IDAHODIFFICULTY: Easy to moderateVEHICLE: High-clearance 2WD or 4WDLENGTH: 206 miles; 4 days/3 nightsTake the Bait: South-central Idaho is the perfect place to fuel a Rocky Mountain tour with bait and tackle. The route – pavement and rough forest road – twists and turns through the convoluted Lost River range and Pioneer Mountains, scaling passes and dropping into canyons. At waterside camps, anglers reel in bass from Anderson Ranch Reservoir and trout from Copper Basin lakes and Mahogany Creek.Day OneFrom Fairfield, follow Soldier Road north and watch as the Rockies rise from the volcanic Snake River Plain. Turn east onto 227, where you wind through the Smoky Mountains’ steep-walled canyons. Ascend over Dollarhide Summit (8175 ft.) and set up your tent at one of many primitive campgrounds in the Sawtooth National Forest. The south fork of the Salmon River, which runs through Sawtooth, will provide steelhead trout for dinner.Day TwoContinue to Ketchum, where you’ll follow Trail Creek Road up to the Trail Creek Summit (8140 ft.), a gap between the Boulder and Pioneer Mountains. Catch your lunch-rainbow, brook, bull, cutthroat or golden trout-at the East Fork of the Big Lost River before turning east on Challis National Forest Road 135, a gravel road that leads to a valley, deep in the Pioneer’s glaciated peaks, called Copper Basin (if you haven’t caught enough trout to last you until dinner, stop and fish here). Follow the Copper Basin Loop Road past Burma Road (142) and continue toward the spur up Muldoon Canyon. Just before the Muldoon turn, tucked into the trees to your left, is a primitive campsite that offers a picture window view of the White Knob Mountains. Camp.Day ThreeReturn to Burma Road, which takes you through the White Knobs before making a heart-stopping descent toward U.S. 93. The Lost River Range, Idaho’s highest, is dead ahead. Turn northeast near the base of Mount Borah (12662 ft.) and south onto Horseheaven Pass Road, below deeply carved glacial canyons, and head toward the Pahsimeroi River. Rocky road 267 along the West fork of the Pahsimeroi will take you to the trailhead, where you can hike through the forest to alpine Merriam Lake. Camp at the road’s end, near Mahogany Creek, where you can catch trout for dinner. Day FourFrom Pahsimeori Country, follow the gravel ranch roads to Pahsimeroi Road, also known as Lost River Highway. Head south back to Fairfield.Pflueger President Spinning Reel Combo ($80)Media Platforms Design TeamSmooth caster with sturdy cork grip.cabelas.comXPS Fluorocarbon Line ($14)Media Platforms Design TeamVirtually vanishes when wet; twice as dense as monofilament.basspro.comXPS Stalker Tackle Bag ($50)Media Platforms Design TeamWorn as backpack or carried by hand; five roomy exterior pockets.basspro.comMagellan CrossoverGPS ($500)Media Platforms Design TeamWaterproof guide to fishing holes and other spots. magellangps.comNonstick Triple Fish Basket ($20)Media Platforms Design TeamSecures your catch of the day for easy turning over the fire.amazon.comTRACKER Super Guide V-14 T ($7800)Media Platforms Design TeamFour-person boat with 40-hp outboard and bow livewell. basstracker.com
