Day 4 - Lake Alturas to Challis Hot Springs

Our previous day (Day 3) strategy of riding some of the trails and bailing out to a highway worked so well, that we decided we would employ it for the remainder of the trip. This day we would ride 74 miles of dirt and finish the day with 44 miles of highway pavement.

The Statistics for the day were as follows:

Max Elevation – 10,410 ft

Total Ascent – 13,434 ft

Total Miles – 118

Avg Speed – 22.8 mph

Top Speed – 64 mph

The day started per usual with Todd waking us up at 6:30 AM and then making coffee for all. The trails started with some gravel road and jeep trail, but then transitioned to a long and beautiful single track trail (image a wilderness hiking trail) that skirted the Hemingway Boulders wilderness area within Sawtooth National Forest. The trail was beautiful, fun, and a little technical.

After the wilderness we would reach our highest elevation of the trip at Railroad Pass (10,410 feet). From the pass we traveled dirt roads to Old Sawmill Station, where we intersected Highway 75. We stopped in Old Sawmill for lunch and gas at the Sinclair station/store/cafe.

Highway 75 would take us to our destination at Challis Hot Springs and RV Park. The Hot Springs resort has two large pools fed by a natural hot spring. One pool is held at ~100°F while the other ranges from 104-110°F. These proved to be rejuvenating after our days on the bikes.

When we arrived and started settling in, we were greeted by our neighbors – an energetic and jovial couple in their 80s. They were intrigued with our gear and the story of our adventure. They hung around for a while, loaned us a water hose, later joined us around the campfire, and also met us the next morning to wish us well. They were a lot of fun and a good reminder of how we should enjoy life and each other.

Also at this campground was Tony Jenkins who was just recently crowned as one of the few finishers of the official Tour of Idaho trail. Riding the entire trail per the official specification is a grueling ordeal and worthy of great recognition and praise. Tony was a super nice guy, shared some stories of his recent accomplishment, and offered advice to help us with our planning.