Mud-on-the-tires Full-time RV Adventure: ID -- McCall, 26 Jun

Two weeks in McCall, Idaho!

Why we came…

To hike and fish.

Lightning at sunset near McCall, Idaho on 27 June

The campground…

McCall Campground and RV Park was ok. It’s conveniently located on the south side of town, but close to busy Highway 55 and the small airport. Road noise was quite annoying from roughly 7am to 7pm. Loudly buzzing aircraft woke us up nearly every morning around 6:30.

Some of the campsites were gravel pull-throughs and some were small cement pads. We had water and electric, and no dump. However, there is a dump station near the office and there are also a couple of “honey wagon” services that charge $30-40 to come flush the tanks.

The sites were oriented in odd ways resulting in some with decent space and others with little space. Most of the sites had trees, but ours didn’t. It would have been nice to have shade when the temps hit 90. At least we had no problem getting satellite. Wi-fi was available near the office, but was too weak in most of the campground. The Verizon signal was mostly 2 bars LTE, but it slowed to a crawl with the influx of 4th of July visitors into the resort town.

The facilities were well maintained. The bathrooms were recently remodeled and they are some of the nicest ones we’ve seen in a campground. The laundry was also impressive with five reasonably priced washers and dryers. We really appreciated the campground manager, Scott’s hard work and assistance. He faxed a lot of paperwork to a hospital for us.

Overall, we’d hesitantly come back if we could not get a space at the McCall RV Resort.

We liked the welcoming bears / The small cement pads are pretty close

Picture taken from busy Highway 55. There is a neighborhood just out of the picture to the left. / A totem pole

Our first choice, the McCall RV Resort was really nice. Though we called just two hours after they started taking reservations in January, we were unable to get a spot. It looked like a top notch RV park with big sites and plenty of space between neighbors. We also preferred its location. We’d love to do an extended stay at the McCall RV Resort.

There are many other places to camp in the area. Ponderosa State Park is in a beautiful setting on Payette Lake. There are also quite a few Forest Service campgrounds and plenty of places to boondock. The area has lots to offer and is very popular.

Nearby towns…

McCall, population 2,991 and elevation 5,013 feet, is a resort town. Year round activities and events, the beautiful setting, and an outdoors paradise draw a steady stream of visitors. The town is touristy and cute. There are a bunch of “gotcha shops” and roughly 40 restaurants. There are also two good sized grocery stores: Riddley’s and Albertsons. Multiple outdoors adventure businesses rent things like ATVs, bikes, kayaks, and skis. There is a plethora of lakes and streams to fish, hundreds of miles of trails, and great skiing and snowshoeing. McCall was rightfully on our “Potential Places to Live” list. We like the area a lot and would gladly spend a significant time exploring it!

Dancing on the shore of Payette Lake in McCall, Idaho

We enjoyed walking through Legacy Park

Payette Lake and McCall are beautiful

Preparing for the fireworks show

Boise is 100 miles to the south. Many of the weekend visitors drove up from Boise to escape the heat and enjoy the outdoors paradise.

Adventures…

On 28 June I hiked to Boulder Lake…

The Boulder Lake trailhead was just eight miles from our campsite. The trail system provides access to multiple lakes and was high on my list of places to explore.

The dirt road leading to the trail head is a white-knuckler. It’s a one lane, winding, occasionally steep dirt road for about four miles. As long as everyone drives slowly, it’s no problem, but there always seems to be at least one knucklehead!

I arrived and saw a bunch of cars and a cross-country running team stretching in the road. So much for peace and quiet! They would be just one of four large groups of mostly teenagers that I encountered. Once I resigned to the carnival like atmosphere, I just laughed it off. Peace and quiet is getting harder and harder to find.

Much of the trail was muddy due to recent thunderstorms and heavy runoff. It started off fairly level and easy as it skirted the north side of Boulder Meadows Lake. Just a couple of flowers were blooming, but the marshy areas will soon explode into beautiful bouquets.

Shortly past the pretty lake, the trail pitches up and gets rocky. My pace slowed as I negotiated the rocks, mud bogs, and creek crossings. I was blissfully by myself but a little on alert for a highly unlikely bear encounter. I never saw a bear or bear sign. I doubt many hang out in such a high traffic area.

