cross-posted from: https://iusearchlinux.fyi/post/417724

I day-hiked in to the Bighorn Crags area a couple of weeks ago. The Bighorn Crags are named for their bighorn sheep and really cool craggy granite mountains. They are quite old and eroded, with lots of cirques, crags, and towers. I would recommend getting to the trailhead and camping, then backpacking in for a few days.

Getting to the trailhead is a 2.5 hour drive from Salmon, Idaho through forest service roads. The first 1.5 hours are fine - well maintained dirt roads with easy grades. The last 18 miles takes an hour on a really crappy road deep into the mountains. Tire popper rocks abound, so be careful and be prepared! There is a campground at the trailhead.

The trail system is such that you hike along a ridge line for about six miles until you reach the major crags.

From the trailhead you almost immediately hit the Frank Church Wilderness boundary. You will pass some trails to go to a couple of lakes but they are some distance away and a hike down from the ridge line. The ridge line is dry, so bring water.

The first lakes you reach in the crags are Wilson Lake and Harbor Lake at about mile 7.1.

The trail bounces around between about 8500' and 9200' elevation. However, one way is about 1700' of ascent, meaning we had 3400' ascent and 3400' descent in 14 miles round trip.

cross-posted from: https://iusearchlinux.fyi/post/277201

I took this out-and-back hike in August 2022. It was a 9.3 mile hike one way. You start in relatively populated national forest land and then as you rise through the mountains, reach the Wilderness area. The trail climbs through Bear Basin, switch backing up the bowl of the basin to the first pass, which is stunning. The descent down the pass is rough with lots of steep gravel. The trail splits and you take the high trail to the east, over the next pass to Summit Lake, which is nestled between two mountains, then over the lass tiny pass and down into the last, big basin. Hike along the meadow until you reach Thompson Lake at the foot of Gallatin peak. You can summit the peak, but I didn't. I surely didn't see a reasonable trail up it!

Looking into Bear Basin

Wildflowers

Looking down into Bear Basin from the pass

Summit Lake

Towards Thompson Lake

Thompson Lake

Sunrise at Thompson Lake

cross-posted from: https://iusearchlinux.fyi/post/66105

As promised, here is a trip report!

Trailhead: Palisades campground Path: hike past Lower Palisades lake (4 mi), Upper Palisades lake (7 mi) and into Waterfall Canyon (end at 11 miles).

The snow has melted and the Palisades are in full growth mode! Tons of flowers are blooming or preparing to bloom in the next couple of weeks. Patches of snow still exist in Waterfall Canyon starting at about 7400 ft elevation. There were two waterfalls flowing at the end of the canyon. We camped in some nice established campsites to the west of the trail by one of the lakes at the end of the canyon. It was a quiet day with no other people out past Upper Lake.

(Palisades creek is super fast this year!)

(Upper Palisades Lake is beautiful)

(The main waterfall)

(The other waterfall)

(Lake we camped by)