Trail between popular Sawtooth sites is finally open 8 years after approval
A long-awaited path connecting an Idaho mountain town and one of the Sawtooths’ most popular locations has finally been completed, U.S. Forest Service officials announced Tuesday.
The Stanley to Redfish Trail, a 4.5-mile gravel path, is now open to hikers, bikers and horseback riders. E-bikes, which the Forest Service categorizes as motorized vehicles, are not permitted.
The trail begins at Pioneer Park in Stanley and ends at Redfish Lake. Visitors can also access it from the Stanley Ranger Station located on Idaho 75 about halfway between the endpoints.
The project was first approved in 2015, when then-President Barack Obama signed a bill to create the Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness. Construction began on the trail in 2019 and was expected to be finished quickly — Sen. Mike Simpson, who sponsored the bill to create the trail told the Idaho Statesman that year he hoped to ride the trail the following summer.
The trail was delayed by construction issues and a legal challenge to the route. Dave Boren, co-founder of Boise-based Clearwater Analytics, bought a property near Stanley that contained an easement for the future trail. He sued the Forest Service, alleging the agency had no right to construct the trail and that the pathway would harm the environment and his enjoyment of his property.
A judge ruled against Boren in March 2022.
Several public officials, including Simpson and Stanley Mayor Steve Botti, lauded the completion of the trail. Kirk Flannigan, area ranger for the Sawtooth National Recreation Area where the trail is located, said in the news release that collaboration made the path possible.
“Over the years we had several instances where I thought we may not be able to complete the trail, and not once did our partners walk away from this important project,” Flannigan said.
