Lochsa River Historic Trail

The backcountry of Idaho is filled with a vast landscape of dense forests and thick vegetation, jagged mountains and rolling foothills. The Locksa River cuts through a lot of this terrain and creates some stunning views and right along it is the Lochsa River Historial Trail. The long trail has a short width of only 24 inches and is composed of flattened dirt and packed soil.

The trail starts out at the Lochsa Historical Ranger Station, an old ranger station that was open in the 1920s. Nowadays the station is on the National Register of Historic Places and provides a decent trailhead for those looking to explore the wilderness. There are restrooms, picnic tables, water fountains, and trash bins available at the site.

The trail follows along the river, with moderate elevation gains that allow for peak views. There's plenty to see since the trail is also surrounded by the land that makes up the Clearwater National Forest, a 1.8 million acre national forest that has an abundance of wildlife and vegetation. Wildlife viewing can include raccoon, elk, moose, black bear, two species of fox, bald eagle, marten, white-tailed and mule deer, coyote, wolf packs, cougar, boreal owl, river otter, muskrat, beaver, pika, fisher, mink, and mountain goat.

The trail is also great for many activities, like mountain biking, horse riding, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. Being so close to the river, there are plenty of natural beaches to enjoy for swimming, fishing, and boating activities. 

The fun doesn't stop there since the end of the trail connects to multiple other trails that continue to explore the forest. You can Fido can either turn around and continue, go back, or even just camp in some of the open fields along the trail too. There's plenty to do and see, and no matter how much time you and fido spend on the path, you'll keep wanting to come back for more.