More on skiing in Sawtooth National Forest

Cruise the Sawtooth Scenic Byway
State Highway 75 will take you from Shoshone — the gateway to Idaho's high desert — to the jagged glacial crags in the Sawtooth Valley area. Along the way, stop and take a guided tour at the Ice Caves — a bizarre geologic phenomenon where living glaciers persist in an arid lava desert. Pass through the skiing mecca of Sun Valley and visit the grave of Ernest Hemingway who is buried in the historic mining town of Ketchum. As you drive through the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, it doesn't get much better than this — the byway slices through the Boulder Mountains, which will be on your right, and the Smoky Mountains on your left. You might have to shift the jalopy into a low gear to get up the Galena Summit at 8,702 feet. Cruise past the haunted ruins of Sawtooth City — an 1880s mining camp that gave up the ghost a long time ago. The shimmering Redfish Lake is the last and final stop.

Kayak the Salmon
The 27-mile stretch of river between Buckhorn Rest Area and Torreys Hole Access Area averages a 15-foot drop per mile. Class I and II rapids are typical, but don't get lulled into thinking this is an easy float — expect Class III and IV during spring run-off in May and June. The forest service monitors the river's depth at a gauging station near the confluence of the Yankee Fork; at this point the river is 200 feet wide and its depth can range wildly — anywhere from 1 foot during the fall to 12 feet during spring run-off. Experienced floaters consider a depth of 6 feet to be dangerous (about 3,000 cubic feet per second) — so at 12 feet, that's a lot of surging water.

Fish with Your Head in the Clouds
The high mountain lakes of the White Cloud Peaks offer the best fishing in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. Catching an 8- to 10-pound trout is not unheard of in these parts. If you prefer fish on the run, the Salmon River Canyon offers excellent opportunities at migrating passersby like steelhead and chinook. You can also expect mountain whitefish to extend the angling season, as they are active winter feeders. The wild trout waters of Silver Creek near Picabo, Idaho, lure fly fishermen from all over the world. Temperatures remain constant year-round in this spring-fed stream, never fluctuating more than 5 degrees. Good news for rainbows, brooks and browns; good news for you.

Tag Sawtooth Wildflowers
The Sawtooth is a natural nursery of wildflowers including fireweed, lupine, penstemon, shrubby cinquefoil, elephant head, broadfruit mariposa, and blue camas. The sub-alpine elephant head may be found around Gladiator Creek in early July. Common paintbrush can be found in May and June on Sun peak, a broad sagebrush hill that sits directly north of Ketchum. Shooting stars can be found from early summer through September on the east side of State Highway 75 near Prairie Creek.