Idaho Landscapes: Little Lost River, Craters of the Moon, Galena Summit, Hell’s Canyon, Salmon River Valley, Forest Service Road 517, White Bird Battlefield, Lochsa River

We stopped at Little Lost River Rest Area to read noticeboards describing the geology and history of this strange part of Idaho. One noticeboard revealed that more nuclear reactors (over 50 in total) had been built in the area since 1949 than anywhere else on the planet. Among other things, the Idaho National Laboratory was engaged in cleaning up the environment after the nuclear reactors. As for Little Lost River itself, when it had some water, it flowed north-east before disappearing into the ground in sink holes (the water eventually reappeared and fed into the Snake River). A young man cleaning up the rest area said to me, “The reason the Little Lost River has no water in it, and to the best of my knowledge has had none in these parts for 12 years, is because ranchers and farmers drain off so much to irrigate their land. And because ranchers and farmers have so much power locally, no one challenges their ‘right’ to the water.”

Little Lost River Rest Area, Idaho

“The surface of the Moon as seen through a telescope” is how geologist Harold T. Stearns described what came to be known as Craters of the Moon in 1923. Stearns saw a place where “the dark craters and the cold lava were nearly destitute of vegetation”. A year later, Craters of the Moon National Monument was established to preserve “a weird and scenic landscape, peculiar to itself”.

The craters of Craters of the Moon National Monument are volcanic in origin, unlike the craters on the Moon itself that are the product of meteorite impacts. But a volcano did not create the craters in this part of Idaho; the lava derives from a series of deep fissures, known collectively as the Great Rift, that cross the Snake River Plains. Beginning 15,000 years ago, lava welled up from the Great Rift to produce the vast ocean of rock that exists today. The most recent eruption occurred only 2,000 years ago and geologists believe that similar events are likely in the future.

We arrived at the visitor centre and, after picking up a few leaflets about the national monument, drove along the excellent short loop road and the even shorter roads leading to trails or overlooks. We saw craters, spatter cones, cinder cones and lava fields. I ascended Inferno Cone (6,181 feet high) for stunning views over the national monument and beyond, and we both completed Broken Top Loop Trail with a short detour to Big Sink Overlook. The trail was excellent because it gave us the chance to engage intimately with the landscape. We overlooked a massive lava flow known as the Blue Dragon because of the brilliant blue colours in the lava and the fact that the spiny surface reminded the early explorers of a dragon’s skin. We also saw globs of once-molten rock called bombs, a pressure or flow ridge, part of a lava tube system and young pahoehoe lava flows. “Pahoehoe” is a Hawaiian word meaning “ropey” and the name describes very accurately the appearance of the lava after it has cooled and solidified.

Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho

Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho

Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho

The distance from Ketchum to Stanley was about 60 miles. Between the two settlements was only one other, a dot on the map called Obsidian about 12 miles from Stanley. We were in a remote area, but the road was excellent. The views of the mountains and forests were sublime and the late afternoon visibility was perfect. We ascended the valley of the Salmon River. The valley was sometimes very narrow, but it occasionally widened to create meadows full of wild flowers not dissimilar to yaylas in Turkey.

Near Galena Summit, Idaho

We arrived at the Snake River, which had been dammed to form the Brownlee and Oxbow reservoirs. We entered Oregon when the road crossed the Brownlee Dam and remained in Oregon for about 15 miles as we drove north beside the Oxbow Reservoir. We crossed the Snake River again in the small settlement of Copperfield, re-entered Idaho and turned onto part of the Hell’s Canyon Scenic Byway, a delightful 27 mile stretch of road that ran along the east shore of Hell’s Canyon Reservoir before terminating at the visitor centre just beyond the dam. The scenery was stunning from start to finish, but the traffic on the road was very light.

From the visitor centre, it is easy to access the Snake River as it flows north through the continuation of the canyon unimpeded by a dam lower down. However, people who enter the river at this point are in wilderness for about 100 miles with only one chance, at Pittsburgh Landing, to return to what passes as civilisation in this remote region.

