Idaho Centennial Trail: Section 12

Dogs Off-leash

Features Birding · River/Creek · Spring · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Your climb continues into the Bennett Hills. For the early sections of the ICT, this is a considerable climb--over 2,300 feet in a few miles. A section of the trail is away from roads, the first such section on the ICT. You finally get to leave a road! This section isn't well maintained, but there are sign posts marking the route. You'll want to bring a map of the area or mark some GPS waypoints before you go to help you with route finding.

The first few miles of this route will only have water in the springtime, but once you get to Little Canyon Creek, that should supply you with a consistent source of water. After completing the trail segment, you reconnect with the Bennett Hills Road, which you'll follow for the next 13 miles or so until you get to US 20 on the north side of the hills.

This section ends as the vegetation begins to get more and more lush. You have finally made it out of the Bruneau Desert and Snake River Plain, and you have begun climbing the first of hundreds of mountain ranges you'll experience for the next 800 miles.

Mountain bluebirds love this area, especially in the springtime. Deer frequent the creek bottoms and hillsides. The creek also supports a population of beavers. Elk and pronghorn can also be seen in the area.