Granite Mountain Lookout

We hadn't planned on hiking in the McCall area, but while searching online from our hotel room Sunday night, we came across Granite Mountain Lookout and decided to add it to our itinerary.  When we awoke Monday morning it was raining hard, but despite the weather, we headed for the lookout hoping the storm would break as predicted by 9:00 AM.  As we arrived at the trailhead the rain stopped and the clouds began to lift and we enjoyed one of our best hikes of the entire trip!

Granite Mountain (8,480 ft)
The sun is coming up . . . the clouds are clearing . . . it's going to be a good day!

We usually are disappointed by these trailhead signs . . . 
We often wonder if the person who wrote the description ever hiked the trail . . .
To our surprise this one was very accurate and quite informative!

Looking towards Slab Butte (8,225 ft)
Even though it appears to be a gently sloped butte, it's actually a knife edge ridge . . .
It looks like a fun hike for a future date and Slab Lake is on the other side with golden trout!

About a half-mile into the hike (which is an old road) we came to this intersection . . .
Once we headed for the lookout we left the road and ascended on a very good trail

Looking down on Goose Lake and some beautiful Fall colors

Always good to see wildlife
(We understand there are mountain goats that frequent this peak, but we didn't see any)

After switchbacking through the forest, the trail broke out below a large granite boulder field

As we began to climb through the boulder field the views really became impressive

Working through these boulders was probably Kent's favorite part of the trail

Once through the boulder field, the lookout tower quickly came into view on the ridgeline

Granite Mountain Lookout
Originally built in 1916, it was torn down in 1955 and was replaced by this tower,
which looks quite a bit like the original

We made it!
We milled around a bit hoping the Fire Lookout would invite us up the tower

Remember those rain clouds we were so worried about?
As the storm began to break up, it left us with some incredible cloud draped ridgelines!

It was so much fun to be above the clouds . . . 
We'll go so far as to say that we preferred this cloudy day over a clear bright sunny one!

Everything looked better after the storm . . . even the outhouse!

The clouds continued to move up the mountain and engulf us in fog . . .
But moments later would sail on by and keep the magical feeling alive!

After a bit, the Fire Lookout came out and offered us the opportunity to climb the tower

When we reached the catwalk we were greeted by Selway

Then we met Selway's owner, Grace, who was from Missoula, MT

Grace (and Selway) were kind enough to let Allison slip inside and get a picture of where they live and work

One last look at the tower before we leave . . .
Grace had arrived in June and was scheduled to leave in a couple more weeks

Walking the ridgeline and heading back towards the boulder field

A nice view that gave us a deeper look in the Salmon Mountain Range

Making our way through Kent's favorite section of the trail

Almost back to the trailhead . . .
Kent was checking out the nice brook trout that were hiding under this log

As we passed through the town of New Meadow, Idaho, we were able to get one last look at Granite Mountain . . .
We were surprised to see the clouds had surrounded the top, blocking our view of the tower . . .
Give it a few minutes . . . they'll pass!

We can't say enough good about this hike!  From meeting Grace & Selway, to the incredible views that were created by the inclement weather, to an amazing boulder field.  Every aspect of this hike was more than we were expecting!  If you'd like more information on Granite Mountain Trail you can click here for a Forest Service link.  Altogether, we hiked close to 6-miles (r/t) and gained about 1,750 ft in total elevation on a well maintained trail.  Put this one on your list if you happen to be in the McCall area! 

Goat Lake

When we were planning our hikes for the Stanley area, we kept coming across posts that said if we only had time to hike to one alpine lake, make it Goat Lake.  It certainly appeared to be a magnificent looking lake, but the distance, elevation gain and off trail navigation made us a bit neervous.  After tossing it around, we finally decided to "go for it!"  As our friend, Tom, often says, "Sometimes the best experiences come when you push a little outside your comfort zone." 

 Oh, so true, Tom!

As we left Stanley we were engulfed in a valley of fog . . .
We had our doubts as to whether we'd have any views on this hike and were a little discouraged

30 minutes later, Kent was filling out our wilderness permit and standing in sunshine . . . 
It's amazing how much difference getting out of the valley and gaining 500 ft could make! 

About a mile into the hike (and just after we crossed the wilderness boundary) we came to this intersection . . .
We have just come from the Iron Creek Trailhead and are heading on the Alpine Loop towards Marshall Lake

Shortly after the intersection we crossed Iron Creek on a log . . .
If we had stayed on the main trail we would have continued on to the popular Sawtooth Lake . . .
It is located just on the other side of the pass between these two peaks

The trail meandered along for awhile before quickly gaining 600 ft on these switchbacks . . .
You've got to love a well constructed trail!