Hell’s Canyon Reservoir, Idaho

Given how the valley of the Salmon River was so narrow in the vicinity of Riggins, the town was largely linear. Riggins was little more than Main Street wedged between the river to the east and the valley wall to the west.

Salmon River Valley, Riggins, Idaho

We had no intention of travelling far from Riggins, but wanted to take in some of the delightful scenery nearby. We drove beside the Salmon River along Forest Service Road 1614 until the paved section ran out, after which we walked along the gravel because the valley was so beautiful. The road crossed from one side of the river to the other, thereby providing pretty views along the valley and up the creeks feeding into the Salmon from the south and north. A few isolated houses, small campsites and RV parks were the only human intrusions. It turned out to be a delightful early morning excursion.

Salmon River, near Riggins, Idaho

Salmon River, near Riggins, Idaho

Next, we drove a short distance south of Riggins and turned onto Forest Service Road 517. The road eventually led to Seven Devils with stunning views of three states and the two deepest gorges in North America. Because the road near the top was gravel and quite difficult to negotiate in only a 2WD vehicle, we never made it all the way to Seven Devils, but what we saw was extremely rewarding.

Forest Service Road 517 began to ascend almost as soon as we left Highway 95, but for a few miles, the valley was just wide enough for some arable farming to persist, then meadows provided pasture for livestock. The small ranches and farms were soon a distant memory, but houses lurked among the forest trees for as long as the road was paved. Most of the houses were made with wood and were quite small. Just beyond the last house, the asphalt concluded and gravel took over, but the road was quite flat and the ascent very gradual for a considerable distance. The worst thing was the switchbacks encountered about half way to the top. By now we were in dense forest, but there were magnificent views through gaps in the trees, especially at switchbacks or other corners. Among the trees were many wild flowers, perhaps our favourite of the day being bear grass.

Eventually we arrived at a badly rutted section of the road and agreed we had got as far as we could risk driving the car. As luck would have it, a short walk along the road took us to where the forest gave way. We were extremely high up on an alpine meadow that looked exactly like a yayla in north-east Turkey. This was the ideal spot to conclude the adventure. The meadow dropped away into a deep gorge. The grey and blue mountains all around us were smudged with snow. Hilary got out of the car to sing a few verses from “The Sound of Music”. Yes, it was that sort of place. Sublime mountain scenery could not fail to raise the spirits, even if life already felt excellent.

Forest Service Road 517, near Riggins, Idaho

Forest Service Road 517, near Riggins, Idaho

Forest Service Road 517, near Riggins, Idaho

Near the highest point on the highway, we pulled over to look at White Bird Battlefield, part of the Nez Perce National Historical Park.

Long before Meriwether Lewis and William Clark ventured west, and long before Christopher Columbus stumbled upon the so-called “New World”, the Nez Perce, who call themselves the Nimiipuu, lived on the prairies and in the river valleys of parts of what are now the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. For two centuries, the New Perce were exploited, persecuted and killed so that whites and other Americans could appropriate the land once essential for their way of life. The Nez Perce still exist, but the ones who survive have also suffered from attempted assimilation.

Nez Perce National Historical Park, which comprises of 38 sites in the four neighbouring states just identified, commemorates the legends and history of the Nez Perce and their interactions with others, be they explorers, fur traders, missionaries, soldiers, settlers, gold miners, loggers or farmers who moved through or into the Nez Perce homeland.

White Bird Battlefield, Idaho

East of Lowell, the Clearwater River changed into the Lochsa. We were now some distance along the Wild and Scenic River Corridor and, to confirm how wild the surroundings were, no settlement existed to the east of Lowell until we arrived in Powell Junction about 60 miles away.

