Backcountry trail descriptions for hiking, backpacking and horseback riding

Traverse 25 carefully crafted backpacking trips to some of the most magnificent landscapes in Idaho. A virtually undiscovered backpacking paradise, Idaho has numerous wilderness areas of vast size. Backpackers can find complete solitude, glimpse wildlife, and explore some of North America’s most amazing scenery. The state’s mountains boast great weather: fewer thunderstorms than the central Rockies, less rain than Oregon and Washington, and cooler summer temperatures than California. Backpacking Idaho guides you to what author Doug Lorain calls a “Shangri-la” for backpackers. In the craggy Selkirk Mountains you’ll find lush forests, small cirque lakes, and jagged granite peaks. Watch for ospreys, river otters, and belted kingfishers near the swift Selway River. Explore hundreds of miles of trails in the gently rolling, forested hills of north-central Idaho, and head to Hell’s Canyon—the deepest gorge in North America—to find both alpine tundra and cactus-studded desert. Inside you’ll find: 25 top backpacking trips throughout the state Comparative ratings for scenery, solitude, and difficulty Trail mileage, elevation gain, days on the trail, and shuttle distances Highlights, trip itineraries, and more 12 additional recommendations for backpacking trips “As an Idaho native I’ve hiked and camped here all my life, but I took away from this book some great hikes that I want to do.... This is a really fine book.” —Craig Gehrke, Regional Director, Idaho Office of the Wilderness Society

"Deep in the Idaho wilderness the last vestiges of Old Idaho linger. In 1982, an eager young couple seeking adventure and challenge, Jim and Holley Akenson, moved to a log cabin in the back country to manage Taylor Ranch, the University of Idaho's wilderness research station. In 7,003 Days, Jim describes their encounters with wildlife and nature: tracking wolves and cougars, using mules for transportation and ranch work, and introducing university stuedents to life in the rugged Salmon River Mountains of Central Idaho"--Provided by publisher.

Cut meets Hatchet in this lacerating debut about girls, knives, and redemption. The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area stretches across two million acres in northern Idaho. In its heart sits the Alice Marshall School, where fifty teenage girls come to escape their histories and themselves. Lida Wallace has tried to negate herself in every way possible. At Alice Marshall, she meets Elsa Boone, a fierce native Idahoan; Jules, who seems too healthy to belong at the school; and Gia Longchamps, whose glamour entrances the entire camp. As the girls prepare for a wilderness trek, Lida is both thrilled and terrified to be chosen as Gia's friend. But everyone has their secrets--their "Things" they try to protect; and when those come out, the knives do as well. The Girls of No Return is a bold and powerful debut.

A Wyoming fishing guide must return to his investigative roots to find his best friend’s girlfriend in this “nonstop adventure and suspenseful page-turner that leaves the reader breathless” (Library Journal, starred review). High season is coming to an end when Jake Trent, “a fishing guide with a shadowy past, is lured into an explosive situation” (Kirkus Reviews). As the ex-lawyer ponders rekindling his romance with park ranger Noelle Kimpton, a surprise call from a long-lost love throws his life into disarray. It’s been years since Jake last saw Divya Navaysam at their law school graduation. Now a DC lobbyist, Divya wants Jake to come to Washington for a consulting job. He books a ticket, wondering what she is keeping from him. Meanwhile, back in Jackson, Jake’s best friend and occasional employee, J.P., is nursing his own romantic wounds. J.P. has fallen head over heels for Esma, but after a perfect summer together, she has returned to her native Mexico—and before long she drops off the grid completely. Has something terrible happened to her? When local police offer little help, a distraught J.P. turns to Jake. Jake must find Esma and manage a heated relationship with his ex-flame in order to solve the crisis. David Riley Bertch’s second installment in the Jake Trent series is a rollicking thriller—with a twisting plotline involving immigration, overpopulation, dirty politicians, and international intrigue. This wide-ranging novel is a “vivid…breezy read” (Associated Press) with “a cast of characters to rival any political crime drama on television today” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).