In any social situation when we made a comment about how we really like Idaho state parks someone would ask if we had been to Ponderosa State Park. “Really nice” and “cool” were the attached adjectives. We decided it was time to check out this CG. Located just outside of McCall, Ponderosa (N44 55.514W116 05.468), is on a peninsula that extends into Payette Lake. This is a big campground with 160 plus sites and it even has a half dozen rental cabins that look very nice. I believe all of the rv sites offer water and electric hookups and there is a large section that includes sewer hookups.
This was our first trip w/ the new F150 and I was impressed. The rig pulled the camper up Horseshoe Bend grade and never topped 2500 rpm’s. Having made online reservations for 5 nights we pulled in and set up on Weds, 9/21. This is a really nice CG. There are flush toilets and showers centrally located in every loop and one of the park guys told us the bathrooms/showers were being totally redone for the 2012 season.
Day 2 the first thing on the agenda was a drive around the scenic loop along the edge of the peninsula. There are several pull outs with great views. Ponderosa is roughly a 1000 acre park with bike paths and a bunch of hiking trails.
After the scenic loop we headed back to the camper for coffee and planned out our trip of the day. Jennifer had a bit of a cold so we decided to cool it on any long hikes and do some drives instead. First up we headed east out of McCall and took the Brundage ski area road that turns into FR 257 and/or Hazard Lake Rd. We stopped at Goose Lake and had a picnic on the shore which was all grassy where the late season water level had dropped way down. The drive north is absolutely stunning.
Day 3 started with a great breakfast of steak and eggs. We headed out along the east shore of Payette Lake on Hwy21. The road is paved until we turned north onto Burgdorf road. This section is also part of the Idaho Centennial Trail. A couple of miles later we pulled into Burgdorf Hot Springs Resort (N45 16.609 W115 54.803). This place is super cool. Some of the building date from the 1800’s. The main pool is large and log sided, nice and warm and very clean.
Burgdorf resort also has cabins for rent.
There are changing rooms and a small kind of hot tube area that’s really hot according to J.
We spent a couple of hours there soaking, swimming and playing in the water. It’s a great place, definitely a must see.
Burgdorf resort also has cabins for rent.
Not these.
They have primitive cabins, no water and a wood stove that are pretty neat for $35 per night. Burgdorf is a really cool place and we will definitely be back. FYI the road is not plowed in the winter so plan on snowmobiles. Nice drive back to the camper at Ponderosa and a great dinner. Falls brand old fashion hot dogs. Unbeatable. (http://www.facebook.com/falls.brand).
They have primitive cabins, no water and a wood stove that are pretty neat for $35 per night. Burgdorf is a really cool place and we will definitely be back. FYI the road is not plowed in the winter so plan on snowmobiles. Nice drive back to the camper at Ponderosa and a great dinner. Falls brand old fashion hot dogs. Unbeatable. (http://www.facebook.com/falls.brand).
Day 4
After breakfast and coffee we checked out the McCall farmers market. Nice set up across a parking lot from the lake with maybe 15 vendors. We picked up some smoked salmon and a boneless leg of lamb from a producer located in Donnelly, ID. The salmon was good but a little sweet. We cooked the lamb after we got back to Eagle and it was fantastic. Check it out if you are there on a Saturday morning during the season. After the market we headed east on ID 48 past Lower Payette Lake and up Lake Fork Creek drainage. There is a forest service CG a few miles up that would be a good base camp if we go back to pick huckleberries. We’re always looking for a berry patch like we had in Montana.
A couple of miles past the CG we saw some climbers up on a huge rock face named Slick Rock. There is even a hike in CG for climbers. I took some pics but even at high res you can only see black specks. The road is pretty rough and gains elevation rapidly. I was glad we were in the F150 with plenty of clearance and 4WD. We stopped at Lick Creek Summit for lunch and the view from our rock was pretty cool.
I really like high alpine stuff and the area from the summit to Foolhen Meadows is right up there.
Over the top we dropped down into Lick Creek drainage on a road stuck to the side of a narrow canyon with nearly straight up mountains on one side and a 1000’ drop off the other side. The road is steep, no switchbacks, no curves just straight down the canyon wall.
Lick Creek dumps into the Secesh river and there are 3 CGs there with horse corrals and a bunch of trails heading into road less backcountry. Now I’m confused, the Secesh drains into the East Fork South Fork Salmon River. Now what’s up with that name? I swear that is the name listed on two different maps, the forest service map and a DeLorme atlas. Anyway here we were at the confluence of the Secesh and East Fork South Fork Salmon rivers.
After a pretty long drive back to McCall we stopped at Lardo’s for burgers. Lardo’s is an institution in McCall and their burgers are kickass; definite thumbs up.
Day 5.
Great sleep. After breakfast J went for a bike ride on the paths in the park. She reported that the trails were great and the scenery was fantastic. It was kind of cloudy so we stuck a little closer to the park and drove up to the North Beach unit of Ponderosa SP. It’s a cool area with primitive camp sites (closed when we were there in Sept.) and a great day use area right on a long stretch of sandy beach. I went looking for a place to fish which was kind of a bust but I did jump two moose when I crashed through the brush into a dry slough. The wind started coming up so we headed back to the camper and a grilled chicken dinner.
Day 6.
After breakfast we broke camp and started heading home. From my map study we found a developed hot springs listed south of Donnelly. We turned east onto Gold Fork road and continued for around 6 miles to Gold Fork Hot Springs (N44 41.4022W116 0.0655). This is a nice facility and the lady who developed it did an amazing job and spent a lot of money. We paid a few bucks and changed into our bathing suits in the yurt locker rooms. There are 3 main pools and each is different. The upper pool is 3 ft or so deep and the warmest at 100°. The second pool is filled by a waterfall spilling out of a split log. The last pool is shallow like a wading pool and it’s the coolest. It’s a really nice place.
It was a great trip. The new F150 was the nuts and its great having a reliable tow vehicle. We loved Ponderosa State Park and we give it our highest recommendation. J was feeling better the last couple of days and I love traveling with her. What can I say, just more Fun with D&J (http://funwithdandj-60.blogspot.com/).
