LandCruiserPhil
Expedition Leader
I would like to run IDBDR solo just after starting after Labor Day. When can one find more detailed trail information?
Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route July 2018
- Thread starter Ovrlnd Rd
- Start date
Ovrlnd Rd
Adventurer
After we set up camp we enjoyed the murmur of the babbling brook punctuated a bit later by the sounds of my other hobby, a classic military vehicle. A gentleman and his a load of kids drove by in a 1956 Dodge M37 repowered by a military diesel engine. I own a M37 but had never seen one with the diesel so was quite interested.
We rolled out of Jarbidge around 0830 and headed north. We made it just shy of Trinity Lake and circled the wagons at approximately 4pm. This was the only time we finished a full section of the BDR in 1 day. The roads in southern Idaho were wider, flatter, and straighter than anything we encountered the rest of the trip so we were able to put quite a few of them under us that first day. Going forward the switchbacks got tighter and the trails became smaller.
While we didn't make it all the way up to the lakes we did find this to be the start of an amazing display of mountain wildflowers.
We rolled out of Jarbidge around 0830 and headed north. We made it just shy of Trinity Lake and circled the wagons at approximately 4pm. This was the only time we finished a full section of the BDR in 1 day. The roads in southern Idaho were wider, flatter, and straighter than anything we encountered the rest of the trip so we were able to put quite a few of them under us that first day. Going forward the switchbacks got tighter and the trails became smaller.
While we didn't make it all the way up to the lakes we did find this to be the start of an amazing display of mountain wildflowers.
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Ovrlnd Rd
Adventurer
Each night we went to bed thinking that it was fairly warm and each morning we woke up in the mid to low 40's. It got to the point where I was wearing a watch cap and heavy wool socks to bed each night. Now that I'm home in it's in the 90s by 10am I'm missing those cold mornings.
Day 2 was the first issue we had on the route. We made it about a mile up Banner Mine Road #385 when we came to a locked gate. Looking up the road we could determine why - several culverts coming across the road had evidently become clogged or simply couldn't handle the runoff and the road had washed out all around them. While it was easy enough to navigate around the issue it would have been nice if they had posted the closure back where we actually turned onto the road. We wound up taking 328 then left on 384 to County Road 21N towards Lowman. This was not the only detour just the 1st.
And for some reason now my pics are not transferring from my phone to the computer so I'm going to be sticking in the ones I've got moving over. Perhaps others can fill in where I'm missing things.
We stayed at Deadwood Reservoir this night. All our our camp sites were primitive with just a fire ring except one later in the trip that actually had a pit toilet. Since we were near water everyone decided to take a dip and soap up. This was about the only chance we had to do so and the water was actually nice. I waded into about my waist then dove down to get through the initial shock. Everything in the top 1' was warm but it cooled off quickly below that.
Day 2 was the first issue we had on the route. We made it about a mile up Banner Mine Road #385 when we came to a locked gate. Looking up the road we could determine why - several culverts coming across the road had evidently become clogged or simply couldn't handle the runoff and the road had washed out all around them. While it was easy enough to navigate around the issue it would have been nice if they had posted the closure back where we actually turned onto the road. We wound up taking 328 then left on 384 to County Road 21N towards Lowman. This was not the only detour just the 1st.
And for some reason now my pics are not transferring from my phone to the computer so I'm going to be sticking in the ones I've got moving over. Perhaps others can fill in where I'm missing things.
We stayed at Deadwood Reservoir this night. All our our camp sites were primitive with just a fire ring except one later in the trip that actually had a pit toilet. Since we were near water everyone decided to take a dip and soap up. This was about the only chance we had to do so and the water was actually nice. I waded into about my waist then dove down to get through the initial shock. Everything in the top 1' was warm but it cooled off quickly below that.
Ovrlnd Rd
Adventurer
We made Yellow Pine, which is the end of Section 2, just before lunch the next day. At this point we were trying to hook up with MartyZ a friend of mine from college. By texting my wife via the Garmin InReach I was able to determine he was headed our way but he was out of cell range to tell us where he was. We kept moving and when he got to Lone Pine he was actually able to get a signal and let my wife know. We pulled over to take a lunch break and about 15 minutes later he pulled up and joined the trip.
Another minor issue that we ran into, at least driller and myself, was downed trees that were hanging over the road. Most that had actually blocked the road were cut and moved but ones that were higher than the average vehicle were left as people would just drive under them. My RTT and driller's camper tended to need a little more clearance and were were stopped a couple of times. We were usually able to just hold them back while the vehicles were moved through but had to chop, break, or pull the trees out of the way a couple of times.
In this instance we notched the tree then Trail Seeker pulled it until it broke. Someone asked me after the trip what I would have like to have with me that I didn't bring and I said "a chainsaw." Even a small one would have made quicker work out of the few trees we had down that blocked the road. A larger saw would have been nice a couple of places where people had cut just enough of a downed tree to get their vehicle through without clearing the width of the road. We did a few slalom routines in places.
