Arco, Idaho

Arch at Arco

Sheep Mountain

Homemade bulldozer. A frame was added to support a cable for lifting the blade. Note the two holes on the arm next to the left track. The blade angle was changed by moving it back to those holes. The 4 cyl gas engine is complete.

Arco has a good grocery, Family Dollar, laundromat and a Honda shop. Idaho Trails  is a website that details all the trails and dirt roads on a topo map for the whole state.

• APPENDICITIS HILL el 8523 has an OHV trail to the top. Turn on 3000N south of Moore and drive to a 4-way at a cattleguard reading N43 43110, W113 24064 el 5700. The OHV trail runs south then up the south rim of Rocky Canyon. Just stay on the main trail. I rode a 125 to el 8000 then it got too steep and rocky. With a 4wd or mtn bike, I would hike from Rocky Canyon because that road is easy. Keep straight at the 4-way and the road ends at el 6100. Ignore side roads along the way as they end soon. An ATV trail goes on up canyon and likely goes up a side canyon to the south rim trail. The trail makes a big dip into the saddle el 7900 south of the peak, but you can shortcut into that. The Crawford BM is at 43406, 28400. Another route is to drive north from the 4-way and take the unmapped road going up the ridge and it joins the road out of Berry Canyon. I only went a short way on that and saw it was an eroded mess. The Berry Canyon road is blocked by a ranch at the bottom. Posted 2016.
• ARCO HILLS HIGH POINT el 7300+ is a nice peak with a surprise forest. Take SR 33 to mp 2.4 and turn on the road going up Deadman Canyon. It's rutted but mtn bikes would work. The road ends in about 4 miles at the 6400 level. I went up a steep ridge right there reading N43 40201, W113 09370. When crags got in the way I moved right along the tree line and up into a saddle el 7100 then walked along the west base of the crags until there was an easy way up to what looked like the high point at 39886, 09577.  2 hours, 1000 gain. Posted 2016.
• BIG SOUTHERN BUTTE el 7500+ has a decent 4wd road to the top. Drive to the BLM fire station in Atomic City. Go south a bit over a mile and turn at the sign for Big Butte Rd. Follow that for some 20 miles or so as it circles the butte to a ranch on the NW side. The road turns up into a canyon then becomes 4wd about a mile and a half from the ranch. The last parking for 2wds is on the left at N43 24680, W113 02573 el 5700. The road continues up the canyon for 3/4 mile. This part is the steepest. Cycles have 2 extremes. Either it's too soft or very hard with a layer of BBs on it. The road gets easier as it exits the canyon. The best rig to use is a 4wd with a locker as the road is always plenty wide and not eroded. A reg is just east of the summit where the map shows a BM. I hiked from the 5700 level. The whole trip took 2 hours, 45 minutes with nearly 2000 gain. Some obvious shortcuts can be used on the return. Posted 2016.
• HOWE PEAK el 8701 has a decent 4wd road to the top. JUMPOFF PEAK el 9045 is a side trip with an eroded road. Take SR 33 to mp 9.9 and turn into Eightmile Canyon. The road  reaches the crest in the major saddle el 7650 between the peaks. Two roads go south. The one on the right is for Howe. The left one goes to a shady camp area with tables at a climbing area called the Fins. The road to Jumpoff Peak goes north from the major saddle. Jeeps would have no trouble. The road forks right before towers. The real peak is behind  the towers, so stay left at the fork to get behind the towers then it's a third mile walk to the summit. It's an OHV trail beyond there. If you're climbing at the Fins and can't make the road, a trail departs the road at N43 43621, W113 04661 el 6800. I rode up Wood Canyon on an OHV trail then ran the crest from Howe and on past Jumpoff Peak then down Jumpoff Canyon. That canyon gets rubbly. At the bottom it was easy to circle back thru Arco Pass. Signs were up. Wood Canyon is accessed by the same roads used for the natural arch. Posted 2016.
