Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, Bighorn Crags, ID
DatesAug 5th - Aug 11th 2012 Service ProjectTrail restoration & removing illegal campsites Free DaysDay hiking to cirque lakes, fishing, photography, peak climbing AccommodationsBackpack camping Trip RatingStrenuous : 6.5 mile backpack, digging, moving rocks, bending, lifting. LeadersDebra Ellers Equipment |
The Salmon-Challis National Forest complex is one of Idaho's biggest national forests. Located in west-central Idaho and below the Montana state line, it includes one-third of the 2.3 million acre Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area - the largest wilderness in the United States outside Alaska.Within the forest lies Borah Peak, Idaho's highest point at 12,662 feet. Cutting through it with ferocity is the Wild and Scenic Middle Fork of the Salmon River, high above which lies the remote, jagged Bighorn Crags area. With outstanding opportunities for hunting, hiking, primitive camping, fishing and whitewater rafting, the potential for outdoor recreation is nearly endless in this remote, undeveloped forest. To give a bit of perspective, it is located 150 miles by highway from any good-sized city, such as Missoula, Montana, or Idaho Falls. The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area is partially within the Salmon-Challis forest. The Salmon River, called the River of No Return by pioneers, courses ninety-seven miles through the wilderness and is essentially the only major access. The roiling white water beckons rafting and kayaking enthusiasts from around the world. Established in 1980, it is just slightly larger than Yellowstone National Park and is a vast landscape of deep canyons and high alpine lakes, with great variations in elevation, vegetation, and wildlife. Here exists an area where one can find themselves miles from the imprints of man, in challenging terrain, with solitude abound. In addition to still-surviving native salmon and seagoing steelhead trout runs, the "Frank" is home to large numbers of mule deer, antelope, moose, elk, bighorn sheep, and mountain goat, as well as top predators -- bear, wolverine and reintroduced wolves. Our service project is assisting the wilderness rangers on the North Fork Ranger District with trail restoration projects, including building a small footbridge and primitive campsite restoration, as needed. It involves a backpack to a remote, high cirque lake beneath the namesake rocky crags, aptly named Welcome Lake. We'll start at the Crags Campground where we'll meet the Forest Service packers who will carry our group food, commissary and tools. We'll backpack up 800' and down 1000' over 6.5 miles via a popular foot trail into the Big Horn Crags in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area.. Free day activities might include day hiking, peak climbing, fishing or just relaxing beside alpine lakes & streams. Check out more photos from our previous Bighorn Crags project in our gallery.
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