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Informationen zum Autor Ever since Douglas Lorain's family moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1969 he's been obsessively hitting the trails of his home region. He has written numerous other guidebooks about the Pacific Northwest and lives in Hamilton, MT. Klappentext Backpacking Idaho presents 25 carefully crafted backpacking trips to some of the most magnificent landscapes in the state, providing vital information, photographs, and trail maps. Leseprobe LONG CANYON LOOP RATINGS: Scenery: 7, Solitude: 6, Difficulty: 6 MILES: 37 (52) (These numbers exclude the road walk back to the Canyon Creek trailhead.) SHUTTLE MILEAGE: 4 ELEVATION GAIN: 8,200' (13,000') DAYS: 3–4 MAP(S): USGS Pyramid Peak, USGS Smith Falls, USGS Smith Peak USUALLY OPEN: Mid-July–early October BEST: Late July–September PERMITS: None RULES: Maximum group size of 12 people, unless you specifically notify the Bonners Ferry Ranger District; fires are strongly discouraged; staying more than three nights at any given campsite is prohibited. CONTACT: Bonners Ferry Ranger District, 208-267-5561 SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS Unusual wildlife; lush rain forests CHALLENGES Grizzly bears; relatively wet weather; limited water and few campsites along Parker Ridge HOW TO GET THERE From the junction of US 2 and US 95 about 2 miles north of Bonners Ferry, drive 12.6 miles north on US 95 to a junction. Go straight on ID 1 for 1.1 miles, and then turn left (west) on a county road, following signs to Copeland Bridge and Westside Road. Stay on this paved road for 3.5 miles, taking a bridge over the Kootenai River, and come to a T-junction. Turn right on the paved Westside Road and drive 3.5 miles to the Parker Creek trailhead, which has room for only one or two cars to park. If you have two cars, leave one here. To reach the recommended starting point, continue another 3.5 miles on Westside Road, and then turn left (uphill) at a signed junction with a narrow, gravel, dead-end road that goes 0.1 mile to the small parking lot for the Canyon Creek trailhead. Note: This trailhead is on private land. The public is allowed to park but not camp here. INTRODUCTION As the wettest range in the state of Idaho, the Selkirk Mountains support forests that are so lush they resemble the rain forests of the Pacific Northwest coast. The trees include such relatively unusual Idaho species as western red cedar, western hemlock, western yew, and Pacific dogwood, while the undergrowth is a mass of ferns, mosses, and lichens that assail the hiker with a stunning display of greenery. In a grand sampling of this wet environment, the first half of this hike takes you up Long Canyon, the last major unlogged valley in the Selkirk Mountains, where a magnificent shady forest provides a hiking experience unlike anything else in the state. But there is more to admire here than dense forests. Along the ridges are jagged peaks; hidden cirques filled with small, scenic lakes; and expansive views of the deep, green valleys below. In addition, wildflowers bloom in profusion, especially along the open ridgetops, where the forests have yet to recover from a series of large forest fires. This superior hike is the finest backpacking adventure in the Selkirk Mountains because it includes the best of the area’s low-elevation forests as well as some of the range’s most beautiful lakes and ridgetop views. WARNING: This is grizzly bear country. Please heed the guidelines given on page 11. Remember that bears and dogs do not get along. Accordingly, the U.S. Forest Service strongly discourages bringing your dog. If you must bring your pet, be sure that the animal is on leash at all times. DESCRIPTION The trail, which has been significantly rerouted from what is shown on the U.S. Geolo...