• HUDDLES HOLE is an area of lava SW of Arco. I read about this at sagehiker.net. Lava here is easy to walk on. Go west from town on US 93 for a couple of miles to 3100W. This is about half a mile west of the river. Go south on that good road for 4 and a half miles to a sign for Huddles Hole at a right fork, just inside Craters of the Moon NM. Take the right fork for 6 miles to a locked gate where the road crosses the lava. That 6 miles has mild ruts but is perfect for a mtn bike. There was no sign on the gate banning bikes. I walked past the gate for a few minutes then turned left on flat lava and walked out a third mile to a huge area of flat lava. My GPS was reading N43 27850, W113 20102. It was easy to walk back along the northern edge. I spent an hour wandering around looking at cracks and sink holes. That lava all starts to look alike. This is best done as an excuse for a cycle or mtn bike ride, when weather is perfect. Posted 2016.
• KING MOUNTAIN el 10612 has a 4wd road up the SW ridge to a glider launch site el 8000. At Moore, take 3350W to 3300N then follow signs to the launch site. A sunny camp spot el 5800 is at the canyon mouth. The road is steep but not eroded. The only tricky spot is at N43 46108, W113 17386 el 8000. The road ends 100 feet beyond that at a level spot with a table. A hiker trail goes up the ridge for a mile to the summit. Near the top the trail goes left into a gully. It runs high on the right side of the gully on bedrock, avoiding most of the scree. I had a reading there 46690, 16565. The summit is at 46698, 16438. The walk along the crest to North King looked too easy to pass up. But apparently only to me, because there was nothing on it. A  guzzler is half way along. That peak reads 47579, 15766 el 10750+. It took me 3 hours to go up and down King with 2600 gain, and the side trip to North King took 100 minutes. Peak 8150 is the high peak south of Beaverland Pass. A road goes gently to a launch site at el 7300 then goes parabolic. 4wds can go as high as a turnaround at N43 44185, W113 17970 el 7850. ATVs go a little more then crags stop everything with wheels. Not for amateurs.  The main road goes over the pass to the natural arch hike then it's an easy drive out to the south. Posted 2016.
• LITTLE RAMSHORN PEAK el 10550 is what I call one of the peaks at the head of Ramshorn Canyon. Elk trails go up the east rim. The graded King Mtn Rd runs along the west base of the range. Take that to N43 47449, W113 20949 and turn on a crude road. Another road goes in further north at 3700N. That one would be better for mtn bikes. The road ends at a TH el 6700 where a mega slide dammed up the canyon. That shows on the topo. A trail weaves thru the slide then forks at 50321, 16879 el 7400. Go right and the trail climbs into a lovely forest and fades at el 8000. Walk a short way to another trail at 50725, 16728 el 8000 that angles up to the left along the base of a scree slope. Keep going to a saddle at 50922, 16679 el 8350 next to peak 8436. Go north a quarter mile, crossing a minor drainage, to get to the saddle el 8500 on the rim. Now follow an obvious elk trail running left of center to 51250, 17382 el 8900 where it takes a minor dip. It resumes going up for a tenth mile then takes a bigger dip to a tiny spring, losing over 100 feet. The elk tricked me here because I went down but there's a hidden trail nearby that stays high at 51324, 17503. Either way, the peak soon comes into view and it's a cakewalk to the top at 52204, 18252. The spring is at 51370, 17687 el 8800 and would need a funnel and filter. That's the only liquid water I saw. A big pile of snow was near the summit on the north side. 7 and a half hours, 4000 gain and hardly any of it is steep. For a shorter hike, just go to the saddle on the rim at el 8500. You'll see the best part of the forest. The west slope of the canyon is a mind boggling mess of crags. Peak 10601 is the next peak north and hikers call it Ramshorn Peak. Posted late July 2016.
• NATURAL ARCH - this is 8 air miles north of Arco and someone went to a lot of trouble to build a nice trail. Start at the center of town where SR 20 departs from US 93. Go south on SR 20 for a third mile then turn left on a frontage road. Go south on that for a third mile to a sign for the arch at a dirt road. Follow signs then at the last mile it gets tricky for cars and it's too steep for mtn bikes. If signs are down, just stay left at every major dirt road. The TH is at N43 44381, W113 15715 el 6900. The trail goes less than half a mile to a view of the arch at el 7400. Steps were made out of RR ties. The TH is bad for camping but a good shady spot is 10 minutes up the trail at el 7200 if you can lug your cooler that far. There is an easy 4wd road that goes west over Beaverland Pass for 5 miles to the valley floor. Posted 2016.

