The Long Valley Region of Idaho

Located in West Central Idaho, this area is named for the long valley along the North Fork of the Payette River. And, it is known for it’s beauty and extensive outdoor recreation opportunities.

Salmon River

The majority of our drive from our last stop in Lewiston, ID to this stop in New Meadows, ID follows along the valley carved by the Salmon River long ago… and it is beautiful.

Wye Campground & Trailhead

Located just southwest of New Meadows, ID at the northern end of the Weiser River Trail is the Wye Campground and Trailhead. This small campground containing 11 sites (9 RV & 3 tent) is a hidden gem that is sponsored and maintained by the Friends of the Weiser River Trail.

The only issue we had here was the wet firewood that smoked like crazy (as you can see above).

Weiser River Trail

This 84 mile long unpaved trail begins in Rubicon, Idaho and goes all the way south to Weiser, Idaho. It roughly follows the Weiser River along the old Pacific and Idaho Northern railroad grade, goes through several small towns, past farms & ranches, through 1,400 acres of wildlife habitat, and provides the only public access to ~16,000 acres of government lands. The upper portion of the trail travels through dense forest and the southern portion through rolling hills and black lava cliff canyons. Our travels will only take us along the upper portion of the trail.

Wye to West Pine Trailhead

Day 1, after a morning of rain, we head north along the trail toward New Meadows. It’s not a long ride; but it allows us to stretch our legs and gives us a really good idea of what the trail will be like for our planned day long ride tomorrow.

The trail follows along the main road through dense forest with the trail consistency alternating between dirt and gravel.

Wye To Council

Day 2 we head south along the trail to the town of Council where we have lunch and then turn around to head back north. In addition to the scenery already listed above, this ~50 mile trek also takes us across several trestle bridges. These trestles are no where near as tall or as long as the ones we crossed on the Trail of the Hiawatha a few weeks ago; but are still unique in their own right.

Farms & Meadow Views

Along the trail we stop to take in a few of the small farms and meadows stretching to the mountains.

Council, ID

Once arriving in the small town of Council we head into town for lunch at the Baker’s Pantry. It’s part grocery store and part lunch deli counter. The building isn’t much to look at; but the reviews are excellent, and accurate… the food is incredibly fresh and tasty.

Trail Views

After leaving Council, we stop several places along the trail to take in our surroundings as well as some pictures.

McCall, Idaho – Ponderosa State Park

This small mountain-lake resort town offers a lot of outdoor recreation throughout the year, with most of it being centered around Payette Lake and the surrounding mountains. Located on the shores of Payette Lake, Ponderosa State Park preserves and highlights this glacial lake and the surrounding landscape.

Overlooks

Upon entering the park we immediately head up to the overlooks to see this incredible glacier lake from above.

There are two overlooks accessible from a single very short trail. The Narrows Overlook looks toward the north and the narrow channels around Cougar Island.

The Osprey Overlook looks south toward McCall.

Hopping back in the truck we head down the hill into the heart of the park for a hike.

Lily Marsh & Peninsula Trail Loop

According to the information board at the trailhead, Lily Marsh was likely formed at the end of the last ice age (~14,000 years ago) when a stranded block of glacier ice melted here. Today the marsh is following natures plan and slowly filling in with decomposing plant materials. Sounds icky; but it sure makes for a beautiful area that attracts abundant wildlife.

Lily Marsh

Our first stop along the trail is the overlook at the northern end Lily Marsh. This small wooden platform provides an incredible view across the marsh.

After leaving the overlook we follow this beautiful trail through the woods and over old lava beds.

Peninsula Trail

After taking a connector trail from Lily Marsh and walking a short way down the park road, we pick up the Peninsula Trail; which runs along the shore of Payette Lake.

This trail is wide, well maintained, and offers incredible views of the lake. After following the shoreline north, it eventually runs into the Fox Run trail which takes us back where we started.

What a wonderful few days exploring the north part of Long Valley. Next, we head to the southern section near Cascade, Idaho.

Payette River Scenic Byway

Beginning in McCall this scenic byway extends south into Eagle, Idaho just NW of Boise. This route follows the Payette River through the Payette National Forest and eventually the Boise National Forest. It offers stunning views and plenty of places to pull over for a better view.

We will travel south along it to Banks, Idaho before turning east to our next destination. Along the way we’ll stop at a few locations, some for a few hours and some for a few days.

Donnelly, Idaho

Our first stop is in the small town of Donnelly. I neglected to take any pictures here; but the main street is clean, bright, and very inviting. It’s only about three blocks long; but it has an old fashioned general store, a couple of gas stations and several restaurants.

We pop into the general store for a few items, then head into the recommended restaurant across the street for lunch. All the people we encounter are happy, helpful, very friendly, and the food is fresh and incredibly tasty. This town may be small; but it definitely makes a lasting impression on us.

Cascade, Idaho – Lake Cascade State Park

Our next stop is Lake Cascade State Park, which consists of 500 acres surrounding Lake Cascade. This state park is split into several units scattered along the shoreline. They all offer water access; but they each have their own unique attributes as well.

Sugarloaf Unit

We opted to camp in the Sugarloaf Unit on the SE side of the lake due to it’s distance from the recent fire on the west side of the lake, as well as it’s proximity to the marshlands offering a more peaceful camping experience.

Our campsite has an incredible view overlooking these marshlands and the numerous birdhouses contained within it. So, we spend a day at camp just soaking up the quiet beauty around us. And I do mean quiet, as we were the only ones here.

Views across the marshlands from our campsite (#41) in different lighting:

As we walk around the campground we stop to take in the view NW toward the northern portion of Lake Cascade.

Cascade Reservoir

We also head to the southern portion of the campground and walk out onto the boat dock for a view of Cascade Reservoir at sunset.

Lake Cascade Dam

The following day we head down to the town of Cascade and stop at Cascade Dam along the way.

There are three state park units in very close proximity to the dam and the town, making this area very busy.

After spending the morning walking through these units, we head into the town of Cascade to do some shopping before heading to our next location.

Banks, Idaho

The following morning we continue on our way south down the Payette River Scenic Byway. Just north of Banks, Idaho prior to turning east, we stop for one last look at the amazing scenery the North Fork Payette River has been providing us all along the drive.

Next stop… Exploring Around Stanley, Idaho