Special Places
Deep Canyons, Deep Wilderness, Deep Snow
Spanning seasons in a day, visitors can explore the contrasts of the Payette National Forest. From warm, deep canyons to crisp alpine lakes, the Forest is the centerpiece for outdoor recreation in Idaho’s Heartland. Vast expanses of unroaded backcountry provide solitude while evolving adjacent venues provide structure and amenities. Far-reaching trails enable incredible winter sports, destination hunting, and traditional gathering of forest products.
Highlighted Areas
Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness
The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness encompasses nearly 2.4 million acres of rugged mountains, wild rivers and alpine lakes. The FCRONRW was designated as wilderness in 1980 and is jointly managed by the Salmon-Challis, Payette, Nez Perce-Clearwater, Bitterroot, and Boise National Forests. It's the largest contiguous wilderness in the Lower 48 and the second largest unit of the National Wilderness Preservation System in the Lower 48.
History
The FCRONRW has a rich cultural history evidenced by Native American and Euro-American sites and evidence remains that show how humans have long been a component of the Wilderness. Native American tribal history extends to at least 12,000 years before the present described through extensive oral history and illustrated by numerous sites including lithic scatters, villages, pictographs, and bighorn sheep hunting traps. Two principal tribal groups, the Shoshone-Bannock and the Nez Perce, lived and utilized resources within what today is the River of No Return Wilderness. Both the Shoshone-Bannock and the Nez Perce continue to hunt, fish, gather, and access the Wilderness today. The Wilderness was shared in use by the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes as well. In the early 1800s, fur trapping and later in the 1800s the discovery of gold led to a large boom in population, leaving behind a trail of historic sites.
Protection of the FCRONRW began in 1930 with the administrative establishment of the Idaho Primitive Area and the Salmon Breaks Primitive Area. The Wilderness Act of 1964 required primitive areas and their adjacent lands to be studied for Wilderness suitability, which occurred throughout the 1970s for what would become FCRONRW. The late Idaho Senator Frank Church spearheaded the Central Idaho Wilderness Act of 1980, creating the River of No Return Wilderness from the Primitive Areas and adjacent land. The name of the Wilderness was changed in 1984 to honor Frank Church’s instrumental role in its creation as well as to acknowledge his position as the vanguard of the evolving definition of Wilderness in America.
Recreation
The FCRONRW is punctuated by premier whitewater rivers. The Main Salmon and Middle Fork attract visitors from around the world and are designated as Wild and Scenic in order to preserve their free-flowing nature and protect them for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations. The River of No Return name comes from the first documented float trips down the Salmon River, which were completed in massive wooden sweep boats. Once these early river runners reached their destination, currents proved too powerful to return them back to their source and they were forced to dissemble their boats, re-using the wood for lumber.
Chamberlain Basin & Cold Meadows
Lick Creek Area, McCall & Krassel Ranger Districts
The Lick Creek area is just east of McCall and is accessed from Lick Creek Road. This is a beautiful area that many think of as the Alps of Idaho. There are many recreation opportunities in this area such as camping, and many trailheads that lead to alpine lakes. A drive to the top of Lick Creek Summit from McCall only takes about 40 minutes. This is a highly recommended area!
Camping
Scenery
Hiking
- Hum Lake/North Fork Lick Creek Trail #082
- Loon Creek Tail #084
- Duck/Hum Lake Trail #085 to #082
- Fitsum Creek Trail #087
- Lake Fork Creek to Paddy Flat Trail #103
- East Fork of Lake Fork Creek Trail (Snowslide) #104
- Fall Creek Loop Trail #107
- Fall Creek Saddle Trail #108
- Crestline Trail #109
- Box Lake Trail #110
- Maki Lake Trail #135
- Lake Fork First Bridge Trail #339
Rock Climbing
Highlighted Areas
Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness
The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness encompasses nearly 2.4 million acres of rugged mountains, wild rivers and alpine lakes. The FCRONRW was designated as wilderness in 1980 and is jointly managed by the Salmon-Challis, Payette, Nez Perce-Clearwater, Bitterroot, and Boise National Forests. It's the largest contiguous wilderness in the Lower 48 and the second largest unit of the National Wilderness Preservation System in the Lower 48.
History
The FCRONRW has a rich cultural history evidenced by Native American and Euro-American sites and evidence remains that show how humans have long been a component of the Wilderness. Native American tribal history extends to at least 12,000 years before the present described through extensive oral history and illustrated by numerous sites including lithic scatters, villages, pictographs, and bighorn sheep hunting traps. Two principal tribal groups, the Shoshone-Bannock and the Nez Perce, lived and utilized resources within what today is the River of No Return Wilderness. Both the Shoshone-Bannock and the Nez Perce continue to hunt, fish, gather, and access the Wilderness today. The Wilderness was shared in use by the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes as well. In the early 1800s, fur trapping and later in the 1800s the discovery of gold led to a large boom in population, leaving behind a trail of historic sites.
Protection of the FCRONRW began in 1930 with the administrative establishment of the Idaho Primitive Area and the Salmon Breaks Primitive Area. The Wilderness Act of 1964 required primitive areas and their adjacent lands to be studied for Wilderness suitability, which occurred throughout the 1970s for what would become FCRONRW. The late Idaho Senator Frank Church spearheaded the Central Idaho Wilderness Act of 1980, creating the River of No Return Wilderness from the Primitive Areas and adjacent land. The name of the Wilderness was changed in 1984 to honor Frank Church’s instrumental role in its creation as well as to acknowledge his position as the vanguard of the evolving definition of Wilderness in America.
Recreation
The FCRONRW is punctuated by premier whitewater rivers. The Main Salmon and Middle Fork attract visitors from around the world and are designated as Wild and Scenic in order to preserve their free-flowing nature and protect them for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations. The River of No Return name comes from the first documented float trips down the Salmon River, which were completed in massive wooden sweep boats. Once these early river runners reached their destination, currents proved too powerful to return them back to their source and they were forced to dissemble their boats, re-using the wood for lumber.
Chamberlain Basin & Cold Meadows
Lick Creek Area, McCall & Krassel Ranger Districts
The Lick Creek area is just east of McCall and is accessed from Lick Creek Road. This is a beautiful area that many think of as the Alps of Idaho. There are many recreation opportunities in this area such as camping, and many trailheads that lead to alpine lakes. A drive to the top of Lick Creek Summit from McCall only takes about 40 minutes. This is a highly recommended area!
Camping
Scenery
Hiking
- Hum Lake/North Fork Lick Creek Trail #082
- Loon Creek Tail #084
- Duck/Hum Lake Trail #085 to #082
- Fitsum Creek Trail #087
- Lake Fork Creek to Paddy Flat Trail #103
- East Fork of Lake Fork Creek Trail (Snowslide) #104
- Fall Creek Loop Trail #107
- Fall Creek Saddle Trail #108
- Crestline Trail #109
- Box Lake Trail #110
- Maki Lake Trail #135
- Lake Fork First Bridge Trail #339
Rock Climbing