Idaho Back Country Discovery Route – North to South

Day 1 (4^th Sept)

After finishing the Continental Divide at the Canadian Border, I rode towards the northern start of the Idaho Back Country Discovery Route along the Lake Koocanusa and camped in the town of Libby.

It rained a bit in the evening on and off. Despite that the campground was right in town, the spots where in between trees which made it nice and secluded. The supermarket next door was also convenient.

I had a good night sleep and was about 7:30 on the road.

There is a Idaho sign where the Hwy crosses the Stateline before I hit the cross road and made my way along the wide valley north on the ID1 towards the Canadian border.

Once I reached the border and got as close to it as I could, I took a picture of the sign and started on the Idaho Back Country Discovery Route.

In some areas of the valley was smoke visible from varies locations. I also came to firefighters with heavy equipment and made sure that the road is not closed. Unfortunately all the side tracks of the BDR where in the hazard area and out of question for that reason. Basically the BDR runs on the western side of the valley south.

Past Sandpoint the route climbs up the mountain on a very well maintained road and a short sidetrack leads further to the Lunch Peak Lookout Tower.

The place was quite busy and so I stopped only for a quick picture.

Just down the hill is another side trip on the map to the Char Falls. To see the falls you need to take a short hike from the end of the road. There are several locations on the rim from where you can see the Water fall. If you like you can also hike down to the bottom, which I passed on.

The theme for the rest of the day was riding through the woods. Very nice forest roads but nothing spectacular. The only small highlight is the Magee Historic Site.

The Magee Cabin was constructed in 1922 as living quarters for the Magee District Ranger. Now you can rent it for a stay.

More Forest travel past this and also another viewpoint named Grassy Mountain Summit. This is a very short but steep sideroad.

There was a guy with his dog at the summit when I arrived. We had friendly chat before I continued on my way towards Wallace.

I had planned to stay close to the marked Coeur D’Alene River Cliff Jumping place, but it was very busy. Because I made good progress so far, I moved on. The trail become more narrow and the side by sides became a problem with their reckless driving style. Sometimes a nice view was granted.

It took me much longer than expected to reach Wallace. The campground just outside the town was also very busy but I managed to score a spot. Not only that, after talking with the host and a team of other BDR rider I started the search for my spot. Initially I couldn’t find it but with the help of neighboring campers I had success. The number was hidden well.

Anyway before I was able to start setting up my tent the host showed up and asked if I would like to have a Cabin. As the camping spot was already expensive I honestly said I would love to but it will be too much for me. He was very generous and gave it to me for the same price. This was very welcomed as it got cold in the night.

The evening was very entertaining with several drinks with the BDR riders and other campers. The only downside of this place was the very slow service at the restaurant and that my credit card didn’t work there although I had just used it to pay for the camping. Sorry no pictures, I had too much fun!

Day 2 (5^th Sept)

After a small tour through the picturesque town and refueling I leave Wallace southbound.

The well graded road runs through the woods and sometimes along a river.

There are many dead trees along the track.

The track follows the valley of the Saint Joe river.

There is an old railway track on the other side which is now a popular bicycle trail.

It is still cold and when I come to a crossroad where I have to decide If I stay on the main route or follow the alternate I choose the later. The main route changes the valley side and would run mostly in the shade. The alternate is joining the railway track and is located a bit higher as well as on the more sunny side of the valley.

There are several old railway tunnels before reaching the town of Avery.

In Avery you can visit a museum and one of the Historic Milwaukee Train Cars if you’re into that.

The road is a very dry gravel road and there are many cars speeding.

No slowing down for others and so the dust is in the air for a long stretch.

Thankfully does the good road not lasting and is changed into a more rutted single lane road through the mountains.

Shortly before I come to the famous blue cabin I see a interesting sign which warns from wild animals.

There are some rougher sections but totally doable even on big bikes.

The cabin is open to the public any many riders stay here for the night.

Hope all are appreciating the generosity of the owner and show the respect by treating it nicely.

I met 2 other BDR riders at the cabin and we had a nice chat before I continue my ride.

From the Blue cabin an improving road runs further south across the Grandad Bridge.

Afterwards the route runs through forest harvesting area.

Fast flowing tracks and I make good progress which will come in handy in the following days.

Soon I reach Pierce which is a neat little town. I miss the gas station at the town entrance and have to backtrack.

I asked about the potential closures ahead while I waited for the other 2 riders to catch up.

The town would be a great stop for the night. After some time I decide to continue alone not to lose too much time.

The plan is to cross the Lolo Trail also named Lolo Motorway today.

First I follow the French Mountain Road which is a nice paved winding road. Than the track turns off onto a gravel road towards the Hemlock Butte Lookout Tower. This Firewatch tower grants phantastic views.

