The first season of our Trail Scouting Program is underway! One of our volunteers scouted about 30 miles of the Middle Fork Trail from the Boundary Creek Boat Launch down to the Pistol Creek Airstrip already, but with the snow melting out in the high country, there are more opportunities to scout trails in the higher elevations.

There are approximately 370 miles of trails in the southwest corner of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness area, which is the focus of our 2024 scouting season. GPS tracks and data collected by volunteers in the focal area will be used to produce accurate and up-to-date trail maps. This information will also be used to select future trail maintenance projects.

If you would like to volunteer for our Trail Scouting Program, we can set you up with some exciting trails in the Frank. Here are some of the key trails and destinations on our bucket list for you to consider:

  • Pistol Creek-Little Pistol Creek Loop. These trails can be accessed from the western edge of the Wilderness near Landmark. The 45-mile loop offers an exciting opportunity to visit Pistol Lake, Pistol Creek Hot Spring, and a relatively short side trip down to the Middle Fork. Trails: Pistol Lake Trail 87, Summit Trail 88, Little Pistol Creek Trail 229, Pistol Creek Trail 228. Note: ITA crews worked the lower end of Little Pistol and Pistol Creek in spring of 2024, but we’d like accurate trail lines and conditions information for future years.
  • High Mountain Lakes in the Seafoam and Soldier Mountain Areas. If you enjoy high mountain lakes and vistas, then you’re in luck. Around Ruffneck Peak you could scout trails accessing Island, Ruffneck, Langer and Finger Lakes. In the Soldier Mountain Area, trails accessing Helldiver, Soldier and Cutthroat Lakes also promise to delight. The possibilities in this area seem endless. The only limits are your ambition and time. Trails: Soldier Basin Trail 13, Langer Lake Trail 14, Cutthroat Trail 19, Fall Creek Trail 20, South Fork Fall Creek Trail 21, Roughneck Trail 22.
  • Sulphur Creek and Elk Creek. If you enjoy mountain meadows, carpeted with wildflowers against the backdrop of mountain ridges, consider this area. The Sulphur Creek Trail starts near Dagger Falls and crosses to the western boundary of the wilderness, offering a thru-hiking opportunity if you have access to a shuttle car. The North Fork Elk Creek Trail passes through Corduroy and Elk Meadows and could be combined with the Sulphur Creek, Mountain Meadows, Camptenrder or Porter Creek Trails to create loop opportunities. Trails: Camptender Trail 2, Mountain Meadows Trail 3, North Fork Elk Creek Trail 5, Porter Creek Trail 8, Sulphur Creek Trail 83.

Please send an email to trails@idahotrailsassociation.org if you are interested in scouting trails in the Frank for ITA this year. Visit our Trail Scouting Program page to learn more about the types of GPS units required to scout for ITA. We also have a GPS unit we can loan out to volunteers!

You can view the trails in our focal area online by visiting ITA’s Trail Reporter webpage (see the trails illustrated in yellow). The Forest Service has also shared a trail maintenance report for this area. Margaret Fuller’s 2020 guidebook, Trails of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness is another excellent resource for planning. If you need help making plans, we can assist you. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about volunteering to be an ITA Trail Scout.