I know. Dangerous! Here goes anyway. I have always wanted to take a trip to a western high country area. I live in the east and would like to see some of the west but I don't want to go to all that expense without getting to do something fun and seanic at the same time. I can't afford a hunt and I don't think I want to go to that much trouble on my trip. A hike in beautiful high country to a secluded fish filled lake where nice comfortable accomidations, a supplied tent camp comes to mind, sounds perfect. Horse back would be good too.

I know outfitters do this for mule deer and elk. I guess I never thought about it for a relaxing fishing trip instead of a hunt. I am all for hunting and maybe if I see that it would be worth the hassels that go with preparing for a hunt I would do that but for a recon and relaxation instead of a serious activity like hunting, I think I could really recharge and enjoy myself.

I will start to look around the net. If you guys have been on such a trip, let me know.

You might give thought to coming to Lewiston Idaho and taking a jet boat trip up the Snake River. It's the deepest canyon in the US and offers great fishing and hunting and just relaxing. Trout, Steelhead, Small mouth Bass, and Sturgeon over 6 feet long are some of the fishing offered along with riding a jet boat up class 4 rapids. In the upper Clearwater region drifting some of the rivers on the Lochsaw, Selway or Middle fork of the Clearwater is fun.

If you want to hunt, we have elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, bear, cougar, and a variety of small game from Pheasant to chucker and quail. The scenery is beautiful and weather is nice.

This is Dwarshak lake. It extends near 70 miles from Orofino to near the Idaho Montana border. There's not one house or community along the shores of it anywhere.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Around%20Home/DwarshakLake-1.jpg

Folks rafting the Middlefork of the Clearwater River above Kamaih Idaho.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Around%20Home/RaftingtheSelway1.jpg

This is the Salmon River (the river of no return) near Whitebird Idaho. Rugged and steep and great fishing.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Around%20Home/SalmonRiverfromDumaqgrade.jpg

Lolo creek up out of Pierce Idaho. Our streams run clear and you can watch the trout rise in the cool clear water.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Around%20Home/LoloCreekoutofWieppe.jpg

I'll leave you with the kids playing in the river. Be glad to send you any info you'd like on some of the guided river and fishing trips we have in the area.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Around%20Home/LochsawRiver2.jpg

Drive up through Shawn's area over the hill to Stanley. From there you can follow the Salmon River twenty miles or so past the town of Salmon on HWY 93, up to HWY 12 and follow along Lewis and Clark' route down the Lochsa River to the Clearwater into Bob's area of the state. Or you can turn west at Stanley, travel down through Garden Valley, up to Mcall, on over to Hells Canyon and take a jet boat trip down river the length of Hells Canyon, all the way to Lewiston, spend the night and boat back the next day. defintely worht doing BTW. Both ideas, Bob;s and dozens more are all beautiful and worth seeing and doing in this part of the world.

http://www.panhandle-outfitters.com/

This is a link to my good buddy's outfitter service. His fishing and hunting territory covers a good part of the Idaho panhandle south of I-90 and around the St. Joe River area. He also has territory in western Montana and eastern WA.

Tom is a salt-of-the-earth guy and will take good care of you whether you want a one day fishing trip on the St Joe, ride mountain bikes on an old railroad grade, or horsecamp for elk for a week in the fall.

I believe that would be a lot of fun, Chief.

I really enjoy the pictures and stories from Shawn's Elk trips too. It is the camping and messing around with the horses and the camaraderie that I'm envious of more than the "death marches" looking for an Elk.

Here is how I picture it; early in the fall before big game season comes in. Have someone pack me and the missus in to a remote (but nicely set up)camp on a fishy stream and leave us alone for a week or so. Fish some, maybe shoot a bird or a rabbit if they were in season... Cook, eat, relax.

That's the ticket Ken. If it was private you would not have to worry about a load crowd coming in and ruining a trip. I have had some bad experiences camping locally but you can just pack up and leave and you don't lose anything but time. do it on a trip out west and you have lost a lot of coin.

Hey there Chief, you have a good idea going there. I don't know of such a service right offhand, but I'll look around for you; would think there would have to be somebody doing this.

At least in the Sawtooth, Boulders, and White Cloud mountains around my area, I can think of some of the lower lakes that are horse accessible and would make fine camp locations. Some of the middle and upper lakes are just inaccessible to horses and mules though, so setting up a camp is a backpack affair.

I'll let you know if I find anything that looks like what you're after.

Ken,
The 'death marches' are fun too....a few days afterwards, anyway! But I do enjoy a "day-of-rest" in camp just lounging around, shooting cans with BB guns, etc.

I've lived in SE Pennsylvania all my life and haven't traveled much beyond the eastern US. A few years ago my wife and I, on a whim, decided to take a road trip to Montana. We've both always wanted to see the high country and just decided one day to go. We settled on Glacier National Park as our destination.

We took almost two weeks and hit 14 states. Unfotunately on the third day into the trip I came down with mono, but not knowing what it was I decided to press on. Despite being the sickest I've ever been in my life, I still managed to have a great time!

We mostly stayed in cheap motels, but once tent camped and twice slept in the truck. The total cost was between $2-3000 which isn't too bad for a 2 week vacation (of course it would cost alot more in gas now). We got to see so much by driving rather than flying out.

Glacier was gorgeous but I was too sick to do any hiking. We did alot of driving, though, so I got to see some of the prettiest country I've ever seen. Plus, we saw Mt. Rushmore, Little Bighorn, the Badlands, and a bunch of other places along the way.

Road trips aren't for everyone, but I would do it again in a heart beat! Great way to experience America.

Anyone taking a trip west that likes firearms the way we do on this board, and is anywhere near Cody Wyoming, set aside a day for the Buffalo Bill Museum. You will not be disappointed, IIRC it holds the largest American made gun collection in America if not the world. The rest of the museum and displays of western art, Annie Oakley and much, much more is worth the trip without the guns, especially if you like things about the west of yesteryear.
We had 8 hours there and wanted more.

I'll second Marlin's suggestion about the museum in Cody, WY. I spent a day there a few years ago and it was well worth it. Hard for me to spend 6 hours on flat ground like that though without feeling the affects!

Here's a few places to look at for camping outfitters. I can't vouch for any of them though as I've never used them. If you decide to jump in this, ask a lot of questions. If you're looking for an outing that has no other people in it but yourself (and maybe your wife) after the 'drop-off' by the outfitter, you probably won't get it where horses can go. But I think there's still some quality time to be had in services like this.

www.sawtoothadventures.com

www.mysticsaddleranch.com

www.wildernet.com/pages.outfitter.cfm?areaID=ID&CU_ID=1

Man, that trip west to Idaho is one trip every American should take. I lived for about a year and a half in Eastern Montana as a kid. I loved the wide open prarie country, Montana is truly "Big Sky Country".
I made it to Little Big Horn, or as the Sioux called it "Greasy Grass" as a teenager.
I did not make it back until I was an adult with teenagers of my own. At that time we made a deliberate side trip to the most awesome sight in the USA; Mount Rushmore. It alone is worth the trip.
A funny side story. At Mt Rushmore a Japanese tourist who could speak no English asked me to take his picture in front of Rushmore. Afterward he motioned to us to get together so he could take a group picture with my camera. My son said that officially made us Tourists..LOL
Go see the West, you will never regret it.
Next trip, Crazy Horse Monument.

After you see the West, come to Minnesota. If I take you up into the Boundary Waters, you won't want to leave.