into the Sawtooth Wilderness, climbing 2,600 feet to a high alpine lake ringed by jagged granite spires.
5 min read
Grand Mogul is an 8-mile round-trip summit hike in the Sawtooth Range that gains 2,800 feet to a rocky peak with panoramic views of the Stanley Basin, Redfish Lake, and surrounding mountains.
4 min read
Stanley Lake Inlet Trail is a 3-mile round-trip along the north shore of Stanley Lake to the creek inlet, offering easy access to Sawtooth Mountain views with minimal elevation gain.
4 min read
The Redfish Lake Loop is a 9.5-mile circuit around the most iconic lake in Sawtooth National Forest, combining lakeshore walking, ridge views, and forest travel with 1,500 feet of elevation gain.
5 min read
The Sawtooth Lake Trail climbs 10 miles round-trip from Iron Creek Trailhead to the largest alpine lake in the Sawtooth Wilderness, with direct views of Mount Regan's sheer north face.
5 min read
Warm Lake Loop is a 3-mile circuit around Warm Lake in the Boise National Forest, offering easy lakeside walking through lodgepole pine forest with minimal elevation change.
3 min read
A 6-mile out-and-back to a high-elevation lake in the White Cloud area of the Salmon-Challis National Forest, offering remote alpine scenery and fishing without the extreme commitment of the Frank Church interior.
3 min read
Backpack to the Boulder Chain Lakes in Challis National Forest, Idaho. This strenuous 18-mile loop visits seven alpine lakes in the White Cloud Peaks with wildflowers and summit views.
3 min read
Backpack the White Cloud Peaks Loop in Challis National Forest, Idaho. This strenuous 22-mile multi-day route passes alpine lakes, dramatic summits, and wildflower meadows.
3 min read
Hike to Herd Lake in Challis National Forest, Idaho. This moderate-hard 8.8-mile out-and-back climbs into the White Cloud foothills to a scenic alpine lake with mountain views.
3 min read
Walk the Yankee Fork Historic Trail in Challis National Forest, Idaho. This easy-moderate 6.0-mile out-and-back explores 1870s gold mining history along a scenic river corridor.
3 min read
A 5-mile out-and-back to a scenic lake southwest of McCall, one of the most accessible lake hikes in the Payette National Forest and popular for swimming in summer.
3 min read
A 6.5-mile out-and-back from the McCall area through open mountain meadows to a scenic viewpoint above the Lake Fork drainage, popular with hikers and mountain bikers from the resort town.
3 min read
A 5.8-mile out-and-back to the summit of Brundage Mountain above McCall, sharing terrain with a winter ski area and delivering panoramic views of Payette Lake and the surrounding peaks.
3 min read