As I neared my goal, Boulder Lake, roaring water grew louder. Sure enough, I could see a large amount of water and spray sliding down a 30 foot high granite slab. The crossing was pretty tricky. There were multiple slick logs and rocks. Amazingly I only got wet below the ankles and kept my balance!

Then I saw the low dam that was built to enlarge the lake. Water was overflowing all across the 100 yard long barricade…it was impressive!

I plopped my backpack on a good sitting log and had a snack as I strung up my fly rod. I fished on and off for the next 90 minutes or so. When the water was flat calm, little cutthroat hit my nymph. When a breeze rippled the water, little cutthroat hit my grasshopper. They were tricky to hook, but I had a blast. I only caught 5 or 6. The biggest one might have been seven inches long. They were all pretty.

Initially I had the lake all to myself. Then a group of 30 teenaged girls showed up and hung out for about 30 minutes, followed by 15 Boy Scouts and multiple families. On my way down, I passed another group of about 20 teenaged girls and more families. The place is popular! It’s great to see so many youngsters enjoying the wilderness and making memories.

Hike route to Boulder Lake / The trail starts at Boulder Meadows Lake

Boulder Meadows Lake

Parts of the trail are quite rocky / Runoff is peaking and there were many water crossings and mud bogs

Fly-fishing Boulder Lake. Caught 5 or 6 small cutthroat trout.

Looking down to Boulder Meadows Lake and the valley

Overlooking Boulder Lake. Buckhorn Mountain, 8,457 feet high, is on the left.

Flowers were just starting to bloom in sunny spots at 7,000 feet. The Wallowa Mountains are 70 miles west. / A spunky cutthroat trout

On 29 June we visited Craig and Lucinda…

Our friends, Lucinda and Craig, followed us to McCall from La Grande and the NROA Rally. Though they received inspiration from us to full time RV, they have taken it to another level. They prefer to boondock (no hook-ups) in remote places. They often do it without reservations or a specific plan in mind! We admire them!

We met them up at upper Payette Lake where they were camped in a sweet spot. The four of us wandered up the road to look at other campsites along the lake. Craig is always looking for a better place and keeps meticulous notes in the event that they return to an area.

Afterwards, we drove to Burgdorf Hot Springs. Burgdorf was just 15 miles north along a paved road through the scenic Payette National Forest.

German native, Fred C. Burgdorf, was drawn to the area by gold. However, after learning of a natural spring in 1870, he homesteaded on the 160 area plot. The flat meadow was perfect for a resort to include a restaurant, hotel, cabins, and barns with a wondrous view of the nearby mountains. He also built a post office, worked as the postmaster, and named the town after himself.

Now, the resort has 18 historic rental cabins. The, “large swimming pool maintains around 100 °f year-round. It is fed by natural hot spring water at the rate of 150 gallons per minute. There are two small hot pools at the inlet that average around 113 °f.”

We wandered around, admiring the old cabins. It helped that the wildflowers were peaking. The lupine added to the sublime scene.

Craig and Lucinda’s sweet camp spot on Upper Payette Lake

Upper Payette Lake / Bear grass just starting to bloom

Burgdorf Hot Springs was first opened around 1870

On 30 June I hiked with Craig and Lucinda…

I convinced Craig and Lucinda to head our way to do a hike. Though Boulder Lake was busy, I enjoyed it and thought they would too. Plus, compared to other trails in the area, it was in decent shape.

This time there were hardly any other cars parked near the trailhead! It was quiet. We donned our gear and hit the trail.

I enjoyed being the guide and perhaps overeagerly shared too much flora and fauna knowledge. At least they humored me and seemed to appreciate it!

We got to the tricky water crossing and each of us assessed it before heading to the other side. I did my best ballerina impression and delicately balanced my way over the slick logs. I stayed erect and dry! Next, Lucinda just charged right through the numbingly cold fast flowing water up to her mid thigh. Finally, Craig did a similar route to mine across the logs, though he made it look easy!

We scampered up a granite outcropping to a better view. Boulder Meadows Lake was 800 feet below and the valley was strung out 2,000 feet lower than our perch. We could see the snow covered Wallowa Mountains 70 miles to the west. And to the east we had a great view of Boulder Lake and a few of the surrounding 8,000 foot high peaks. We snacked and posed for a few pics. It was pretty and peaceful.

Next we traversed the cascading water along the dam and headed towards the opposite end of Boulder Lake. Shortly after we got into the woods along the south side of the lake, we hit our first snow. At first it was just a few easy-to-traverse snow fields, but it got more tricky as we progressed.

