The route consists of 12 miles of non-motorized trail and 12 miles of primitive road. The trail starts out on non-motorized doubletrack then turns to singletrack. It is approximately 8 miles out to Stormy Peak Lookout on this trail, then 4 miles via trail from Stormy Peak down the Virginia Gulch Trail to the Road in the bottom of Pine Creek. It is about a quarter mile on primitive road from the trail end to the Pine Creek Road. From there it is 4.3 miles to the Salmon River Bridge, then upriver on the Salmon River Road 1.6 miles to Shoup, Idaho, where your well deserved cold ones await you at the Shoup Store.
This description is for a shuttle ride, however you can do a fine out and back ride from Haystack Mountain to Stormy Peak Lookout and back.
The trail dropping down Virginia Gulch is steep and would be a very hard climb coming back up.
The top of Haystack Mtn is 8,800 feet in elevation. Stormy Peak Lookout is 7,945 feet in elevation. The singletrack trail where it meets the road in Pine Creek is 4,800 feet in elevation. The road at the Salmon River Crossing is at 3,400 feet in elevation.
The trail descending down Virginia Gulch from Stormy Peak is suitable for advanced riders due to trail difficulty. If you just did an out and back from Haystack Mountain to Stormy Peak Lookout and back to Haystack Mountain, intermediate riders should be able to handle this section with appropriate fitness and preparation.
Contact the Salmon/Cobalt and North Fork Ranger District Offices for trail and road conditions. Due to elevations and snow conditions this ride is probably only open July-September.
This is a great remote ride in central Idaho backcountry. There may be downfall on the trail due to bug killed timber. You will want a shuttle if you do this ride as described. It is a great remote ride for advanced riders.
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