Sawtooth Scenic Byway

Sawtooth Scenic Byway. . , Shoshone , Shoshone got its start as a mining supply town during Idaho’s silver boom. The town has been a railroad center for south central Idaho. Shoshone has architectural gems including exceptional historic buildings built with native lava rock, and an ivy-colored trail station. , Mammoth Cave , Mammoth Cave is a lava flow that cooled quickly on the outer edges of the flow creating a lava tube. The one-and-quarter-mile long tube was discovered during 1902. During the 1950’s, it served as a civil defense shelter. The privately owned cave is open to visitors, and has self-guided tours. , Shoshone Ice Caves , Shoshone Ice Cave was discovered during 1880, and it furnished ice to the town of Shoshone until 1900. The 40-foot-high cave is a lava tube 110 feet underground and nearly 1,700 feet long. The lava tube is a natural refrigerator, freezing the water that seeps into the tube from the Wood River creating ice. The underground glacier averages sixteen feet thick. , Sculptured Canyon , Sculptured Canyon is a photographer’s paradise, and is a spectacular example of the grinding power of water and pebbles. During the last ice age, more than 7,000 years ago, fast flowing water from melting glaciers sculpted and carved the Shoshone lava field basalt into spectacular rock structures and potholes. , Wood River Mines , A historical marker on Idaho 75 records the place where the mining rush of 1879 began when lead and silver were discovered. The Wood River Mines were once Idaho’s foremost mining region yielding nearly $60 million of lead and silver. Learn more about Idaho’s history at local museums located in Bellevue, Hailey and Ketchum. , Ernest Hemmingway , The Nobel Prize-winning author first came to Idaho in 1939. He became Idaho’s most famous resident, where he completed “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” Hemingway was a passionate fly fisherman and spent the last years of his life in Ketchum. He died in 1961 and is buried alongside his wife Mary in Ketchum Cemetery. Many people visit his burial place to be with the writer’s spirit. , Sun Valley Resort , Bald Mountain frames the backdrop of the Sun Valley Resort, America’s first destination ski resort. Built by Averell Harriman, chairman of Union Pacific Railroad, the resort was an instant success when it opened in December 1936, attracting movie stars, sports heroes and other public figures. Sun Valley today continues to offer an outstanding array of year-round events and recreational opportunities. , Pole Creek Ranger Station , Pole Creek Ranger Station, built in 1909, by Ranger Bill Horton, is the oldest ranger station in the Sawtooth National Forest. An interpretative trail at the site includes excerpts from Horton’s diaries which highlight the daily activities of an early forest ranger. During those times, forest rangers did everything from hauling water, measuring and marking timber, putting out forest fires, and overseeing thousands of sheep that were trailed through the valley. , Galena Summit , Idaho 75 crosses over Galena Summit at 8,701 feet. Galena Overlook offers views of the glacially carved Sawtooth Mountains and Sawtooth Valley. Nearly 15 miles wide and 30 miles long, the Sawtooths are one of America’s treasures. Mountain streams come together here to form the headwaters of the Salmon River where, the river begins its 900-mile journey to the Pacific Ocean. , Sawtooth Fish Hatchery , The Sawtooth Fish Hatchery is operated by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. The hatchery opened in 1985 as part of a federal mitigation program for the lower Snake River dams. The facility was built to trap, spawn, and rear spring chinook salmon, and to collect eggs from steelhead trout. The visitor center is open year-round and tours are offered during the summer. , Redfish Lake , Mount Heyburn at 10,000 feet, and Grand Mogul peaks beautifully frame Redfish Lake, and serve as a gateway to the Sawtooth Wilderness. Redfish is the Sawtooth’s largest alpine lake at a depth of more than 300 feet. The lake is home to the brilliantly colored red kokanee and sockeye salmon. Camping, hiking, and backpacking opportunities abound in a 218,000 acre wilderness.