Lochsa River, Idaho

Idaho Settlements: Idaho Falls, Idaho City, Boise, Riggins

We arrived in Idaho Falls, another settlement with a railroad presence, but in this case, a presence more substantial than in Blackfoot but less so than in Pocatello. Downtown was located between the interstate and the railroad to the east and the Snake River to the west. Although having more blocks than downtown in Pocatello and Blackfoot, downtown in Idaho Falls did not have buildings that were more interesting or unusual. However, Bonneville Hotel and Federal Building were impressive landmarks, and the Kress, Shane and Hasbrouk buildings had some unusual external ornamentation. Nonetheless, Idaho Falls provided more eating, drinking and shopping opportunities than Pocatello and Blackfoot, and it had the delightful waterfall that gave the town half its name. The waterfall was notable for dropping about only 5 or 6 yards (however, a weir immediately behind the natural cascade made it look taller), but it was about 100 yards wide, thereby making it highly distinctive. One of the best views was when we aligned the waterfall so that the town’s stunning white Latter-day Saints Temple with its tapering tower was in the background. An ugly cylindrical-shaped hotel overlooked the waterfall along the Snake River’s west bank, but the rooms facing east had lovely views.

On our way to Albertson’s Supermarket, we stopped to take photos of a large tent beside Highway 20 from where a man was selling fireworks in the run-up to Independence Day. The man was a retired Idaho police officer who sold fireworks from the tent a few times every year “so I can afford the vacations”. He had not sold many fireworks that day, but expected to do better the next three days because Independence Day was on Friday.

Downtown, Idaho Falls, Idaho

The Falls, Idaho Falls, Idaho

Fireworks for Independence Day, Idaho Falls, Idaho

Idaho City had an official population of 458, so, compared to some places we had seen on the road so far, it was quite large. The town was founded in 1862 (during the civil war) as Bannock at the height of the Boise Basin gold rush, said by some people to be the largest gold rush since the Californian one about 13 years earlier. A plentiful supply of water meant that Bannock thrived while nearby mining camps contracted and, as its population increased, the new Idaho territorial legislature changed the town’s name to Idaho City. In the mid-1860s, there were more than 200 businesses in the settlement including many saloons and almost as many law offices. In 1864, its population of 7,000 made it the largest city in the north-west, bigger even than Portland. Because it was so plentiful, wood was the most popular material for construction and fuel, which explains why the town had burned down four times by 1871.

St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church was built in 1864, thereby becoming the first Roman Catholic parish in Idaho Territory. Idaho City is also important in Masonic history because the Grand Lodge of Idaho was founded in the town in 1867. Almost from its foundation as Bannock, many Chinese came to work in the mines, open laundries or engage in cooking. The 1870 census reported that 1,751 Chinese lived in Idaho City.

As soon as it became obvious that most valuable minerals had been extracted from the Boise Basin, decline set in rapidly. By 1920, Idaho City’s population had dropped to just over 100. The modern economy relied on hunting, fishing and visitors. Visitors stopped to see a remote settlement in which a remarkable number of interesting old buildings survived (18 buildings were listed because of their historical importance).  Some of the buildings still had boardwalks in front of them. There was also a cemetery of historic note and a high school.

Idaho City, Idaho

Idaho City, Idaho

Idaho City, Idaho

Because the Cabana Inn was on Boise’s Main Street, all I had to do to get to downtown was to walk south-east along the road it overlooked. It soon became apparent that Boise had some impressive architecture. Buildings of note included old hotels, houses and shops. One of the latter was Hannifans Cigars. One of my favourite buildings was the Owyhee, a large structure in the art moderne style that resembled a one-time department store. Restoration of the Owyhee was nearly complete and it looked as if it would have multiple uses as somewhere to work, live and provide entertainment in bars and restaurants. I also liked the Egyptian Theatre with its kitschy ancient Egyptian decorative flourishes externally and internally, and the elegant Capitol. As so often in states across the US, the Capitol was built in the neo-classical style. Between Main and West Bannock streets were many notable structures on blocks both sides of North Capitol Boulevard, and more interesting buildings, including the Basque Museum and Cultural Centre, lay along West Grove Street. Near the Cabana Inn was a furniture store in another notable art moderne structure, this one more obviously industrial in character; a large and very interesting thrift store (by the end of the trip, we must have seen at least one thrift store in almost every town we drove through, stayed in overnight or walked around for a short break); A Tavola, an up-market cafe, food store and gift shop serving food indoors or to take away from breakfast to dinner; a wine bar; an art gallery in a delightful building dating from 1910 that used to be owned by the American Linen Company; and, beneath the flyovers of Highways 20 and 26, brightly painted murals largely ignored by the young males who came to refine their skateboarding skills in a large skateboard park.

