Trip Report- Camping Near Stanley, ID

After spending some time in the Ketchum/Sun Valley neighborhood in July, my friends and I decided we want to explore more of the Sawtooth National Forrest. Stanley is about a 6 hour drive from Salt Lake City and about 2.5 hours from Boise, ID. A lot of the campgrounds in the area are first-come-first-serve, so we had to spend a little time hunting around, but eventually found a great spot in the Casino Creek Campground, right on the Salmon River, which runs along Highway 75.

In the morning, my buddy and I headed into town to poke around a bit. Stanley has a population of 65 people. That’s it. 65. This town definitely thrives on tourism. It’s at the foot of the Sawtooth Mountains and is surrounded by Sawtooth National Recreation Area. There are a handful of outfitters, restaurants, and a general store in town, as well as cabins and motels for those who prefer not roughing it. You’ll definitely want to visit in the summer- this place shuts down not too long after Labor Day and often has some of the coldest recorded temperatures in the US during the winter. When we were there over Labor Day weekend, highs were in the 90s, lows in the low 40s, which is a huge temperature swing.

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We hiked to Lady Face Falls- a 5ish mile out and back with very little elevation gain, and also very little shade! Most of the hike is walking throw a meadow.

We were super hot after the hike since it was 90F. Fortunately the trail head is right by Lake Stanley, so we changed into our swimsuits and jumped in the lake.

Back at camp, we enjoyed some hammock time and cooked dinner (tacos!) while we waited for our other friend to arrive.

The next morning I was not feeling great- and not because of the margaritas! I think i got a little gluten exposure, so my belly wasn’t too happy with me. Mel’s car was working on a flat tire, so we had to go into town to get it fixed. Thankfully, it was just a nail and the shop was able to repair it quickly! After that, we drove to the Grandjean area, about 45 minutes away. There is a lodge and loads of camping and other activities in the area. My friends hiked to Trail Creek Lakes from the Grandjean trailhead while I hung out in the hammock reading, writing, and maybe even a little napping. After they returned from their hike, we stopped at Sacajawea Hot Springs for a quick soak. Idaho is just loaded with hot springs- over 340 to be exact! By the time we got back to camp it was nearly dark.

There is loads of mountain biking in the area and we were pleased to discover a trail that left directly from our campground! Adam opted to hike to Ruby Lake, Mel and I decided to ride bikes. Well, it just wasn’t my day biking. The trail was narrow and sandy. I kept hitting my pedals on the ground and eventually ended up falling into a sage bush- at least it smelled good! I rage-quit and rode back to camp, then decided to keep riding up highway 75 to see what else was around. After a few miles began smelling sulfur, which told me I must be getting close to a hot spring.

Redfish Lake is likely one of the most popular destinations in the area. It is named for the deep red color of a native and critically endangered sockeye salmon species and is the headwaters of the Salmon River. Many lakes in the area have salmon varieties unique to the lake, but some have gone extinct and many are endangered due to damming along the river that prevents the salmon from swimming upstream to spawn in the late summer/early fall. Redfish Lake is large enough for motorized boats, has a lodge, a restaurant, and is surrounded by several campgrounds.

A smaller lake, cleverly named Little Redfish Lake, is less busy and motorized boats are not permitted. After some ice cream, Mel and I decided to take a dip over there.

Happy Hour was starting to sound pretty good, so we spent the rest of the evening at camp.

In the spirit of exploration, Adam and I decided to take a different route home. We drove up 75 to Challis, which intersected with highway 93. This took us through Idaho National Laboratory. It is a part of the Department of Energy and is known for its nuclear research, though other energy research goes on there as well. It has the largest concentration of nuclear reactors in the world and was the first site to generate electricity from nuclear fission. The four lightbulbs lit by this are on display at INL’s museum, which is open to the public.

The plan was to take 93 to I-15 all the way home, but there was a wreck on the highway with an hour of delay, so we punted and took a little detour on 91 and drove through Preston, ID (no Napoleon Dynamite sightings) and Logan, UT to get home. The more time I spend in Idaho, the more I want to explore it. I can’t wait for my next Gem State adventure!