We got to the east end of the lake and parted ways. Craig and Lucinda climbed to a nearby saddle while I stopped to fish.

I put on neoprene booties, sandals and hopped in the water. It was cold at first, but the water warmed inside the booties and got comfortable. It was tricky wading. The ground was uneven and there was a bunch of floating wood debris. I couldn’t quite get the position I wanted. I made long casts into a weak breeze and just couldn’t get into the zone. I only caught one very colorful cutthroat trout.

Shortly after I dried and repacked my gear, Craig and Lucinda appeared and we headed back. We passed quite a few people going the opposite direction and commented on our good timing. The two and a half mile hike down seemed to take awhile as I nursed two unstable, painful knees. Regardless, we all agreed it was a good adventure.

We got back to the truck and I texted Arleen and told her to be ready to go out for a meal. We were hungry! We had good conversation and good food at the Pancake House. It was a fine way to end the day.

Hike route to Boulder Lake / A pretty cutthroat trout

Navigating a tricky creek crossing / Posing high above the valley

Being goofy at Boulder Lake / Still lots of snow on north aspects and in trees above 7,000 feet

A nice view of the upper Rapid Creek drainage

After the hike we had a good meal at the Pancake House

On 2 July I did another hike with Craig and Lucinda…

I hit the road a bit early to head to Craig and Lucinda’s sweet campsite. They loaded their gear in my truck and we drove a few miles north to the Josephine Lake road. The three mile long, one lane wide, dirt road was fairly smooth.

The Corral-Blackwell Fire burned nearly 175,000 acres in the area in 1994. Many ghost trees still stand, but young trees and lush ground cover are slowly taking over. Just a few of the many wildflowers were starting to bloom. I’m sure they’ll be in full bloom just two weeks after we leave!

The road ends at the trailhead. We got there before 9:30 and there was just one other vehicle. We grabbed our gear and hit the trail.

Just past the barricade, we stepped around the first small snow field. Shortly after, the view opened up and rocky snow covered peaks loomed ahead. Soon we traversed a large snow field, but the trail rounded a small point and stayed on a snow-free south oriented pitch.

Just three quarters of a mile from the truck and three hundred feet higher, we set eyes on Josephine Lake. The air was calm and the lake was glass-smooth…It was very pretty! Surprisingly, about half of the lake was still covered with ice. It sits at 7,400 feet in the shadow of surrounding peaks that top out around 8,200 feet.

Craig and Lucinda took off to tackle Squaw Point, 8,287 feet high. I headed to the west side of the lake to fish.

I had a great position on a big rock and enjoyed stringing out long casts. The air was nearly calm and there was nothing hindering my backcasts. Trout dimpled the surface out towards the middle, well out of my reach. I fished hard for an hour and didn’t even get a sniff.

I decided to take a break and do a little exploring. I climbed about a hundred feet above the lake. The view towards the east was expansive. I could see many acres of the 23 year old fire scar. The air was a little hazy and multiple ridge lines extended to the horizon that reminded me of the Smokies. There were tons of wildflowers yet to bloom. Of course, the view over Josephine Lake was incredible. I found myself a big flat rock, laid down, and relaxed for a bit. It was peaceful and beautiful and I was happy.

I headed back down to my fishing rock. A breeze picked up and small waves rippled across the water. I spotted a fish rise within my range and eagerly grabbed my rod. My luck had turned! Plump rainbow trout consistently smacked my grasshopper fly. I landed 5 or 6 and missed at least that many…it was fun!

Craig and Lucinda caught up to me and watched me catch a couple of fish. They shared their crazy adventure with me. They negotiated steep pitches, rocks, and snow, and were stopped just short of their goal. I’m surprised they made it that far!

As we headed down, at least 30 people were headed up. A few of the crazys had towels and clearly planned a dip in the frigid lake. When we got back there were 10-15 vehicles wedged into various parking spots. I was very relieved to have the narrow road to myself on the way down. Our timing was perfect!

