The deserts of SW Idaho are vast. They are an open landscape of sagebrush, juniper, and grasslands and home to an abundance of wildlife. This ride takes us on Mudflat road, accross Owhyee County to Jordan Valley, OR. It is a backcountry byway perfect for a weekend afternoon.
Expect solitude. In the hundred or more miles we rode this day, we might have passed just one or two autos enroute. I call this nirvana.
The Steens Mountain Wilderness lies within one of the most remote regions within the lower 48. Sparsely populated with few roads, the desert area where Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon all come together is a special place to ride and explore. The Steens area stands tall here.
A late afternoon ride into the Sawtooth Mountains of central Idaho is a great way to escape the sweltering July heat of southern Idaho. This is an area I have been visiting since I was a lad. The emptiness, the remoteness, and the incredible Sawtooth Mountains have not changed in 50+ years thanks to the foresight of Idaho’s past legislators and their hard work to pass wilderness initiatives and conservation easements.
The region is unspoiled, unchanged, and open to all—not just the rich.