July Excursions

Josh and I went on a few different mini-getaways during the month of July, usually just overnighter trips, with the intent to explore different parts of our great state of Idaho. I absolutely loved these short trips! They were so fun and rejuvenating!

July 7-8 Slate Creek Area

We drove the Jeep and camped overnight in a tent up Slate Creek. On Wednesday evening, we walked up the trail at the end of the Slate Creek Road. Josh explored around an old mine site and then we both soaked in the Hoodoo Hot Springs for a bit. On Thursday morning, we packed up our campsite, and drove down the East Fork Road for 27 miles, then we hiked and soaked some more at Bowery Hot Springs and West Pass (AKA 3 Tub) Hot Springs. We were surprised we found both hot springs in the same afternoon--the information we'd found for both was pretty vague, but Josh was a determined explorer, and he was able to find both, which delighted me! Afterwards, we took the Jeep over the Spar Canyon Road as a new way to get back towards Challis, and we stopped for snacks and drinks at the Village Inn in Challis on the drive home. 

 

That's not snow--it's tailings at an old mine site.

Hoodoo Hot Springs

West Pass ("3 Tub") Hot Springs

Driving along East Fork Road

Bowery Hot Springs

July 11-12 Kaufman Creek/Skull Canyon Area

Josh and I took the toy hauler trailer and camped at Kaufman Creek Campground on Sunday. Josh's dad let us borrow his 4-wheeler that holds 2 people, and we loaded that into the trailer for the trip. Kanyon's friend Jaxson from Mud Lake had spent the weekend with us, so we drove him back down as far as Kaufman on Sunday, and his dad picked him up that afternoon after we arrived. After we set up camp, Josh and I took the 4-wheeler exploring through Skull Canyon and multiple trails in the surrounding area. We watched a storm in the distance, and the scenery was so beautiful! On Monday morning, we left the camp trailer there and drove into Idaho Falls where Josh was playing in a Super/Pro tournament and I went shopping while he played. Late that afternoon, we drove back, picked up the trailer, and returned home. It was a short trip, but I was glad to FINALLY explore Skull Canyon--I'd driven past it so many times on the way to Mud Lake the past 4 years and was so curious about it!

Skull Canyon

Josh hiked up to the rock seen in this photo.
I opted to stay on the 4-wheeler.

This photo was taken by Josh on the rock, looking down below.
You can see me on the 4-wheeler, and an inventive water trough
that collects rainfall water for cows on the range. 

July 23-25 Slate Creek/Stanley Area

This was my favorite excursion of the summer! The 3 boys were gone to Youth Trek, so we left for 2 nights this time. Josh and I took the toy hauler trailer again, but this time, we loaded the street motorcycle into it. We'd planned to camp close to Stanley, but all the campgrounds were pretty full, so we stayed at a campsite near Slate Creek again, this time one that was closer to the Salmon River than one up the Slate Creek Road. On Friday evening, after we'd set up camp and ate dinner, we drove along the gravel road between the Salmon River and the mountainside, looking for Lunchbreak Warm Springs. I'd been trying to find it for weeks--every time I drove for River Shuttles past that location--but hadn't been successful. However, Josh used clues that I'd read about it, and he actually found the sight! I was so happy to finally discover its location along the Salmon River! We soaked for a while and drove back in the truck to the campsite as night arrived. On Saturday morning, we set off in the motorcycle to find Basin Creek Hot Springs. We explored for quite a while down Basin Creek Road before we found it. Several sources misled us to the wrong location, but upon further exploration, we realized it was a LOT closer to the highway than the actual campground, as it was falsely indicated! The hot springs were pretty shallow, and another couple had come to soak after we arrived, so we didn't stay there long. Our next stop was Mormon Bend Hot Springs. We parked the motorcycle along the highway about a 1/4 mile from the campground, walked along a narrow trail, and we had to forge the Salmon River to get to it. We soaked for a bit, and Josh explored around the surrounding area (and cut his foot) before we headed back across the river and to the motorcycle. On our drive back to Slate Creek, we stopped at Sunbeam Cafe for lunch. It was a bit overpriced, but we loved the ambience of the small place. We hung out in the trailer for a few hours that afternoon, relaxing and playing cards and watching a mischievous squirrel try to break into our trailer. Eventually, the squirrel was successful, and we had to run around to get him back out, which was both surprising and hilarious! We headed out in the truck that evening to explore the Stanley Lake area (we hadn't been there since the earthquake of 2020 that sunk the beach and changed the landscape) and the Iron Creek area (we'd never driven up that road west of Stanley before). We enjoyed our evening explorations, and we stopped at the Mountain Village Restaurant on our way back to the campground for some dinner. It was super yummy! On Sunday morning, we packed up and headed back to Salmon, arriving just in time for our neighbor Mackay's college farewell party.  

We played a lot of SkyJo, our newest card game.

Lunchbreak Warm Springs

Basin Creek Hot Springs

Wading across the Salmon River to get to Mormon Bend H.S.

Mormon Bend Hot Springs

After our lunch at the Sunbeam Cafe

He broke in!!

The old campground near the beach at Stanley Lake used to
be in this area. Now it's all under water!

The landscape around Stanley Lake has changed a lot 
since the last time we were there a few years ago!

This was our first time taking the streetbike
in the toy hauler trailer. It's been a great, 
versatile trailer to haul so many different things!

July 28-29, Weir Creek & Riggins Area

Josh and I contracted with a local river guiding company to drive bus & truck for them. Josh drove the bus from Salmon to Riggins that Thursday, where we spent the night at a hotel. On Friday, he drove the bus, and I drove a truck and long flat trailer, from Riggins down the river road to Carey Creek. I left the truck and trailer there for the river guides to load up and drive out, and Josh picked up the group of people that had just gotten off the river, and drove us all back to Missoula that evening. Josh and I got home really late that night. However, it wasn't ALL business: we were able to stop at Weir Creek on Thursday afternoon on the drive between Lolo and Kooskia, which has been on our list of places to go to for a couple of years. It was an interesting hike (we took a wrong trail that led to a much more difficult hike than it needed to be) to get into the hot springs, but thankfully it wasn't too busy, and we soaked in one tub completely by ourselves for a little bit before hiking back to the bus (the right way this time!). Also, while we were in Riggins, we walked downtown and had a nice dinner together, and we enjoyed the free night in the hotel (courtesy of the river company). 

Weir Creek Hot Springs

There was another larger tub below ours.

The boat ramp and footbridge at Carey Creek

Josh walked across the footbridge to capture the views below.