Hike route to Josephine Lake / Caught 5 or 6 plump rainbow trout on grasshopper flies

Headed up the one lane wide dirt road to Josephine Lake

Lucinda and Craig negotiating a snow field

Josephine Lake is very pretty

I really enjoyed fly-fishing the serene lake

The fishing was slow so I took a break / The whole hill side is covered in pretty bear grass

On 5 July I did my final hike with Craig and Lucinda…

This time we chose to check out Pearl Lake. The six mile long, one lane wide, dirt road was decent and I was grateful there were no oncoming vehicles. The view just got better as we climbed. This area also burned in the 1994 fires. The wide open canopy allowed us a great vista of the surrounding mountains and more flowers were “starting to pop”.

There were no other cars at the trailhead. We eagerly grabbed our gear and hit the trail.

Right away I stopped to admire the plethora of brightly colored Mountain Shooting Star flowers. I had never seen so many!

Roughly a mile and a half from the start we traversed a big marsh. It was clearly an ancient lake that slowly filled with time. I expected to see a moose feeding on the large bunches of willows, but didn’t. The meandering stream through the middle looked very “trouty” but it would have been to tough to fish. Of course there were pretty flowers everywhere!

We chose to hike past the Pearl Lake spur trail to the higher saddle just ahead. We traversed a good-sized snow field near the top - always a novelty in July!

A large rock outcropping made a great spot to snack and take in the views. Others must have thought so too because the area was marked with a few rock cairns.

Craig and Lucinda decided to continue onward and I chose to backtrack to Pearl Lake. The final climb was a bit steep, rocky, and muddy. Thankfully it was short. I arrived at the lake and assessed where to fish…the opposite side of course!

I had to go over, under, and around quite a few fallen trees, but otherwise walking around the lake was fairly easy. I made my spot on a low, big flat rock on a point. I could cast easily to nearly 270 degrees of “trouty” looking water. A few fish rose sporadically just at the edge of my cast. I had just three hits and hooked one. It was bigger than average. It aggressively attacked my grasshopper fly, headed towards the bottom, and kept going. Sadly it swam under a log or something and broke off. It was a good fight and will remain a mystery!

The meeting time with Craig and Lucinda was near so I reluctantly packed up my gear and continued my trek around the lake. We converged at roughly the same time and headed back.

Hike route to Pearl Lake / Lucinda and Craig at the trailhead

Flowers blooming along the road to the trailhead

It’s just half a mile from here. The Mountain Shooting Star flowers almost looked planted there! / Crossing a snow field above Pearl Lake, elevation 7,500 feet

Lucinda, Craig, and I on a saddle above Pearl Lake / There were tons of Mountain Shooting Star flowers.

I hooked three good sized trout at Pearl Lake

We had good conversation, good food, and good views at the Anchor Restaurant

On 7 July I hiked to Shaw Twin Lakes…

It was yet another six mile long, one lane wide, dirt road. It was dry, fairly smooth, and blissfully empty.

I parked at a switchback and was impressed by the view of Little Payette and Payette Lakes. I was disappointed that it was hazy and knew my pictures taken towards the west wouldn’t turn out too good.

I walked up the worsening road and detoured at the first left. At first I thought it might just lead to a secluded camp spot. I was glad to find a worn hiking trail where the rough road ended.

The foot trail was rough, narrow, rocky, and often muddy. I had to go over, under, and around quite a few downed trees. I was surprised to parallel an old irrigation channel for a bit. I was also completely alone and in bear country. Every 10 minutes or so, I loudly said “Hey bear, I’m just moving through bear!”. It’s always best to avoid surprising them!

As I neared the lower lake, the going got rougher. There were more and bigger rocks, and the vegetation got quite thick. I was glad to pop up on the pretty little lake. I was also glad to see rising trout here and there!

I assessed the best spot to fish and headed to a rock fall on the opposite side, of course. The trail got even rougher and more faint, more like a game trail. I lost the trail once and fought my way through thick bushes, tricky rocks, and marshy areas. I was glad to make it to the rock fall in one piece!

My fishing spot was sweet. I could easily reach about 270 degrees of good looking water. I missed four or five little trout in the first half hour and then they just disappeared – typical of a high mountain lake. I had a snack and headed to the upper lake.

Once again, I was on a rough trail. It was steep, but easy to follow. It only took about 15 minutes to reach my goal. Right away I spotted rising trout.

This time I didn’t have to go to the opposite side of the lake for a good fishing spot. Nearby was a jumble of large flat rocks on a point. Again I could thoroughly work about 270 degrees of good looking water.