Antelope Creek is north of Arco. It has a graded road running two dozen miles up to Iron Bog campground. The road has been treated for dust about half way up. It leaves US 93 at mp 93.7. Countless dispersed campsites are along the way. 

• SHEEP PEAK el 9649 - an easy ridge goes up from Marsh Creek. Go 6.7 miles from US 93 on the Antelope Creek Rd and turn on FR 210. The road is rutted, mtn bikes would work. At el 6800, stay right at a fork and go on to a parking spot el 7300 near the end of the road. Start up the ridge at N43 47190, W113 33276 el 7400 and stay near center to el 8300 where a minor crag is in the way. I easily went left around it but elk go right. From here on up it's a nice forested ridge with no cattle. About a third mile before the peak some more crags try to spoil the party. A convenient elk trail goes left around the crags and dips down a little. Stay on it to a ridge at 46804, 34920 el 9250. Now go up the ridge, slightly right of center to the summit area then it's a short walk to the cairn at 46841, 35131. 4 hours, 2400 gain. The last 400 feet is the only steep part. There is some light brush up to el 8300. Posted 2016.
• WADDOUPS CANYON is about 9.3 miles in along the Antelope road from US 93. A 4wd road goes up it then makes a horseshoe back to peak 7241. It makes for a good cycle ride but I wouldn't bother with a 4wd. A big WSA sign had been put up. Posted 2016.
• BIG FLAT TOP el 9350+ has an easy SW ridge. Drive 11 miles up the Antelope Creek Rd and go right at a major fork. That good road swings up into Cherry Creek then on to FR 748 at Richardson Canyon reading N43 44954, W113 41116 el 6600. Some cars could get that far. Turn right on the rutted road and go a mile and a half to the end of the legal road el 7200. Hike the road to el 7500 then cut over to the SW ridge at 46339, 39755 el 7550. Just stay on the ridge or make a loop like I did. At el 8100 I cut right to a saddle  then got on a major trail there reading 46460, 38756 el 8600. I followed that to another saddle el 8800 south of the peak where over 100 elk were grazing. Elk trails go up from there to Knob BM at 46778, 38499. I went back down the ridge. That took 3 hours, 18 minutes with 2200 gain. Some light brush. Chances are there won't be any signs up and you can drive to el 7500. Mtn bikes would work here. The main road goes on north and shrinks to an OHV trail then over a divide el 7700 and on down Trail Creek to the main road in Adler Creek. I followed that road down to Darlington then went south on 3650W back to Antelope. That loop took 3 hours on a 125. Mtn bikes would work as it's mostly packed dirt with minimal roller coastering but I would shuttle up Antelope.  Posted 2016.
• TIMBERED DOME el 8356 has a jeep road up the north slope to el 7200. Turn off the Antelope road at N43 41089, W113 34866 and go a fifth mile to a fork. Go right up Latham Hollow to a divide at 37916, 33742 el 7100 where the rest is in view. The jeep road ends at a small camp spot then it's easy hiking up the north slope but I did have to weave a bunch of rocks in the trees. Here's how to minimize that. Walk up to a table at 36991, 32413 el 8100 then when that fizzles step up to 36917, 32484 and walk easy ground aroud the right side of the rocks and finally up to the survey junk at 36810, 32524. I couldn't find a BM. 90 minutes, 1200 gain. I could do this in shorts. Mtn bikes would work as far as the divide but I would hike from there, making it a 3 or 4 hour hike. Posted 2016.
• APPENDICITIS HILL CREST - jeeps could still make it to peak 7365 as shown on the topo as of 2016. Turn off the Antelope road at N43 41089, W113 34866 and go a fifth mile to a fork. Go left over into Trail Creek then follow the main road up to the crest. Turn left there and stay on the high road. It took me over an hour to ride a 125 from Antelope road out to the end. One steep hill on the way back looked tricky but traction was not an issue. That's one wild ride. I could see a foot trail going on up the mountain. Consult the sat image if you're hiking the peak that way. Posted 2016.
