Trail Overview
This 9 mile track goes up to over 8000 feet in the Lost River Mountains. This area is rich in mining history. You can explore mine facilities, mining communities, and ghost towns, see elk and deer, and experience beautiful views. From the Mackay Mine Hill Tour, take a right on Lost River Access Road. Follow Lost River Access Road to Blaze Canyon until you get to this trail.
Difficulty
These roads will experience erosion during high runoff, but generally they're easy to travel. If you're there too early in the spring, you will encounter snow and/or mud in some of the forests.
History
Hiding in the shadows of Mt. Borah, Idaho's highest mountain peak (12,662 ft.), and the rest of the towering Lost River Range, this old mining town is often called the "Top of Idaho" for good reason. Mackay is named after John W. Mackay, the Nevada mining engineer who funded the mines located below Mackay Peak near what is now the ghost town of White Knob. Early settlers had already begun inhabiting the valley between the Lost River Range and the White Knob Mountains in the late 1800s, and by 1900 the settlement along the Big Lost River was booming. People came in droves to make their fortunes in "Copper City," as the community was being called. But it wasn't until 1901 that the new town was founded and named Mackay. There is a wonderful museum in Mackay.
