Chimney Gulch to Mammoth Canyon

Trail Overview

This 12-mile track leaves the Mackay Mine Hill Tour Track and ventures to 9238 feet above sea level, deep into the Lost River Mountain Range. You drive along and cross high mountain creeks, and the possibility of wildlife sightings is plentiful. Snow-covered peaks above, hearty little flowers on the ground. If you're too early in the springtime, you may encounter snow and/or mud on the trail.

Photos of Chimney Gulch to Mammoth Canyon

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Difficulty

These roads will experience erosion during high runoff, but generally they're easy to travel. Water crossings will be deeper in the early spring. 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.

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