• MILLER PEAK el 8610 is easy to get at. Turn off the Antelope road at the sign for Bear Creek RD. Follow that good road to signed Bear Creek Summit el 7500. Walk east on a closed road for a tenth mile and everything is in view. Some light brush is below el 7800. I minimized that by walking to the end of  the road then down a little across a drainage and up a bald ridge at N43 43371, W113 42292. Trying to stay high means more brush. 2 and a half hours, 1500 gain. I could do that route in shorts. Posted 2016.
• SMILEY MOUNTAIN el 11500 is typically climbed via the steep south ridge, but a one way hike from Antelope Pass and down the east ridge to Bear Creek is a lot easier with the same gain, and you get two peaks for the price of one. Turn off the Antelope road at the sign for Bear Creek Rd. There is a camp area there. Go 3.1 miles to FR 522 and leave a 4wd there, or at the end of FR 522 a mile and a half up that road. Keep going on the main road another 9 miles to the pass. It's mostly smooth with a few easy 4wd spots. Start up the ridge on a rutted track that ends in a tenth mile. It's obvious how to pass minor bumps on the right. At el 9600 there is a major trail that runs over peak 10300+ then down into a broad saddle and fades. Stay left of center to the next trail at N43 44226, W113 47353 el 10400 that goes into a saddle then go up to el 11000 where a narrow trail skirts around the left side of peak 11151, which I call Anderson Peak. If that trail is not dry, stay on center to the peak at 43717, 47907 where the rest is in view. Drop down to the huge saddle between the peaks. At peak 10806 is where I hit a talus field. I took a direct line along the side of that little peak, but it was tedious. I'd say to stay on top of the ridge, though it gains a little. It's an easy stroll from there to Smiley at 41966, 48601. Now go back down north a short way to where it levels off then down on fine scree to the 11000 level and use faint trails to get to 41964, 48075 el 10550. That's where the east ridge narrows down. Keep going down to a faint road at 41918, 47182 el 9350. That road will fade but it's a short walk to another one at 41969, 45900 el 8550. That road goes to the end of FR 522. The reading there is 41833, 44198 el 7200. It took me 2 hours, 30 minutes to get to Anderson, 4 hours 30 minutes to Smiley, 7 hours 15 minutes to hit the end of FR 522 at Bear Creek at about 10 miles from the start. I gained about 3600, and what little of that was steep could be zigzagged. ALTERNATE DESCENT -  Looking down from the summit area, I could see a major game trail going right into the main saddle at the head of Anderson Canyon. If that works, it would be a shorter shuttle that cars might handle. Posted 2016. 
• DRY CANYON has a road for a couple of miles to shady camps with a stream. Turn off the Antelope road at N43 39207, W113 41712. It's good for an easy mtn bike or cycle ride. Posted 2016.
• COLD MOUNTAIN el 9178 has a jeep road up it. Turn off the Antelope road at N43 37935, W113 43000 and follow FR 218 along Leadbelt Creek. After 3 miles turn left at a sign for Dry Fork. Go to a fork el 7150 at the base of the peak. Both forks go, but right is best. The road tops out on the crest then goes a mile south to the site of the BM. Jeeps would still fit on the road as of 2016, but that can't last. It's the best cycle/OHV ride in the area. Posted 2016.