Leaving the tower I followed the Lolo Motorway which varied in quality a lot.

This is also part of what Lewis and Clark have traveled on.

There was a road closure sign which I had read in a forum about can be kind of ignored. They said that the maintenance crew will allow motorbikes through after some waiting time. So I continued until I met the road workers.

The landscape is interesting and it is even more when thinking how people have traveled through this in the early times.

The workers have been very kind and it was no problem for them to let me pass. But not without telling me that the Lolo Motorway is closed completely due to fire just before the Indian Post Office. So I had to use the NF-9505S to reach the Highway 12 down in the valley. In the search for a campground I followed the Highway not realizing that it constantly climbs.

I passed several campgrounds always in the hope that the valley will drop in altitude and with that the temperatures would go up. No luck with that and at the Lolo Hot Springs I gave up and pitched my tent as there was a restaurant next to the campground.

Day 3 (6^th Sept)

The night was a cold one and I had even some ice on the bike. I continued towards Lolo where the Highway 12 joins the 93 which runs south.

Shortly before Lolo I make a stop at the Travelers Rest to refuel the bike and have a small breakfast to warm up. There I met also another adventure rider on a Tuareg 660. I parked my bike next to it and had an interesting conversation about his travel and bike.

The sun was warming up the day nicely. Next stop planned was the last fuel station before the start of the Magruder Corridor.

According the BDR map is one in Connor. The gas pumps are still there but they do not sell fuel anymore since a while. So I had to backtrack to Darby to get some.

The beginning of the Magruder Corridor was an easy gravel road. The only concerning thing was that all signs along the road have been wrapped in Aluminum foil in expecting a forest fire.

This section is notorious for being closed due to fire and it got smoky. The other thing is that there is no way out for the next 192km (119 miles) between Connor and Elk City. This is a really remote area.

Along the route is a sign posted informing about the Magruder Massacre. The actual site is on the next ridgeline about 3 miles off the road but it reminds travelers again how hard life must have been in the old days and how remote this area is.

Magruder was murdered by the men whom he had hired to protect him as he traveled from Montana to Idaho with $25,000 that he had earned in Montana mining gold.

The killers were tracked to San Francisco, and returned to Idaho where 2 of the 3 men were hanged, and the other received jail time for his testimony.

As I came closer to Elk City the smoke of various fires was hanging in the sky. Especially around the side trip to Burnt Knob Fire Outlook was the smoke/clouds very thick. I got really worried if there is going to be a road closure blocking me from reaching Elk City. There would be no way of reaching Connor again due to my fuel range.

Thankfully I made it to Elk city where I met Jenn and Jack at the gas station who were on the BDR in the opposite direction. We teamed up in the search for a camping spot and ended up wild camping.

During our dinner we found out that the Magruder Corridor got closed. Sad for them, good for me that I had pushed the last two days. We spend a nice evening together and even found a alternate route for them to go the next day.

Day 4 (7^th Sept)

I followed the Highway 14 the next morning for several miles. This is a winding paved road and a lot fun to ride.

The upcoming gravel road section was promising as well.

After a nice long ride through the forest I approached the town of Florence and the cemetery marked on the map.

This town seems to have a typical Goldmining History with a short boom period followed by a rapid decline. A minor revival sometime later and not much to see today. In fact I didn’t see any houses which must have been hidden in the woods.

You can walk through the old cemetery.

This is in fairly good condition and interesting to see with all the names from different countries on the mostly wooden gravestones.

Following the trail I reached the Salmon River. It was getting hot and a lot of smoke was hanging in the air.

Bevor I continue on the route I wanted to ride to Riggings for fuel. I was told that the fuel situation was less than good on the upcoming stretch.

For a short time I thought about staying in town, but the fire danger and the heat was not appealing to me. Same was true for the many campgrounds along the river.

So I rode the valley across the Manning Bridge and up the switchbacks of French Creek Grade.

It got cooler as I climbed out of the valley and I had so much fun riding that I almost missed the famous Bus on the side of the road.

It was getting late and there were also a few drops of rain.

As I passed the now closed to public town of Burgdorf (the entrance is even blocked with a Truck), I met two other BDR riders going north. We stopped and exchanged what comes next and decided to stop together at the campground next to Burgdorf.

As we talked and slowly unpacked our stuff a Firetruck showed up. They told us about the fire risk during the night and that he would suggest to continue to another campground further south.

We followed the advice and ended up in a nice spot with water and pit toilets.

Day 5 (8^th Sept)

The morning was cold and we had only a small breakfast before we part ways.

The air was still hazy from the smoke as I approached the mining town of Warren.

Nobody was seen and the famous Baum Shelter Bar was still closed this early in the morning.

