SELKIRK LOOP SELKIRK LOOP - International Selkirk Loop

Scotchman Peaks
Wilderness
From Sandpoint along the Lake Pend Oreille-
Kootenai River Super Side Trip, serious seekers
of solitude can easily access the 88,000-acre
Scotchman Peaks roadless area that spans the
Idaho-Montana border. Since the 1970s, when
the U.S. Forest Service carried out extensive
evaluations of lands suitable for wilderness, this
rugged, scenic and biologically diverse portion of
the Cabinet Mountains has been managed for
its wilderness potential. Scotchman Peak, at 7,009
feet, is the highest peak in Bonner County and
one of the best-loved hikes in the Cabinet Mountains,
a range that runs for 150 miles and spreads
across two states, Idaho and Montana.
The views from Scotchman Peak are magnificent:
the expanse of Lake Pend Oreille to the
southwest, the rugged proposed wilderness to
the north, and the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness
Area to the east. Some say that the views are
better than Washington’s Abercrombie Mountain,
Hall Mountain and Copper Butte, or Idaho’s
Mount Roothaan (near Chimney Rock). The views
are truly hard to beat, plus there’s a strong likelihood
of seeing mountain goats, making for a
special wildlife-viewing treat.
Scotchman Peak also serves as a great
jumping off point for excursions into some
fabulous backcountry. To learn more about the
proposed wilderness and see a schedule of
guided hikes, look up Friends of Scotchman
Peaks Wilderness at www.ScotchmanPeaks.
org. The group is working to preserve the
Scotchmans and recently published a detailed,
informative map. For a complete guidebook to
Located in downtown Sandpoint. Large spa, outdoor (seasonal) pool,
free internet, free waffle breakfast and children under18 stay free.
208.263.9581 • 800.282-0660 • 470.lq.com
Sandpoint
Idaho
A mountain goat stands atop the summit of Scotchman
Peak, elevation 7,009 feet (David Luders)
hikes in the Cabinet Mountains, pick up a copy
of “Trails of the Wild Cabinets” sold at the
Sandpoint Visitor Center.
This roadless area is part of the Cabinet-
Yaak ecosystem, a home for a few grizzly bears
as well as wolves, which reestablished themselves
naturally from Canada (they were not reintroduced).
Present also are rare birds and animals
such as the fisher, pine marten, wolverine, and
boreal owl.
SCotChman peak traIl no. 65
This is the “grand-daddy” of hikes in the
proposed wilderness, an annual pilgrimage for
many local hikers. The trail is a little over 4 miles
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