Boise, Idaho

Boise, Idaho

Boise, Idaho

Boise, Idaho

Riggins was an important base in Idaho for fishing, hunting, rafting and trekking, so it was inevitable that a lot of the cafes, bars, restaurants, motels and RV parks met the needs of tourists and visitors. However, there were just enough people living in it permanently to ensure that Riggins possessed some of the characteristics of a small town not wholly dependent on tourism. As a result, Riggins was a very good base for two nights. Moreover, local people seemed very friendly. Our first evening in the town, I chatted with a Texan who had moved to Riggins 40 years before and had loved every minute of his life since. A man delivering bags of ice to a small supermarket on Main Street confirmed that it was quite rare for Riggins to suffer from snow. “If it does get snow,” he said, “it is cleared very quickly because Highway 95 is so important for the flow of traffic from one end of Idaho to the other.” I also had a chat with five middle-aged and elderly men and women sinking a few beers outside a bar in early celebration of Independence Day. As for the following day, a woman who had just opened a shop in a small one-time house in a tiny unpaved cul-de-sac between Main Street and the river encouraged me to look around. She explained that many of the toys, dolls, miniature figures, small household items and other bric-a-brac had been given to her by an elderly friend who had died unexpectedly a few months earlier. Unable to utilise what she called “a kind woman’s treasure which no one else seemed to appreciate”, she had decided to sell everything she had inherited along with more conventional gift shop items bought wholesale from the suppliers of scented candles, gift-wrapped candies and pots of jam and marmalade.

I walked the whole length of Main Street and crossed the bridge leading to Forest Service Road 1614 because there were two things I had noticed earlier in the day that looked very interesting, the site of Riggins rodeo and, just above where the Salmon and Little Salmon rivers converged, a row of old wood and corrugated iron buildings, which, although abandoned, had somehow survived more or less intact.

The shabby and neglected rodeo stood on flat ground just below a steep valley wall. There were seating, a ticket office, a trailer, corrals for livestock and a raised wooden box from where judges or officials could overlook the arena (although “arena” was far too grand a word to describe where the events of the rodeo unfolded). Patches of fading red, white and blue paint sought to invest the scene with some patriotic fervour, but this was a place that had seen far better days, despite still being occasionally used.

I walked a little further along the road, then noticed some “No trespassing” signs warning me not to approach the patch of ground on which the terrace of old wood and corrugated buildings stood (“No trespassing” signs were everywhere in Idaho and were encountered almost as frequently in Utah. Private property was very private in the US and the public’s right of access to it was far more restricted than in the UK or Europe). I looked around. No one was in sight and the nearby road was devoid of traffic. I clambered down a gravel bank and saw an old sign with a painted arrow indicating that a trail led beside the river so that fishing could be undertaken. I walked to the riverbank and stayed with the trail until I was about 50 yards from the old buildings. I then broke cover to look around.

The terrace of old buildings was interesting enough, but I also came across a few other old buildings, machinery used for sorting rock and the remains of concrete structures that reminded me of some of the ones we had encountered in the coal mining camps to the west of Helper in Utah. I did not for one moment think I had come across an old coal mine, but was almost certain I stood in front of the remains of some sort of mine.

Riggins, Idaho

Riggins, Idaho

Riggins, Idaho

Riggins, Idaho

Riggins, Idaho