This is the first leg of our Loop through 7 Northwestern States
So many stories to tell from this journey, so we'll start at the beginning. We agreed to meet four other couples in Idaho to share a portion of our 17-day road trip to Glacier National Park.
We began the trip alone, with a plan to spend some time in the Wasatch Mountains, specifically in the Albion Basin, also know as Alta Ski Area, just east of Salt Lake City.
We'd made this journey through Nevada and Utah several times before, on our way to Sun Valley, ID and beyond, but never spent much time exploring. We are so glad that we finally did!
Our first stop was along the "The Loneliest Road in America" , so named by Life magazine in July 1986 (aka US Route 50 - Lincoln Highway).
We spent our first night in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, just east of Austin, NV. It was a quiet little spot, perfect for our quick overnight.
The loneliest road takes you through some small, old mining towns, rich with history - Austin, Eureka, Ely, and finally past the stunning Great Basin National Park. If you'd like to heighten the intensity of traveling through this haunting part of the high desert, you may want to watch this "found footage" pseudo-documentary based on a true story.
On this trip we took Hwy 50 into Utah and then a straight shot to Hwy 6 and north on I-15 toward our next destination. It is a (not so hidden) gem, worth exploring. A ski resort in winter, in the summertime Albion Basin Campground is a fabulous destination. It is located in Little Cottonwood Canyon, near Alta, Utah and often does not open for use until July 4th or later due to snow depths. When the snow does finally melt, Albion Basin is renowned for its vivid summer wildflowers.
We found a panoramic, private, and serene campsite with a trail to the peaks right outside our "front door"!
Part of the HIDDEN gem is the hike up to Cecret Lake (even its name is secret...) which is hard to find while standing right in front of it!
The hiking trails were phenomenal with forests, peaks, vistas, and wildlife.
Alas, it was time for us to continue on, to meet our traveling companions at our rendezvous, Sun Valley, ID. Along the way, we happened to hit an odometer milestone - the equivalent of once around the earth, in our first year!
We spent a few days there, glamping in the driveway of our friends' home, at another renowned ski area.
Unfortunately, the wildfires in the west continued to rage. In fact, the smoke was permeating all the way to Toronto, Philadelphia, and NYC! We happened to be in Sun Valley during the annual 'Summer Camp For Billionaires'. We were all hoping that the "campers" were taking note of the fact that THE WORLD IS ON FIRE!
Next stops, Bull Trout Lake and Alturas Lake, nestled in the Sawtooth Mountains. Our days were full of swimming, kayaking, hiking, sailing, birdwatching (mostly bald eagles), and delicious community meals.
From here, we bid adieu to our fellow travelers. They were headed to Yellowstone with their trailers while we were continuing on to the "backdoor" entrance to Glacier NP (see our blog entry for Leg Two of this journey).
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