Custer County / Sawtooth Valley
At the base of the Sawtooth Mountains lies the small town of Stanley, Idaho. Its riverfront and mountain valley location make it quite picturesque. We decided to stay here a couple nights on the recommendation of one of Alex’s co workers. Originally discovered by fur trappers in the 1820s, Stanley became inhabited in the 1850’s and 60’s during the gold rush. Prospectors found little gold to mine but some stayed because the land sprawls across The Salmon River- home of the sockeye salmon spawn. Every year since the early 1800’s, sockeye swim over 900 miles back to their watershed on Salmon River and Redfish Lake to breed.
As of the 2020 census, the population of Stanley is a whopping 112 people, a boom from their 2010 census of 63. There are a lot of cattle ranches around and this may account for the tiny population of people. For a small town, there is a lot of nature to explore. We hiked through the Sawtooth Valley, traversed Lady’s Face Falls, relaxed in a hot spring next to The Salmon River, and got another beautiful dispersed riverside camping site. Alex took a cold morning river bath and we honed our bonfire making skills every evening with wood gathered along the riverbank.
While soaking in the natural hot spring near the river, we saw a man “walking” his dogs by floating down the river in a tube while the dogs ran alongside the shore following him. He pulled his tube over to relax in the hot spring a bit and we learned he was the owner of one of the few bars and restaurants in town. After we were done with our soak we decided to have dinner and a beer at Kasino Club, the bar owned by our hot spring acquaintance. We had a delicious Steelhead trout sandwich, drank some local beers and agreed that Stanley, ID is a pretty neat little place to be for a few nights. Oh, and there is an adorable ice cream and espresso trailer overlooking the valley. What else do you need?