There are quite a lot of buildings here but I don’t think that I want to stay in this hotel.

Smoke was often present as I make my way further south. There are some more switchbacks going town to the South Fork Guard Station before crossing the South Fork Salmon River.

On the other side I followed the track and was looking for another cemetery marked on the map but never found it.

The views and the riding was still very nice, even with the occasional obstacle. Thankfully there was already a team clearing the road from several fallen trees.

Next stop was Yellow Pine. During summer time a very busy place despite the remote location but bow not too much was happening.

I bought some food and drinks and got also about 2 gallons of very expensive fuel (9$/Gallon). After looking at the map I figured that this would be enough to reach the next gas station.

Shortly after leaving Yellow Pine was a little bear on the road.

As I stopped he started running and left the road to the right side uphill. I waited a bit to see if the Mama bear is coming as well.

When I passed the area where he left the road, he was still just a couple of meters away.

The road further south along the Deadwood River is a fast very well maintained gravel road.

I see on the map that the route will go back into the mountain for a long time and it is already cold.

Around the Deadwood Reservoir in the valley are many campgrounds and so I decided to stop early and hope for a not so cold night.

There are many nice spots and I enjoy a relaxing evening.

While I sat there with my drink a Squirrel visited me.

Wildlife was a real concern as I did not only see a bear not too far away, there were also bear aware sign all over the place. The trees had no good branches for hanging my food and there have been no bear storages available.

So I packed my food in a waterproof bag and stored it in one of the toilet sheds of the campground. Worked out well.

Day 6 (9^th Sept)

The night was cold and I discovered a problem with my bike.

I forgot to turn of the fuel and in the morning I almost couldn’t start the bike due to a flooded carburetor.

I was glad that it started in the end as this place is quite remote.

The route climbs right away into the mountain on a very winding gravel road.

Much more winding than expected and it took me a very long time to reach the next marked point of interest.

So here I am at the marked water crossing.

It is early in the morning, it is very cold, the water crossing is quite deep and I’m low on fuel.

Consulting the map shows that the route is again winding a lot along the side of the Miller Mountain.

There is an alternate road next to the clear water creek ending up much faster at the same location.

(Pic Copy from BDR homepage)

Soon I reached Lowman and turn left onto highway 21 to go the few miles to the gas station. I’m really in need of fuel by now and when I pull into the unattended station I feel relieved.

Not for long as this was once again a pump which wants the post code for using the credit card!

I have no other choice than riding to the next place with fuel on the highway and hope that there is someone who can run my card.

The Sourdough Lodge had fuel and I was also able to grab a nice hot breakfast.

By now the sun had some time to warm up the air a bit and it was a nice ride over hills, valleys and ridgelines.

At the Barbers Flat I cross the river by a bridge which is marked on the map as 50 inch wide bridge.

I did the little side trip to the Trinity Lakes which are situated high up in the mountains.

The campground offers individual spots scattered around the lake.

This would have been a fantastic place to camp but it is very cold even in the bright sunlight.

My plan was to reach lower altitude for warmer temperature.

I find a place south of Featherville at the Elk Flats Campground. It is still a very busy place right next to the main road.

The noise doesn’t stop a skunk to pay me a visit during the night. I had nothing laying around so he was thankfully only passing through my spot.

Day 7 (10^th Sept)

First order of the day was stopping at the gas station in Pine. There is also a store attached to it and I got a good coffee and a muffin for breakfast. I had to take a picture of those candy sticks which I haven’t seen for a very long time. I my childhood those have been candy cigarettes.

The route runs on the west side of the Anderson Ranch Reservoir. The water level is fairly low and I pass also a road sign which states that the road is closed further down.

The road closure was at the very end of the reservoir just before the route crosses the dam. The actual road work was past the dam so I didn’t understand the closure. I passed the sign and after maybe 20 meters I was on the dam.

The pictures is looking back at the dam.

For a small stretch I roll on pavement before I’m back on dirt. The hills and trees disappear slowly and are replaced with wide open flat land.

In Glenns Ferry I refuel all my fuel storage and enjoy the charm of this small town.

Past the town the track is quickly only a flat and very fast gravel road running south. I understand why many BDR riders skip this section.

I still enjoy it.

Just before the state border the track goes down into a valley and turns into a side valley going south. From here it follows the creek across the border all the way to Jarbidge.

Jarbidge is an interesting little town. I meet 2 BDR riders which were on their starting point and had already their first breakdown due to a cut in a tire. We chat for a bit and pitch our tents just outside of town at a run down but free campground.

For dinner are the options limited. The Outdoor Inn offered Steak if you make a reservation in advance, which I did.

A couple of drinks and a lot of stories later we crawled into our tents.