At the top of the switchbacks we walked another, mostly level, mile that led us into another basin . . .
Goat Lake is located a 1,000 ft higher, somewhere above that dead tree in front of Kent
(That's Thompson Peak [10,751 ft] just left of center . . . the highest peak in the Sawtooth's)

It was here that the fun began!  For the next 1.5 miles we were off trail . . .
The adventure begins by finding a way up this granite shelf . . .
Even though it initially looked very imposing, it was fairly easy to find a good route

Above the granite shelf the "trail" turned into a scramble through lots of scree . . .
We just stayed high and kept that cliff to our right

Soon we came to Goat Falls . . . Idaho's tallest waterfall at 650 ft
The path leads between the cliff (from the previous picture) and the Falls

Above the Falls we entered this boulder field and the route became a little more sketchy . . . 
With another couples help we determined the best way to go was to stick closer to the trees by the stream
(Hint:  If in doubt, always keep the stream to your left and stay as close as possible to it)

Soon after crossing this stream a well defined social trail emerged and lead us right to the lake
(Remember this stream is coming from the lake) 

Goat Lake

Goat Lake's water color is amazing! 
 Words can't describe it, so we'll let the picture show it!

Mr. Chipmunk

Looks like we have our Christmas picture!

Heading down we were able to look into the White Cloud wilderness area . . .
That snow is from the same storm that engulfed us on Thursday when we hiked Horton Peak

Coming down from Goat Lake was easier than we expected . . .
It's amazing how things made more sense than they did on the way up!

Which budged first?  The boulder or the tree

Back on the first set of switchbacks and making our way into the Sawtooth Lake basin

Crossing Iron Creek, on the log, one more time before making the final mile push to the trailhead

When we began planning this hike we were surprised by how much variation there was in the stats posted online.  Some showed the r/t mileage as 6 miles while others said 8 miles.  All we can do is add to the confusion!  For us it ended up being 9.6 miles, with 2,000 ft elevation gain and took us approximately 6 hours to complete.  (For the post we felt best described this hike you can click here for a link to 33ANDFREE's description.)  This hike came close to pushing us over our limits, but if we had the chance to do it again . . . we would.  What a gorgeous hike, lake and day!

Custer & Fishhook Creek

After our strenuous hike to Horton Peak, we needed a "down" day to let our bodies recover for the difficult Saturday hike we had planned to Goat Lake.  We originally were going to hike the relatively flat Fishhook Trail, but when we awoke to a heavy fog, we quickly changed our plans.  We decided to leave the Stanley Valley and head north along the Salmon River to visit an old ghost town and gold mining dredge.

Yankee Fork Gold Dredge . . .
Shipped from Minnesota in 1940 and was assembled on site . . .
It would have been incredible to see this piece of machinery operate

It weighed almost a 1,000 tons and dredge mined 5.5 miles along a section of the Yankee Fork River . . .
It ran 24 hrs. a day for 12 years and was operated by only three men on each shift!

Just a mile past the gold dredge is the town of Custer . . . Idaho's best preserved ghost town
The last resident left in 1911 when the Sunbeam Mine closed
(It was closed on the day we visited, so we couldn't go inside the buildings)

But that didn't keep us from looking in the windows!

And wandering the grounds of the property

The historical society that keeps Custer running has done a nice job restoring and maintaining the town 

This is part of a stamp mill that was used to crush ore for the extraction of gold

One of the many interpretive signs told how this family shingled their roof by flattening out tin cans . . .
Pretty ingenious!

These three sisters died when a snowslide swept down Bald Mountain
and pushed their home into the Yankee Fork River . . . .
The parents survived, but due to other snowslides in the area,
they could not bury them in the Bonanza Cemetery a few miles away

Wonder when the last time the door knob and key were used

Allison took this picture by looking through one window and focusing on the other wall . . .
Really makes you feel like you stepped into an earlier time, doesn't it

By late morning, the clouds and fog began to lift and we decided to return to Stanley to hike the Fishhook Trail near Redfish Lake and Lodge.  This allowed us to stretch our legs and get an easy workout in preparation for Saturday's hike.  The trail ended at Fishhook Creek Meadow and gave us outstanding views of many of the higher peaks in the Sawtooth Range.

The Fishhook Creek trailhead serves as a "jumping off point" for many other popular hikes in the area

The trail is an easy 5-mile (r/t) hike/walk with minimal elevation gain (300 ft) . . .
It is well suited for all ages

Much of the early portions of the trail follows along the crystal clear Fishhook Creek

Spruce Grouse

The trail ends at this beautiful meadow . . .
Two of the Sawtooth's highest peaks, Mt. Horstmann & Mt. Heyburn, both over 10,000 ft,
are showcased from this vantage point

Mt. Thompson (10,751 ft), which is the highest peak in the Sawtooth's, can also be seen

After our hike we decided to stop in and check things out at the Redfish Lake Lodge . . .
Kent, having previously worked for a park concessionaire, enjoyed seeing how the property was being managed

Redfish Lake

If you're feeling like you'd like a little more hiking, you can extend the Fishhook Creek Trail by an additional 1.5 miles.  At the meadow, where most people turn around, the trail continues on.  It crosses over into the Sawtooth wilderness and eventually ends at a creek coming down from an unnamed lake off Mt. Thompson.  We didn't find anything extraordinary about this trail, but it did allow us to make this a 6.5 mile (r/t) hike.