This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
McCall, Idaho • The Pacific Northwest is kind of mythical place to me. That's because I haven't spent much time there.
So when my wife and I traveled to McCall, Idaho, for a wedding in the last weekend of August, I felt compelled to go for a hike. Yes, I know there's a debate as to whether Idaho qualifies as the Pacific Northwest. Once I saw Ponderosa State Park, along the Payette Lake, I was confident this area qualified.
Ponderosa pine soar above the ground. Sometimes they are so thick they obscure the lake. The trees, combined with the prevalence of the color green and the hint of humidity in the air, provide that deep woods feel I was hoping to find.
The park sits on a peninsula that intrudes onto the lake and gives it the shape of an asymmetrical wishbone. From the amphitheater, my wife and I started walking along the Peninsula Trail that runs along the east side of the park. Within minutes we saw whitetail deer.
The trail soon connected to the Huckleberry Loop that takes you near the west side of the park. The hike was said to be about 5 miles. (I didn't take my GPS.) The elevation gain was minimal.
The Payette National Forest sits on two sides of McCall. I probably could have found other trails to hike, but was very satisfied with what I found at Ponderosa State Park. It gave me that taste of the Pacific Northwest I was seeking.
Twitter: @natecarlisle