The hike to Eagle Cliff on Stateline National Recreation Trail #738 has many scenic views along the route including alpine cirque basins and alpine lakes, Cliff and Diamond, and some small unnamed lakes. Wildlife encountered along the trail were mule deer, several dusky grouse and a family of Clark’s nutcrackers.
A steep trail climb breaks onto an open grassland with scattered Rocky Mountain subalpine fir makes this summit a great operating position. Located on the Idaho/Montana border it has panoramic views of the regrown forest after the great burn of 1910. Early season wildflowers can be abundant including glacier lilies, buttercups and western pasqueflowers.
Blackrock Peak is named for the dark gray to black lichens growing on the summit boulder field. The rock itself is mostly light tan-colored and from a distance the dark lichen patterns appear like large stationary cloud shadows draped over the summit and adjoining ridges.
Bad Luck Mountain is an old US Forest Service Lookout site that had a structure from 1939 till about 1980. Only a few concrete blocks remain today. The summit is mostly forested now with 25-40 year-old Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine. Open grassland falls steeply from the summit to the south.
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.