Island Park is surrounded by very large area of remote country that is connected through miles of gravel and dirt road networks. This spans into neighboring Montana and Wyoming too. Whether you want to start a trip across the Idaho back country to Canada, or maybe just plan an overnighter or one day ride, the options are many.
Here are some of the great rides I have done to or from Island Park.
Island Park to Salmon via Dillon and Bannack, Montana
First make sure you have a good map and a GPS. This is big country with a lot of other roads out there and it can be challenging to navigate the route you intend. I really like the Benchmark Atlas maps of Idaho and Montana for this ride. Also make sure to have plenty of gas. It is 120 miles of no gas between Island Park and Dillon.
Last plan for a long day. This trip is well over 200 miles of mostly dirt.
From Island Park head to Kilgore, Idaho. From Kilgore you’ll head to Porcupine Pass (W. Camas Creek Road) and take Pete Creek over into Montana. After crossing the border you’ll follow Price Peet Road down about 10 miles into the Red Rock Lakes area. This is a huge area and you’ll head about a mile east on the South Valley Road before turning off north to cross the valley.
When you get to the North Valley Road you’ll follow it west until you come to Blacktail Road. Now you just follow Blacktail Road all the way to Dillon and enjoy the scenery.
After you gas up and take a breather in Dillon you’ll head out on Highway 278 for about 20 miles until you get to the Bannack turnoff. This takes you right to the Bannack ghost town, which you will want to budget an hour or two for. On my next trip to Salmon I might just camp out at the state park and take my time exploring the area.
When you leave Bannack take a left, heading southwest and in the opposite direction from where you came in from Highway 278. This is called the Bannack Bench Road and it will take you to Highway 324.
Head west on Highway 324 and start looking for the signs for the turnoff to Lemhi Pass. It’s about 8 to 10 miles up Highway 324 as I recollect.
MORE TO COME….
