Took my truck about 25 miles in from Clarkia then rode the rest. Hind sight should have just done about 5 miles as it as quicker on the bike. Almost ran into a moose on the way back. Startled him as I came around a corner. He trotted up the road a bit and then disappeared into the woods.
From Clarkia it’s 95% big bike friendly gravel. Lots of logging trucks on the way up, nothing on the way back. Last 1/2 mile is pretty narrow and rocky. About ATV width in places. Would I do it on my GSA? Yes. Would I be having fun on that last 1/2 mile? No! I’ve been up to Blue Haven before. It was much easier on my 390 than the last time I went with a fully loaded 901!
2.5 on a small bike, 3.3 on a big bike
I took the Crimson Mass route. Good gravel for the most part although the first section (Gem County) had several 100-yd sections of new loose graded gravel. Just watch out for color change in the surface.
Not much to add to what others have said. They pretty much covered everything.
The signs are worth reading. The last mile is a satisfying 3 on a big bike. Ghosts all over the backcountry above Idaho City.
Definitely a unique hotel, and a friendly cow to go along with it. If their website is any indication, it seems to get booked up a lot!
An easy road ride in on Orchard Access (really only a 1), or, you can up things to around a 3 if you take some of the disused 2-track and roads around the NG Cantonment area from Higby Cave. I chose the 2-track route but still list this as a 1 difficulty due to easy road access. See attached GPX for the path I took (roughly) to avoid the military closure of the road between this and Higby.
As mentioned by others the cave is legally closed to the public, no matter which way you came in on. Apparently it closed permanently in 2010, so it has been a while! Not sure if the point of the site is seeing what happens when people misuse public lands (supposedly dumping was part of what caused them to close it), or if it has just been carried over for 16 years since it closed? 😅
Either way, because you aren't supposed to take the 2-track down to the actual cave, it really only qualifies as a 2 (Standifer Rd, a reasonably maintained gravel road).
You can take other 2-track and disused roads to bypass around the NG Cantonment area and get to the Potato Hotel if you feel like increasing the difficulty level (e.g. attached GPX).
I originally found this cave a while ago just exploring the area; nice to see it as a site! Difficulty of arrival can depend a bit on which two track you come in on. The one directly off Hot Creek is a little lumpy due to frequent use, but still not that bad. Some of the other points of access to the site can take you on a nice detour.
Easy site. Part of a six-site pavement loop. See my Ride Report for more information and GPX Track.
https://motoidaho.com/forums/ride-reports/six-sites-four-u-turns-and-one-unamused-touring-bike/#post-483
Easy site. Part of a six-site pavement loop. See my Ride Report for more information and GPX Track.
https://motoidaho.com/forums/ride-reports/six-sites-four-u-turns-and-one-unamused-touring-bike/#post-483
Easy site. Part of a six-site pavement loop. See my Ride Report for more information and GPX Track.
https://motoidaho.com/forums/ride-reports/six-sites-four-u-turns-and-one-unamused-touring-bike/#post-483
Easy site. Part of a six-site pavement loop. See my Ride Report for more information and GPX Track.
https://motoidaho.com/forums/ride-reports/six-sites-four-u-turns-and-one-unamused-touring-bike/#post-483
Easy site. Part of a six-site pavement loop. See my Ride Report for more information and GPX Track.
https://motoidaho.com/forums/ride-reports/six-sites-four-u-turns-and-one-unamused-touring-bike/#post-483
Easy site. Part of a six-site pavement loop. See my Ride Report for more information and GPX Track.
https://motoidaho.com/forums/ride-reports/six-sites-four-u-turns-and-one-unamused-touring-bike/#post-483
