Loon Creek Summit – Obrianmcc Adventures

East to West – Part 3

Dropping down into Loon Creek the Pinyon Peak Loop Road connects into FR 007, Loon Creek Road. Loon Creek Road passes by the Diamond D Ranch and the Loon Creek Guard Station before continuing as a scenic stretch up towards Loon Creek Summit. I enjoy this particular stretch as the colors of the area are a mix of Reddish Orange of the rocks and the Green of the forest …. very contrasting and spectacular!

Our timing was perfect as we worked our way up to Loon Creek Summit. Rain showers had just moved through the area and it was very much like a water truck having just passed through to cut down the dust….. the road was hero!

8686 Ft

We switched backed down the south side as the road ventured down towards Custer and the Custer Motorway. Before turning towards Custer the old Yankee Fork Dredge comes into view.

The Yankee Fork dredge is a restored relic of the mining past that is most prevalent in this area. The dredge is staffed and open for daily tours. We skip the tour and head through Custer via the Custer Motorway.

Custer is a ghost town that has also been preserved and is managed by the USFS. The town is set up with self guided tours and really paints a picture of the life styles and hard ships of another time.

Now on the Custer Motorway we point our bikes east. The previous rain showers are now in front of us and have again showered down just enough to mitigate the dust.

The Custer Motorway was a 35 mile stage route used as primary access to the Custer/Bonanza area mines. It was ultimately broken up into sections with layover points to allow travelers and horse teams to rest.

The motorway flows quickly through the firs and pines as it descends towards the more open country of Challis.

Challis finally comes into view as we drop out from the mountains onto the main drag as weary motorcycle travelers look for a place to throw down a tent and end our first day.

Reconnecting with Jack and Carol who were successful in getting their 790 back on the road and beat us to the Challis Hot Springs. With the group now back together dinner and warm pools would prepare us for day two.

… to be continued

East to West – Part 2

With bodies and bikes refueled we remount and continue up Hwy 21. Hwy 21 (the Ponderosa Scenic Byway) is a one of those super fun roads that you can ride over and over. It’s a paved strip that encourages aggressive lean angles as it winds along rivers edge and between steep and jagged ridge lines.

Passing through a section known as “Avalanche Alley” … duly named by the frequent avalanches that occur after winter storms, we crest Banner Summit and drop into the west side of Stanley Valley. We wont be making our way through Stanley this day, instead we will turn off Hwy 21 and onto Seafoam Rd (FR 008). This leads to Beaver Creek Rd (FR 172) in a few short miles. Beaver Creek Rd is primitive and rough … perfect for ADV bikes.

Seafoam Road

Turn off for Beaver Creek Rd

FR 172, Beaver Creek Road is a narrow 300ft easement through the southern section of the Frank Church Wilderness. It is narrow, sandy, rocky, runs tight ridge lines and has miles of views.

Following Beaver Creek the road eventually starts to climb out of the drainage and up to the eastern ridge.

Once out of the drainage and up on the saddle we are overlooking the eastern drainage down into Loon Creek. Weather has been chasing us in and it’s apparent now that the darkened skies might have little more in store for us as the distant thunder creeps closer and closer.

Frank Church Corridor

This starts our ridge run towards Pinyon Peak where the road will aptly transition to the Pinyon Peak Loop or Rd 117. You are kept high on the ridge with amazing views in all directions of the surrounding ranges.

We stop and regroup at the turn off for Pinyon Peak Lookout. We contemplate a run up to the lookout, but the active thunder that is closing in diverts that decision instead for a direct descent down into Loon Creek.

From the summit the road winds it’s way down the valley into Loon Creek. Right at the top there is a switchback that can maintain a snow drift over the road well into August on heavy snow years.

Lucky for us the drift has has almost completely melted off allowing us to pass.

…. to be continued

Two Track into Loon Creek – Part 6 …. Sunbeam

Passing over Loon Creek Summit the road opens up into a southern exposure overlooking the Yankee Fork drainage. A single lane two track guides me down past exposed edge and through multiple switchbacks.

Blind curve-

Visible in the distance is the old Sunbeam Mine site currently under reclamation.

As I near the Sunbeam entrance … the road widens from it’s previous stature of single lane two track.

Riding this loop in it’s clockwise direction … I take note of buildings that I have previously flown right by …. it’s evident that there is a long mining history in the area, as with much of wild Idaho.

Old mine tailings deposited by the Yankee Fork Dredge many years ago. As disruptive as they were to the landscape .. it still amazes me how in their era they were able to float such a large piece of equipment down a relatively shallow low volume creek.

Yankee Fork Dredge-

The area surrounding the dredge was once a very active community … Custer to the Northeast and Bonanza just down the road. Life here at the time was hard and full of challenges and sacrifice…. all for the sake of carving out a living within the gold industry of the day.

Bonanza Cemetery-

Peaceful rest-

A few more miles down the road and the Sunbeam Dam appears.

The dam only operated for a few short years supplying much needed power up to the Yankee Fork operations, but gold/mineral prices of the day barely covered operating cost, which lead to the shut down of the dredge to where it sits today. The dam was breached years later to help restore lost Salmon runs.

To be continued…