The Twenty Mile Trail north of McCall is a popular equestrian trail. It leads six miles and 2,200 feet through a mix of living and ghost forests to the jewel-like Twenty Mile Lakes. Find the trailhead on Warren Wagon Road—there are hitching rails and an unloading ramp for trailers.
Head to the Lake Fork Guard Station east of McCall on Lick Creek Road, where you can hitch and unload before leading stock up the road another mile to Lake Fork Creek. The trail is almost entirely flat and flanked with huckleberry bushes. Follow it for seven miles along the quiet creek to a picturesque lunch spot on pine-rimmed Maki Lake.
Reaching the Payette Forest's main access to the Frank Church Wilderness at Big Creek requires a multi-hour drive along forest roads northeast of McCall. While longer trips in "the Frank" should be left to those with serious backcountry experience, several easily navigable miles of old jeep road crisscross hills and old mining structures in the Big Creek area.
There are unending pack trips to be had within the million acres of the Frank, which is managed by the Payette National Forest. Numerous ranches and outfitters in central Idaho lead trips into the Frank, though more in Stanley and Challis than McCall. Ask your hotel to recommend an experienced outfitter.
Powered by Trip.com
