Hiking, Rock Hounding Trip Near Rocky Bar, Idaho
This easy to moderate hike roughly followed Lincoln Creek through the usual scenic beauty of the Boise National Forest about 3 miles south of Rocky Bar. Heading west from the primitive campgrounds on NFSR 158 I gradually climb along side Lincoln Creek. Then I headed up NFSR 157 and 157S4 to complete the “out” section of this out and back hike. Some great views along this hike.
National Forest Service Road 158 is an Easy Hike
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| From Lincoln Creek Hike near Rocky Bar Idaho |
We parked just off NFSR 158 and started hiking up this well used dirt road. The road heads west and climbs gently toward the headwaters of the creek. While not as wild as other places I’ve been recently, it’s still a nice hike. At about the 1.5 mile point of the hike, we turned onto NFSR 157.
Approximate Area of the Hike
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NFSR 157 looked and felt a little more primitive than Road 158 and the scenery started getting a little more dramatic. We actually found some water up near the headwaters of Lincoln Creek off Road 157. After walking for about 7/10th of a mile, you get the opportunity to hike on NFSR 157S4.
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| From Lincoln Creek Hike near Rocky Bar Idaho |
NFSR 157S4 is where this hike gets interesting. It runs along a ridgeline high above Spring Creek (see my hike report) and the horizon really opens up. The views to the southwest through the north reveals sweeping panoramic views from the Trinity Mountains to Steel Mountain.
I’m pretty sure 157S4 is an old logging road and it sure doesn’t get many visitors. Nature is doing its best to retake this road but it will be many years before that will happen. Definitely not a road for a full size vehicle but an excellent place to hike.
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| From Lincoln Creek Hike near Rocky Bar Idaho |
My Dog Addie is Heat Intolerant
After the last few hikes with my Plott Hound (mixed with something) I started worrying she couldn’t handle long hikes or the higher elevations. I realize that for every mile I hike, she runs 5-10 times this distance. But after only 3 miles on this hike she sat down and refused to go any further.
After drinking all of her water and a goodly amount of my water, Addie was ready to get back on the trail. She started slowing down around the headwaters of Lincoln Creek where she found a pretty deep mud puddle. After taking a nice mud bath and cooling off, she hit the road running. Not too long after that, she found another nice shallow stream and took another bath.
After these 2 baths, Addie was like a mad dog chasing everything that moved like normal. I’m pretty sure this dog can run for miles and miles but just cannot handle heat. This is the reason I’m interested in hikes that have a good source of water along most of the route.
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| From Lincoln Creek Hike near Rocky Bar Idaho |
This hike didn’t show much promise except in small pockets and even then the rock hounding wasn’t great. There was one place on 157S4 where I thought I found some thundereggs but they turned out to be just round rocks.
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| From Lincoln Creek Hike near Rocky Bar Idaho |
Other Information
– Total Hike Mileage: 6.14 miles
– Elevation Gain/Loss: ~1,741 feet
– Water Availability: The higher you get the less there is in mid-late July. Upper reaches along NFSR 157 is basically dry when it comes to “dog drinking water”.
– Characterization of Hike: Nice hike along a dirt road. Spectacular views in places. Very good hiking adventure.
– Only 4.3 miles of dirt road to drive.
– More Photos from this Hike: https://picasaweb.google.com/tim.bondy/LincolnCreekHikeNearRockyBarIdaho?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Comments:
It’s always great to read your thoughts. There’s got to be some older type people out there who head to the mountains for some hiking action. I know there are a bunch of youngsters out there too. I also know there are rock hounds out there but getting you guys to loosen up your virtual voice is harder than the rock we find. Comments are OPEN!
P.S. J21st