The fishing was consistent. I’d hook 2 or 3 small cutthroat trout and then they’d disappear. So I’d take a 10-15 minute break and try it again. I’d hook 2 or 3 more and they’d disappear. The cycle repeated for at least 90 minutes. The setting was beautiful, it was very peaceful, and the fishing was fun.

It was time to head back, but I wanted to explore the ridge above the lakes. Because of the steep rocky terrain, I had to descend to the lower lake, before heading up to the ridge. I followed game trails up the steep terrain. It got challenging in a few places, but not dangerous.

I popped out on top in a relatively flat open meadow with an old 4-wheel drive route running through. The flowers were pretty and fragrant and the views pretty impressive. The old route continued upwards and so did I.

As the route slowly petered out to an infrequently used foot trail, the views opened up even more. I could see huge Lake Cascade 20 miles to the south and 3,000 feet below me. To the west was Little Payette and Payette Lakes, McCall, and 60 miles distant were Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains. And everywhere else were dozens of jagged peaks of the Salmon River Mountains. The large open meadows at my feet were loaded with colorful and fragrant wildflowers. The sparkling Shaw Twin Lakes were 500 feet below and still looked inviting. I stopped for a snack and pictures and noticed various butterflies fluttering about. The experience was surreal and will always be a cherished memory!

Hike route to both Shaw Twin Lakes and the nearby ridge / Caught pretty cutthroat trout on grasshopper flies

Fly-fishing lower Shaw Twin Lake. There is still snow in those woods.

Fly-fishing upper Shaw Twin Lake

The view west through northwest. Little Payette Lake, Payette Lake, McCall, and the Wallowa Mountains.

Upper Shaw Twin Lake and the Salmon River Mountains. There were a bunch of butterflies fluttering about.

Overlooking lower Shaw Twin Lake. I loved walking along this ridge!

On 8 July Arleen and I had a little adventure…

Arleen teased me while we were in McCall that I needed to take her for a walk every few days. With her back issues, she was limited to walking on flat surfaces for short distances.

Legacy Park in downtown McCall meets those criteria. “Near the downtown shopping area, Legacy Park is the premier central location for summer recreation. Amenities include a volleyball court, picnic tables for relaxation, an enclosed swimming area, public restrooms & a public boat ramp for watercraft. Recently built with the proceeds of a bond sale, the Park is intended as a centerpiece of the community.”

We started each stroll by walking a short stretch of main street that had a few adorable shops. From there we’d cut down to the water front where a few restaurants had inviting deck seating.

Families are always out paddle boarding and kayaking. Toddlers are building sandcastles and playing in the water sprinklers. Everywhere, folks are sunbathing on the lawns. There are many comfortable places to sit to enjoy the pretty lake or do some people watching. There are also a few well-maintained bathrooms spread along the route.

For Arleen it's a nice flat walk and only a mile long. We did it several times.

One of the first park walks was on the 4^th of July morning. We were amused by folks that had already secured their firework watching real estate with a towel or pop-up canopy. McCall’s fireworks show over Payette Lake is quite popular.

Then on a Saturday morning, Arleen was excited about the farmer’s market! We scored fresh carrots, potatoes, and a tasty blueberry muffin.

Both Arleen and I love sitting on a mountain ridge and taking in the epic views below. Sadly she hadn’t been able to join me on my nearby mountain adventures. It was time to get her to the top of a mountain so we headed to Brundage.

“Located high in the mountains of Central Idaho, Brundage Mountain is a classic Idaho Ski Resort. Brundage is best known for its powder-packed glades and luxuriously wide groomed runs. Brundage Mountain is blessed with more than 320 base area inches of snowfall annually and has an undisputed reputation for the Best Snow in Idaho.”

“During the summer, the resort is open Thursdays through Sunday for lift-served mountain biking, scenic chairlift rides, and many more fun outdoor activities.”

We bought a ticket and hopped on the ski lift to the top, elevation 7,640 feet. It felt weird to get on the lift without skis and a snowboard.

We had a great view of the still snow covered Wallowa Mountains in Oregon to the west and the scenic Salmon River Mountains to the east. Three thousand feet below, the Payette lakes sparkled under the bright summer sun.

We were impressed with the twisted Limber Pines at the top and beautiful wildflowers. The fragrant phlox and vibrant paint brush were peaking. Many others are soon to follow.

It’s a bit of novelty to ride a lift down the mountain. The breeze in our face was quite refreshing and the extensive view was spread out ahead. We would have been perfectly content riding laps on the lift for a while!