The Great R'Idaho Trail #2
Northern Loop - Route Description
Stage 3: Powell to Wallace
Distance in Miles
Miles of Trail
Minimum Elevation in Ft
Maximum Elevation in Ft
Interactive Maps To See Detailed Route.
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Legend
- Navy Blue: Designated motorcycle trails or notably tougher ATV trails
- Green: Designated ATV trails or just too easy motorcycle trails
- Red: Advanced Difficulty Trails
- Magenta: Roads. Dirt Road most often, but occasionally paved.
- Light Blue: Easier Bypass Detours or optional side-trips. Only the first section of a detour is color coded when the route splits.
- Black: Special Test Detours. Only the first section of a detour is color coded when the route splits.
This stage heads back to Wallace via Avery for shorter gas range at the 150 mile point. There are bypass routes offered to avoid the more advanced trails along the way, but the tough parts of these are short. After taking the same road you came into the Lochsa, we take the highly praised Lunde Ridge trail over Rock Garden Mountain. Then jet several miles of fast forest roads to the stateline National Recreation Trails with magnificent views along the Montana border ridge.
If we want more the extra rewarding trails, soon after the state line trails, we can drop down on the Simmons special test loop. After the connector road, we get to choose the advanced/expert option up 3 Lakes trail or the still challenging intermediate option up Simmons Creek trail. Both end at the top of the awesome Simmons Tower Lookout viewpoint. As if this wasn’t enough amazing views, we drop back down to the trail head and climb up Simmons Ridge trail for more great rugged mountain lake views and a challenging rock section that thankfully only last a hundred years or so. Then it is a fun ridge ride before a steep brake-slide descent to get to the fast roads into Avery. If you want an easier going special test, we also have an option to stay on the stateline jeep trail and drop down to the St Joe river on Turner trail.
Either way, gas up in Avery then hop onto the popular Nelson Ridge trail to climb 3200ft elevation to see a camera worthy cliff-top view at Shefoot Mt. Then drop back down to Moon Pass road on Big Dick Trail. Along the roads to Wallace, there are old railroad tunnels to get to the final big trail to climb to Stevens Peak on Wonderful Peak trail before following the ridge line trail to jet into Wallace on the Moon Pass Road. But take extra care to watch for cars on Moon Pass Rd and stay safe on the right.
