Exposed Trail

Update (5/18): Private Property Alert!

I received a note from Doug W7ZV letting me know that I had crossed private property on my hike to Wagner Mountain. In fact the SUMMIT of Wagner is apparently private property, owned by Young Life's Washington Family Ranch. The river map I was using did not indicate this, and there are no private property signs in this remote area. In short, I had no way of knowing that I would be entering private property on this hike.

Good parking along the road in a pullout (during winter).  Note for winter ascents, stay left of the track at the bottom so you keep high.  Do not go right into the quarry as you will need to climb out.  We had to snowshoe up mud!  We stayed high on the descent.  On your climb up, work your way to the left hand summit ridge.  No trail and steep, but doable.  Metal posts at the top to strap antenna to.  Great views

In the summer you may be able to drive into the gravel quarry and take other ridgelines.

This is becoming a popular summit and may be one of the most accessable summits in the Boise area.  This is about an hour drive from Boise however.  The parking is always good as they plow the side road next to Little Camas Reservoir.  Snowmobile activity is present in the winter and also park along the road.  The snowmobile tracks can help with a winter track up the lower slopes.

In the summer, this track (below) can be used, but a shorter/direct route can be found if you park in a pull-out SW of the summit on Hwy20.

A bit over 11 miles from Tillamook on Highway 6 you will find this easy drive-up summit – Peak 2300. The road was graveled smooth in early 2018 and would be drivable in a passenger vehicle, even if a little steep in a few places.

Scrambling much of the Rocky Mountain Front’s limestone summits keeps you looking for good footing as well as viewing the many ancient fossils of life when these high mountains were an ocean floor some 300 million years ago.   The fossils are common and so are trails of big horn sheep and mountain goats.  The views are outstanding of surrounding rugged SOTA summits and to the east, the vast plains of Montana. 

Homer Youngs Peak is a great hike/scramble over mostly good trail.  The final ascent is in open terrain and somewhat arduous bouldering.  It is typical of high alpine in the area and the views, barring summer wildfire smoke can be tremendous.  Several alpine lakes are visible and other high summits that you’ll deem ‘gota get’.  A good base camp is at Miner Lake, a popular, but underutilized US Forest Service Campground with good facilities and a fine grayling lake fishery.

This is a delightful mile scenic hike to an active US Forest Service Lookout. The staff was very friendly and knew about ham radio. Views are spectacular unless you are there in the middle of an active fire season when smoke obscures the mountains. Getting there is over the better-maintained portion of the Magruder Corridor Road approximately 14 miles west of the Magruder Crossing. The lookout trail begins as an old road, but then transitions to a single-track trail through a very open grass/forb corridor, a snow glade, where deep winter snow drifts persist into the late spring growing season and prevent trees from growing. Steep mountain cliffs, cirques and mountain lakes are adjacent to the trail to the east.

It’s an experience traveling the Magruder Corridor road, part of a 100-mile narrow road. According to the US Forest Service brochure, the road constructed by the CCCs in 1930s has changed little over the decades. It shows, and the narrow rocky in places road is used heavily by snowmobiles in winter and 4-wheelers in summer. There are no services available along this route or the adjoining roads for 130 miles. The portion of the Magruder Corridor road approaching Burnt Knob from the east is narrow, but it is very scenic and at high elevation. Much of it is over 7500’ high for northcentral Idaho roads.

Getting to Sabe Mountain is an experience traveling the Magruder Corridor road, a 100-mile narrow road much of which is over 7500’, high for Northcentral Idaho roads.  The are no services (gas or other) available along this route and the adjoining roads for 130 miles.   According to the US Forest Service brochure, the road, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1930s has changed little over the decades.  It shows.

Mineral Peak is an inactive US Forest Service Lookout and active Communication site.  It sits near the boundary of the Rattlesnake Wilderness and Rattlesnake National Recreation areas.  Summits views are good of the Rattlesnake mountains and a couple of distant cirque lakes.  Access is via trail up the Rattlesnake Corridor, approximately 16.5 miles or via a poorly maintained high clearance rough road approximately 5 miles off the East Fork Rattlesnake and Gold Creek Roads.