Another minor issue that we ran into, at least driller and myself, was downed trees that were hanging over the road. Most that had actually blocked the road were cut and moved but ones that were higher than the average vehicle were left as people would just drive under them. My RTT and driller's camper tended to need a little more clearance and were were stopped a couple of times. We were usually able to just hold them back while the vehicles were moved through but had to chop, break, or pull the trees out of the way a couple of times.
In this instance we notched the tree then Trail Seeker pulled it until it broke. Someone asked me after the trip what I would have like to have with me that I didn't bring and I said "a chainsaw." Even a small one would have made quicker work out of the few trees we had down that blocked the road. A larger saw would have been nice a couple of places where people had cut just enough of a downed tree to get their vehicle through without clearing the width of the road. We did a few slalom routines in places.
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Ovrlnd Rd
Adventurer
We spent the night near water again. This time next to the S Fork of the Salmon River.
This was one of the few spots where we were actually sharing the camp site with another party. A couple on a 4 wheeler with their dog was tent camping just up from us. Their tent was there when we arrived then they showed up later. They also left in the morning before us but left their tent set up.
This was one of the few spots where we were actually sharing the camp site with another party. A couple on a 4 wheeler with their dog was tent camping just up from us. Their tent was there when we arrived then they showed up later. They also left in the morning before us but left their tent set up.
Ovrlnd Rd
Adventurer
MartyZ headed home for a few days at this point and we moved on to Florence. My notes and my pictures are both lacking at this point so I'll start on the Magruder Corridor. The main road across the Corridor is not particularly bad but we did wind up passing a lot of traffic. There was one spot where we met a F350 with a full size slide in camper and he had to back up several hundred yards in order to have a place where Trail Seeker and driller could get by him. While this was not the 1st time we had a passing issue (Burnt Knob Lookout Road was another) it was probably the farthest that anyone had to back up in order to get around.
Speaking of Burnt Knob - I would not recommend anyone with a trailer try this road (or a camper, or a large truck, or a vehicle with a spouse that's going to tell you what an idiot you are for trying it, or a...). We met a group of 4 or 5 Jeeps coming down this road as we were trying to go up. It was another one of those "where are we going to pass?" situations. This is also where I took a bad line coming back down the road and apparently hooked a rock with the passenger side step braces and reconfigured them. It's a rough road to say the least.
The 1st pic is HWY 14 heading into Elk City and the 2nd is parked on Burnt Knob waiting for the Jeeps to back up. The 2nd one doesn't really give justice to how steep or rocky the road was but it was definitely the worst one of the trip.
Speaking of Burnt Knob - I would not recommend anyone with a trailer try this road (or a camper, or a large truck, or a vehicle with a spouse that's going to tell you what an idiot you are for trying it, or a...). We met a group of 4 or 5 Jeeps coming down this road as we were trying to go up. It was another one of those "where are we going to pass?" situations. This is also where I took a bad line coming back down the road and apparently hooked a rock with the passenger side step braces and reconfigured them. It's a rough road to say the least.
The 1st pic is HWY 14 heading into Elk City and the 2nd is parked on Burnt Knob waiting for the Jeeps to back up. The 2nd one doesn't really give justice to how steep or rocky the road was but it was definitely the worst one of the trip.
Ovrlnd Rd
Adventurer
We spent the night half way across the Magruder Corridor. This road separates 2 large wilderness areas. To the south is the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness and to the north is the Selway-Bitteroot Wilderness. While the scenery is spectacular it is unfortunately marred by the remnants of fire damage of the past several years. I was in the area last summer and it seemed like the entire state was on fire. We were fortunate to miss that this year but the day after we cleared Riggins a large fire was moving through the area. Coming home I was traveling through several areas that had we been a week later we probably would have had to detour around.
I was in the middle of the pack most of the trip so missed a lot of wild life but did get within about 3' of this mule deer the night we camped on the Magruder.
I was in the middle of the pack most of the trip so missed a lot of wild life but did get within about 3' of this mule deer the night we camped on the Magruder.
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Ovrlnd Rd
Adventurer
At this point of the trip driller headed south and the rest of us headed to the Lolo Motorway. This was the main route Lewis and Clark used headed toward the Pacific.
Once you get across Magruder you're on pavement for quite a ways so to celebrate getting back on dirt we stopped at the Lochsa Lodge and had dinner.
Once you get across Magruder you're on pavement for quite a ways so to celebrate getting back on dirt we stopped at the Lochsa Lodge and had dinner.
