We grabbed groceries and fuel in Sandpoint and made our way to the Idaho BDR (Backcountry Discovery Route). The Idaho BDR consists of twisty mountain roads. The weather was sunny and clear and we just enjoyed meandering through the beautiful countryside.
We made our way to Wallace, which was a cool old town founded in 1884. From there, the road took us next to the St. Joe river and through many tunnels. The road here was not bad and could be traveled by any vehicle.
We continued on and the trail brought us up narrow winding mountain roads. We found a great little spot to camp and hung out for an extra day. We enjoyed the sunshine and were happy to be able to use our outdoor shower and just enjoy sitting still.
After relaxing for a day, we continued on and crossed Grandad Bridge. The reservoir was huge and neat to see. We hit a road closed sign and decided we should find an alternate route.
We turned off on a logging road and ended up taking a few wrong turns. We finally came out by the main road but had to squeeze around a barrier. Thank goodness we could fit because going back wouldn’ve taken awhile.
We continued on what is called the Lolo Trail Corridor. In 1805, Lewis and Clark traveled this 120 mile leg through the Bitterroot Mountains. They followed the Lolo Trail, an ancient travel route of the Nez Perce Indians.
It is the site of many historic events and carries the memories of hundreds of years of American Indian use. It was humbling to read the informative signs on display and to be traveling through sacred lands.
The BDR would take us from Idaho into Lolo, Montana. We took advantage of being so close to Missoula and had ordered some Amazon things to a locker on the south end of Missoula. We picked up those packages and then headed back to Lolo to the Lolo Peak Brewing Company to celebrate our 25th Anniversary. It doesn’t feel like it’s been 25 years! I can still remember taking off on our 2 week honeymoon! We’ve always made sure to go away for our anniversary every year, no matter how busy life or work was at the time. We really had no idea this is where we would be 25 years later and we love it! It took a lot of hard work, dreaming, goal setting, and working together and we are so excited for the next 25 years!
We stayed at a campground just south of Lolo after our anniversary celebration and then headed south, still following the BDR. The next section on the BDR is also known at the Macgruder Corridor.
This is a trail Craig has known about for a long time and has been on our list of adventure routes to do. It wasn’t any different from the rest of the BDR except there was more burn areas. Idaho tends to have a lot of forest fires and it was evident as we traveled through these areas.
We came across a 4×4 only trail that would lead us to Burnt Knob Lookout. It looked rocky and steep so Craig was all about it. We slowly made our way up and were happy we took the time to make the trek. The views were awesome!
We continued on and as we were coming out of the mountains, it was harder to find a spot to camp. We found a small little pulloff and set up camp. We were completely set up, when Craig realized there was a tent set up back in the woods. And shortly after a truck pulled in.
We apologized for encroaching on his space but he had no problem at all with us being there. We said goodnight and went to bed. The next morning we formally met Doug. He is from Ohio and had just lost his dad this past summer. He had tears in his eyes as he explained that he was out here trying to figure out how to live life more free. His dad was an outdoorsman and he was out here just trying to figure things out. We shared our story, gave him a hug and wished him well in his journey.
The entire BDR was beautiful but when it brought us down by the Salmon River, we were so happy. This area is gorgeous and peaceful. We found a great little spot on the river and settled in. We walked the beach, yes there are beaches in Idaho, and enjoyed the scenery all around us.
I had done a little reading about others that had traveled the BDR and found an article about some dirt bike riders that had recently completed it. They highly recommended a stop in Yellowpine at The Corner Pub. Apparently the chef is originally from Portland, Oregon and makes some amazing dishes. We skipped breakfast because we were so excited to have an awesome lunch at The Corner.
Little did we know our day would go a little sideways. We drove endless narrow shelf roads for most of the day which really slowed us town. We were finally at Elk Summit Pass on our way down to Yellowpine when we came to a road closed sign. It was kinda podunk, it had rocks holding it up and it was written on cardboard with a marker. We really had no choice but to keep going forward. We were low on gas and didn’t think we could make it back to Warren. We continued down the mountain and ended up clearing 3 trees off the road.
The smoke was thick and the wind was crazy. When we were cutting out the last tree, we looked down and saw a white truck heading toward Yellowpine. We figured we would just follow them. We caught up to them and realized it was Fire personnel. They were getting out of the truck cutting away trees as well. They were a crew that had been called in to help with the fire and didn’t know much about the area. They didn’t think there was gas in Yellowpine but said we were safe to head that way.
We finally made it into Yellowpine and to the general store that had premium gas only at $9 a gallon. We needed it so there was nothing we could do. By this time it was around 5pm and we hadn’t eaten much so we headed to The Corner Pub. They don’t even offer menus, it’s just what the chef is making that day. We had the option for a brisket sandwich or tacos, carne asada tacos or a hamburger. I opted for the brisket tacos and Craig got the carne asada tacos. They were both so good!
It was fun laid back atmosphere and we ended up sitting at the bar with John. He works for a fish hatchery and invited us to see how he tags juvenile salmon to track. We didn’t get out there in time Saturday morning to see any fish but we did get to see the setup and he explained the process.
At this point, we were still on the BDR but would cut it short due to the smoke. We made our way to Wisdom, Montana and were happy to pay $20 to dry camp and have access to the best bathhouse we’ve been in yet.
On Sunday we made our way to Helena and met up with our friend Lance. Craig had hired Lance years ago and we’ve been friends ever since. He found his way out to Montana a couple years ago and recently got married. It was fun to catch up with him and learn a little bit more about the area.
We continued on and found a free campground for the night. We had a couple of days to kill as we wait for friends to fly into Bozeman this week. We ended up in Three Forks to do laundry and Craig got his hair trimmed. We went to Bridger Brewery for lunch and then Sawdust & Steel Brewing. We played a few games of bingo and were happy to both win! It was a fun night. There is not much for camping in this area so we ended up at a rest area for the night. Never our favorite but it works when we have no other options.
We went into Bozeman to do a few chores and then headed south out of town to find some dispersed camping. We found a nice little spot after a pretty drive.
Today we’ll be headed back into town while we wait for our friends to fly in! It’s going to be a great time and we’re excited to see faces from home.
Off to party with friends…