SAWTOOTH MOUNTAINS

THE HEART OF THE IDAHO ROCKIES

Naturalist Guided Hiking Trip and More: Sawtooth Mountains -

The Heart of The Idaho Rockies

Trails Less Traveled Series

August 21 – 28, 2021

Welcome to the heart of the Idaho Rockies and to Trails Less Traveled! This trip will refresh your spirit with all the beauty that Central Idaho has to offer.

The Sawtooth Mountains are one of America's unknown and less-trammeled treasures. Our journey will take us into the 754,000-acre Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) and its centerpiece, the 217,000-acre Sawtooth Wilderness, which was one of the first landscapes designated under the Wilderness Act of 1964. This awe-inspiring landscape encompasses hundreds of jagged peaks (more than 40 over 10,000’), tranquil basins, 750 miles of trails, 100 miles of streams, and more than 300 alpine lakes.

One of the best things about the Sawtooth Wilderness is invisible – it boasts the clearest air in the continental United States!

The glacially carved Sawtooth Mountains and Sawtooth Valley provide habitat for abundant wildlife including Pronghorn Antelope, Beaver, deer, elk, Black Bear, many birds, mountain goats, moose, and wolves.

On this trip, you will enjoy an incredible week of hiking and naturalist interpretation in the Sawtooth and White Cloud Mountains with many opportunities to be entranced by exceptional vistas, abundant wildlife, and a myriad of wildflowers. In addition, raft the Salmon River, drive Idaho’s Scenic Byways and explore the geologically fascinating Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, all the while absorbing all that this truly special, wild ecosystem has to offer.

Each evening we return to our accommodations on the banks of the Salmon River, in the “Old West” town of Lower Stanley, situated in the scenic Sawtooth Valley with the Sawtooth Mountains rising to the west and the White Cloud Mountains to the east. No place like this exists anywhere else in the lower 48 states.

Summer in the Sawtooth Mountains

Optimal hiking conditions in the Sawtooth Mountains typically exist mid-July through early September. Snow is usually off all but the highest trails by sometime in July. From mid-August, on, temperatures begin to cool off and fewer people are hiking the trails and rafting the rivers, making this a premier time to explore these mountains and surrounds.

Weather

Mountain weather is unpredictable and prone to sudden changes, so we will be prepared for a wide range of weather conditions. Stanley frequently boasts the coldest temperature in the nation every day throughout the summer! The average humidity is about 30 percent (making it a necessity to stay well hydrated), and the average temperature in summer months ranges from highs in the 70's to lows in the 30’s.

Sawtooth Mountains
Trip Length: 8 days, 7 nights
Trip Dates: August 21 – 28 (Saturday to Saturday), 2021
Trip Cost: $2995 **
Single Supplement: $745 (limited)
**Trip Cost is based on the minimum group size of 5 participants (pax)**If 4 pax, add $225 each; 3 pax, add $330; 2 pax, add $1235.
Trip Highlights and Activities: Professional Naturalist Guide; Exploring and hiking in one of the most beautiful but little-known protected natural areas in the nation; a wilderness experience; natural history interpretation; stunning, dramatic, incomparable scenery; photography; birding; wildlife viewing; botanizing; alpine wildflowers; rafting on the Salmon River; exploring Craters of The Moon National Monument & Preserve; riverside lodging in the heart of the Sawtooth Mountains; traveling Idaho’s Scenic Byways
Group Size: 5 (min) – 10(max) participants

Naturalist Guided Tour, Hiking the Idaho Rockies, Sawtooth Mountains, Wildlife Viewing, Birdwatching, Stunning Scenery, Natural History Interpretation, Wildflowers, Mountain Vistas, Panoramic Views, Rafting the Salmon River, Photography, Alpine Lakes, Wilderness, Riverside Lodging, Geology , Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve, Scenic Byways