Ovrlnd Rd
Adventurer
At this point of the route Trail Seeker and Marie Laveau headed south as well and it was just me and FrenchieXJ for the next night. We found a nice spot just south of Pierce and planned on meeting back up with MartyZ the next day. The plan was to meet at the Grandad Bridge boat ramp on Dworshak Reservoir. Unfortunately when we got to the bridge we couldn't find any boat ramp or parking lot. Rather than slow the momentum we continued on our way. Frenchie thought Marty might be using his 2 meter radio so started calling out for him periodically. About the time we stopped for lunch he got a static response to his call and started walking the person in to our location. I told him it was probably just someone screwing with us but Frenchie is a persistent individual. The signal kept getting stronger and within in the hour we were sitting at a crossroads meeting Marty. He had thought we were coming in on a different road so was higher than we were and fortunately Frenchie has an external antennae on his truck so sent and received a stronger signal then those of us with hand held radios.
We continued north and went through one of the unique aspects of the route which is the old railroad tunnels that the road follows.
We continued north and went through one of the unique aspects of the route which is the old railroad tunnels that the road follows.
Ovrlnd Rd
Adventurer
After Trail Seeker headed home he loaned his GPS to us and that put me in the lead. I kept us headed north until we found a huge patch of Thimble Berries (also known as Red Caps) and Frenchie had to stop and get a couple of handfuls. Later we stopped in the forest and I located this Survey Marker. And the sign shows that fires aren't just a thing we deal with these days.
Ovrlnd Rd
Adventurer
Our final night on the BDR was spent next to water again. MartyZ stayed with us until we hit pavement in Clarkfork then he headed back to his home in Moscow, ID. FrenchieXJ and I were now mostly on paved roads for the last stretch. We had met a fellow traveler on the 2nd or 3rd day that said the road was closed just north of Clarkfork so we skipped road 419 which is Map 13 on the Butler BDR map. Heading back onto the dirt just south of Bonner's Ferry we found a bridge out on one of the only stretches of dirt this last leg. We headed back out to HWY 95 until we hit the Casino right on the river then cut west again to pick the road back up. Odds are this was the closure the fellow told us about and not the one at Clarkfork but we didn't circle back to find out.
We finished our journey just in time for lunch off Frenchie's Tacoma engine (COSTCO hamburgers), took a couple of pics and headed back south. At Sandpoint he headed west to his sister's place on the Olympic Peninsula and I continued down HWY 95 towards Grangeville. I needed to spend a few days with my 84 year old father who lives about 5 miles off the BDR west of Elk City.
This is a trip that actually started in March of 1980 when my parents packed my brother and I up to move to Idaho from south Florida. I saw more of the state in the 10 days of this trip than I had in the previous 38 years. I made some new, favorite memories and hopefully some new, lifelong friends.
Roads go ever ever on,Over rock and under tree,By caves where never sun has shone,By streams that never find the sea;Over snow by winter sown,And through the merry flowers of June,Over grass and over stone,And under mountains in the moon.
Bilbo Baggins, The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
We finished our journey just in time for lunch off Frenchie's Tacoma engine (COSTCO hamburgers), took a couple of pics and headed back south. At Sandpoint he headed west to his sister's place on the Olympic Peninsula and I continued down HWY 95 towards Grangeville. I needed to spend a few days with my 84 year old father who lives about 5 miles off the BDR west of Elk City.
This is a trip that actually started in March of 1980 when my parents packed my brother and I up to move to Idaho from south Florida. I saw more of the state in the 10 days of this trip than I had in the previous 38 years. I made some new, favorite memories and hopefully some new, lifelong friends.
Roads go ever ever on,Over rock and under tree,By caves where never sun has shone,By streams that never find the sea;Over snow by winter sown,And through the merry flowers of June,Over grass and over stone,And under mountains in the moon.
Bilbo Baggins, The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
Ovrlnd Rd
Adventurer
Here’s the link to the IDBDR page: https://ridebdr.com/IDBDR
Unfortunately they haven’t updated anything since June and lots may change between what we’ve reported here and how things will be when you make your trip. Probably the biggest concern will be fires or logging activity. We went through a lot of logging areas but apparently timed it just right as we didn’t encounter any actual activity.
Will you be driving or riding? Personally I can’t imagine doing the Magruder on a bike. I’d think you’d be standing up most of the way. But then we met several bikers that couldn’t believe we were driving it either. I guess it comes down to personal perspective.
As far as what we encountered, it’s easily doable. I was driving a stock Nissan Titan. The only modifications were things like my tent and refrigerator. Suspension and tires are still stock. I had to have it in 1st quite a bit going down hill just to maintain speed but didn’t need it otherwise.
LandCruiserPhil
Expedition Leader
Thanks for the report and details
I will be driving a poptop camper Land Cruiser and from the pictures and the trail descriptions I should be fine on the trail. It sounds like the issue with Burnt Knob is that its just narrow, correct? I will be using Gaia and an Idaho Gazetteer along with the IDBDR track for nav is there any other mapping you feel I would need? Im good on fuel but do you pass through places for food supplies daily or do you recommend stocking up for several days?