23' Stop 2: Stanley, Idaho--Mountains, Lakes, and Rivers--Majestic Backdrop

After our pitstop at Lava Hot Springs, it was onward and upward towards Stanley, Idaho and the surrounding majesty beholden to the area. The first few hours were fairly uneventful as we welcomed the predictable trajectory of HW15. The distant views were alluring, especially as we passed Arco, Idaho and ventured onto 93 north, a scenic highway with views of the massive Borah Peak, a prominent mountain standing sentinel above the windswept landscape.

At the confluence of highways 93 and 75, we turned left (west) towards Stanley, following the beautiful Salmon River as it winds through the mountains. This is when the looks get real good...this is the good stuff. That river calls me home, and it was everything I could do to not stop at every pullout and scan for trout. I remember being amazed at the lack of humanity--only a few folks plotted the area, wading shin deep in the free stone river, casting their luck with flies. It was late afternoon on a Sunday and though it was one of the most spectacular drives, the roads and surrounding landscape seemed fairly untouched and unpopulated .I suppose being an hour or so outside of Stanley helped.

Our first stop was at Torrey's Burnt Creek Inn, about 30 mins outside of Stanley. This was the perfect one-night stop for us, Torrey's hosts about 10 full-hookup RV sites and 10 cabins. It also has laundry and a small general store. This felt more like a national forest campground than a "RV Park"--which I tend to loathe. The sites were spaced out appropriately and the property had acres of open space for the kids to play and ride bikes, and a huge section of river frontage which called my name. We'd be dry-camping (no water or electric hookups) for the following few days, so this was a good opportunity to fill up the camper with water, charge up the batteries and fridge and do some general maintenance and cleaning after bouncing around on the road the past 800 miles.

We spent the next morning sightseeing around the area and playing by the river at a nearby national forest access point before hooking the Kodiak Cub to the F150 and making our way to Stanley. Again, I was amazed at the lack of recreation on the river--maybe it was running low this time of year (July), but still I was in shock. After a short stop in the small, cute town of Stanley, we made our way to Glacier View Campground at Redfish Lake. Redfish and the surrounding area is bustling compared to the previous small towns and campgrounds we passed along the way. With fewer than 100 permanent residents, Stanley is more of a summer tourist destination than an actual town--in fact it is one of the coldest places on Earth in the winter! However, in the summer it is home to several housing/rental options, a few shops and restaurants and surrounded by thousands of acres of national forest land, including Red Fish Lake, the most popular destination in the area.

We were lucky to find reservations for Redfish--I had planned on boon-docking, which is what we did the last time we were in the area, but now that the kids are a bit older, they enjoy the campground feel and we couldn't beat the proximity to the lake for swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding, and fishing. The recreation area even has horseback riding tours which Jess and Elliot took advantage of. For those looking for fancier options, Redfish has a lodge for dining and housing, along with a marina with boat tours and rentals. I could go on and on about the beauty of this area. The lake, like a mirror for Heyburn and Grand Mogul peaks is one of the most serene landscapes we've ever been lucky enough to witness and I can see why it's such a popular destination. Pictures just don't do it justice!