• ANTELOPE CREEK TRAIL - a one way hike, mostly trail,  can be done starting at the divide then down Antelope. Leave a 4wd at the lower TH on the Antelope road at N43 37771, W113 43769 el 6800. Then drive east nearly a mile to FR 218 and and follow that easy 4wd road along Leadbelt Creek. Stay right at main forks then the road tops out on the divide el 7400 after 4 and a half miles. Walk west on the divide on a closed road. Just over an air mile from the start the road will enter a forest. Soon a foot trail branches to the right. If you miss it, stay on the road as it will join the trail again. Eventually the road fades and there is only the trail. At el 8300 a side trip can be taken to peak 8700+ less than half a mile away reading 35286, 45398. It's the highest thing around. Return to the trail and make sure to be on it where it goes down a ridge at 35627, 45231 el 8200. It goes down into a saddle el 8000 then up the other side where I lost it. I used elk trails to drop down to the left and hit the creek at 35865, 45818 el 7600, but it might be better to head straight down from the saddle. I had a man made trail at the creek that went all the way to the lower TH. There were 5 creek crossings less than knee deep. The trail hadn't been cleared in a while but that only cost me 10 or 15 minutes. And it keeps cattle out. It took me 5 and a half hours. The gain including the peak was less than 2000, mileage was about 8. Long pants are needed due to some light brush. Posted 2016.
• HURST PEAK el 10774 is what  I call the highest peak at the head of Hurst Creek. Start at the TH on the Antelope road at N43 37771, W113 43769 el 6800. Walk the trail for 1.4 air miles to Hurst, the first creek on the right. The trail goes along the right side of the creek to meadows el 8600, never crossing the creek. It gets grassy at meadows along the way. One meadow at el 7900 with some ore car wheels is tricky. The trail goes right of the meadow thru brush. I left the trail at el 8200 and climbed up the south rim, breaking thru the trees at 38133, 48134 el 8500. That was steep but I soon found a trail coming up, possibly from the meadows el 8600. That would be easier if you can find it. It shows on the sat image at el 8950. The rim was easy. It was obvious how to pass minor bumps, usually on the left. The summit is at 37128, 50379. I could look back down and see a route down to the lakes in the cirque. I retraced my steps to 37319, 50086 el 10100 then went straight down and soon angled left. It was soft like a sand dune with some rocks thrown in for good measure. Going down the canyon was easy, with some light brush, to the trail at the meadows el 8600 reading 38152, 48894. Another trail I saw on the south side of the meadows might be the one going up the south rim. 9 hours, 4000 gain, about 14 miles. Basecamps are along the trail. The first one I might use is at 37995, 46914 el 7700. That's a top notch hike that no one ever heard of. Posted  July, 2016.
• IRON BOG LAKE and FISHPOLE LAKE make for a good loop. Drive up the left fork from the Iron Bog camground. The trickiest part for cars is right near the campground. It's about 3 miles to the TH el 7900 at the end of the road. Hike a mile and a half to a fork el 9100 at Iron Bog Lake. Go right to a pass el 9600. Peak 10147 is to your left. Leave the trail and walk up along the base of the peak to an overlook el 9800 of the lakes. You could drop to the lakes here but there is an elk trail just up the ridge at N43 38949, W113 51487 el 9850. A side trip up peak 10147 from the overlook is easy. It's craggy at the top but an obvious class 2 chute goes up it. The summit is at 38981, 51167. The elk trail drops down to the lakes area and then it's easy to wander around. The return trail is on the shore of Fishpole Lake at 38510, 51129 el 9250. 4 and a half hours, 2300 gain. Posted 2016.
• BROCKIE LAKE el 9922 has a good trail. Take the right fork at Iron Bog campground and drive on 4wd for about 4 miles to the end at el 8600. Mtn bikes would work. The lake is 1.3 air miles away at timberline. It has some tiny camp spots in the trees. 4wd access screens out most of the yuppies and horses. They go to Iron Bog Lake. Posted 2016

Mega slide damming up Ramshorn Canyon

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