When was the last time you spent 3 days with next to no cell phone or Wi-Fi service (also know as “being off the grid”)? I for one can’t remember a time in at least the last decade, maybe longer. I get a day without connectivity here and there, but on this trip to the Sawtooth Mountains, the only time when my cell phone worked was short stops in the town of Stanley, Idaho.

I landed in Boise, Idaho, early on a Thursday afternoon. I drove the planned 2.5 hour drive straight from the airport to the Sawtooth Lodge where I’d be staying for three days. I needed to get to the lodge between 6 and 8pm for dinner, as I knew there wasn’t any other food close by, but also had plenty of time to make it. My trip took much longer than expected since I had a couple of work calls to do and the cellular service dropped just 15 minutes outside of Boise. When I got to a town with service about an hour later, I pulled off for an hour so that I could finish the calls. At that point I assumed that I’d have Wi-Fi when I got to the lodge at least.

The road to the lodge is a dirt road straight off the highway. It takes about 15 minutes on this winding dirt road to make it to the lodge. When I went to check in, I asked if they had Wi-Fi, but they said it was only for the point of sale system. They did offer to let me use their phone so I could call my family and let them know I got there. Absolutely no cell service or Wi-Fi to be had, unless maybe you bring your own satellite receiver.

The lodge is nestled into a small valley in the Grandjean Wilderness. We can thank Emile Grandjean for supervising the growth of the Sawtooth Mountains as one of the national forest rangers in the area.

After settling into my cabin, including running water but only a wood stove for heating, I did a quick hike along the river before it turned dark. There is a well-marked mile loop trail that is easy to follow just from the edge of the lodge.

I woke up early Friday morning to drive into Stanley, Idaho, for breakfast at the Stanley Baking Co. and Cafe. This is a must-do start for your day, but be sure to get there before it opens at 7am if you don’t want to wait in line. The sourdough pancakes were excellent as well as the fresh made hazelnut croissant. I overate both days, but I also didn’t need to eat much else of anything either day. My cellular service also worked great during breakfast.

On Friday I did two runs. In the morning I hiked up to Goat Lake and Goat Falls via the Iron Creek Trail, Alpine Way Trail. The trail had very good footing until the last sections that required some scrambling. The alpine lake is simply amazing with plenty of places to sit and just take in the views. I took a quick nap on a rock outcrop jutting into the lake, so nice with the sun on me and the absolute quiet. Despite being in August, on the far side of the lake, there was still unmelted snow perched above the lake's edge. The water is crystal clear, and also extremely cold.

When I got back to the trailhead I met another pair of runners and asked them about other runs in the area. They validated that my Saturday run was a good choice, but also mentioned that Redfish Lake has a boat service that can shorten other runs in that area.

After my run to Goat Lake, I went back into the Stanley city center to grab some cell service and checked the map to Redfish Lake and found it was only 15 minutes away. I decided I still had time to get over there, ride the boat, and run back along the lake 6 miles (10km). Redfish Lake has a lodge, restaurant, beach, and all kinds of water sports. I went to the marina, paid for my ticket and people watched, waiting for the boat. The 6 mile boat ride didn’t take very long. The return trail is mostly single track, and for the first 3-4 miles has a great view of the lake nearly the entire time. After the run, I had a beer at the lodge and listened to the live music before heading back to the Sawtooth Lodge.

On Saturday, I woke up early again, packed my things for a longer hike, and headed over to Stanley for breakfast at the same place. While Friday was bright and almost too warm, Saturday was overcast and the temperature hovered about 50 degrees (10 celsius). It had rained that night, which was very calming with the sound of rain on the cabin’s roof, but I didn’t feel so good about the conditions for the day. Since I always pack enough things to stay warm through the night if I get stuck, I had my rain jacket, pants, extra thermal gear and long sleeve technical shirts. It’s been awhile since I carried such a heavy pack on a run (also with 2 liters of water and my Grayl water filter).

In one day I did a variation of the Alice, and Toxaway Lakes Loop Hike. I also hiked into the Twin Lakes and then took a very steep trail out of the basin of the lakes rather than backtracking to the main trail. I’m glad I took this more difficult route since it results in such amazing views back into the lakes as you rise above the lake from the shore. At the peak, the wind picked up, and I could sense a storm coming in. I tried to bomb the trail all the way to Toxaway Lake to warm back up and also make up some time. This is an incredibly fun section of running, and one reason I’m glad I hiked the clockwise direction. I saw some advice to the contrary regarding the direction, but I enjoyed getting to Twin Lakes earlier in the day. The twin lakes peak was the high point (no pun intended) of the trip.

I broke a cardinal rule of not getting off a mountain before a thunderstorm and paid for that with an hour of heavy downpour and massive rolling thunderclaps and lighting. I didn’t know if I should sit and stay or run, so I just ran as fast as I could through this period to get lower and lower. Since I’m writing this I didn’t die, but I do not recommend putting yourself into this situation.

On Sunday, I slept in, read, ate my delicious breakfast burrito and went to the Sacajawea Hot Springs. They are only a few minutes drive from the lodge, and are accessible right from the road. There was just one other person, so I found a pool to myself and lounged in the water for quite a while. Be really careful, the water coming out of the side of the hill is blistering hot.

I drove back into Boise to my tiny house AirBnb. I chose it because it is only 20 minutes from the airport but also that there are running trails nearby. After checking in and relaxing for a few minutes, I drove the 10 minutes to Polecat Gulch. This is a mixed use trail for mountain biking and running, but given the heat of the day I figured I wouldn’t see anyone. There were only a few bikers I saw, all very respectful of a runner. This is a very fun 6 mile (10km) trail with all of the winding trails and relatively gentle slopes. After my run I headed to downtown Boise to meet a friend for dinner and that was a wrap for the weekend.

I’m embarrassed to say I had no idea how beautiful, rugged and remote the Sawtooth Mountain region of Idaho is. I’ve already booked my return trip to the Sawtooth Lodge since it was an excellent base for adventures in the mountains. There are many opportunities for ultrarunning in this area, I hope you find your own adventure in this amazing mountain range.

Tracks

Where: Evening hike from Sawtooth Lodge
Start and Finish : Sawtooth Lodge
Distance: 3 miles (5km)

Where: Goat Lake and Goat Falls
Start and Finish : Iron Creek Campground
Distance: 11 miles (17km)
Elevation: 2,246 feet (684m)

Where: Toxaway and Twin Lakes Loop - Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho
Start and Finish : Tin Cup Campground
Distance: 20 miles (32km)
Elevation: 3,604 feet (1100m)

Where: Polecat Gulch, Boise, Idaho Suburbs
Start and Finish : Polecat Gulch Parking Lot
Distance: 6.5 miles (10km)
Elevation: 120 feet (30m)