When our friends asked us if we wanted to take a day drive to McCall, we immediately said yes, not having any idea what we were getting into. We left Swiftwater RV Park, located directly on the Salmon River in White Bird, ID, early in the morning and headed south on 95 towards McCall. This part of the drive that winds along the Salmon and converges with the Little Salmon River is beautiful all by itself. Just before you get to Riggins, you will cross the "Time Zone Bridge" and get back on Mountain Time for the day. Riggins is also a great place to explore or book a white-water rafting excursion.
Continuing, we took the turn on 55 towards McCall. McCall is a picturesque town situated on Payette Lake, a local favorite for all things water related. We stopped in at the Fogglifter Cafe for a delicious breakfast sandwich and drinks to fuel us up for our day. We then headed towards the Payette National Forest. As the one who typically navigates us, I was super dubious at our route. According to Google Maps, the road was going to end and I saw no way to get to Yellowpine. However, since I was just a passenger on this adventure, I sat back and just enjoyed the scenery. For those of us that love following the GPS, you'll just have to trust the road and know that it really does go through.
From McCall we took Lake Street along the Little Payette Lake. At Rowland's Pond, Lake Street turns into Lick Creek Rd. We followed this road most of the way on our adventure. Lick Creek Rd follows Jumbo Creek and then continues up the mountain where we began the off-road part of our adventure. We stopped at the Duck Lake Trailhead for a short hike and some great views of the mountains. We continued and found a pond covered in water lilies. A short while later we found a beautiful waterfall. We followed the signs for Yellowpine and stopped at the Fitsum Creek Trailhead for pictures of the rushing river. On Google Maps, the road switches back and forth from Lake Street to Lick Creek Rd. Just before you get to the bridge into Yellowpine, make sure and stop in the East Fork Cxts-Dispersed Camping Area and walk to the river to see where the East Fork South Fork Salmon River meets up with the Johnsin Creek to form the "Devil's Bathtub".
After exploring Yellowpine, we turned around and went back the way we came, enjoying the river and the views as we rode. Back in McCall we stopped in at the rooftop bar overlooking the lake at the Salmon River Brewing Company for some much-deserved drinks and dinner before heading back to White Bird. A wonderful day and we were super happy to have been invited along for the ride.
For more photos of this drive- click here.
Hozzászólások