Boise, ID

If you’re willing to put some gas in your tank (ouch!) and drive out of town for a hike, I promise you won’t regret it! Last weekend we headed out to hike one of the many Red Mountains that dot the map of Idaho. To get to this Red Mountain, head to Lowman on your route of choice. After you get into Lowman and cross the river, turn left on Forest Service Road 582. Drive 12 miles until you reach the intersection with Forest Service Road 515 (Red Mountain Road) and veer right. From here, it’s just another 5 miles to the Red Mountain Transfer Camp where the trail starts. There are restrooms at the trailhead. For additional information before you head out, check out the Lowman Ranger District’s website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/boise/recreation/lowman/trails/red_mountain.shtml

You’ll be rewarded for your drive almost as soon as you step on to the trail. The first part of the hike follows a creek that you will have to cross a few times. One crossing has a footbridge and the others you get to negotiate on rocks (the creek is very shallow). Of course we took the dogs with us, so they had a blast playing in the water. Although there is not as much water as you head uphill, the flowers more than compensate! If I were one of those plant people I would tell you what kinds of flowers I saw, but all I can tell you is they were pink, red, yellow, and white! I did see Indian paintbrush and lupine as well (which is fortunate since those are the only two names of wildflowers I know!) The trail climbs fairly steeply (remember we are hiking to the top of the mountain), awarding incredible views of the Sawtooth Range.

Just about when I was ready to not be going up any more, we came out of the trees and into a rocky area, which, as it turned out, was the top of Red Mountain! The best surprise at the top is the bird’s eye view of the alpine lakes below the peak. The 360° views of the mountain ranges aren’t half bad either. The remnants of a burned out fire lookout also sit at the top. All that remains is the concrete foundation, some stairs, and broken glass, but the foundation looks like it could have been carved out of the rocks of the peak and is fun to explore. It also offers a great place to eat lunch and take some pictures.

This hike was fully worth the long drive time and long day required to get it done. (Did I mention that we got up at 5:00 am on Sunday to do this?!?). The views were incredible, the flowers were beautiful, and we only saw two other people and a pug. Yes, that’s right. There was a pug at the top of the mountain! The hike is steep and at the top are sheer cliffs dropping down to the lakes, so I wouldn’t recommend the hike for young kids. We even kept our dogs on a leash at the top because I was nervous about them falling, but if your dog is better behaved than ours, you might not have to worry about it. And speaking of dogs, the hike has numerous muddy springs that my golden retriever couldn’t resist laying in. If your dog is similarly inclined, don’t forget to pack a few extra towels. It’s a long drive home if you have a stinky dog!