After I decided to stop my Idaho Centennial Trail hike for the year, Ambrose and I decided to drive around to the place where he would have been picking me up. That way, when I do it next year, we will know exactly where to expect to meet instead of getting lost…
The only place to take a vehicle between the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness and the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness is a road called the Magruder Corridor. It’s a single lane dirt road that runs between wildernesses between Elk City, Idaho and Darby, MT. It’s 101 miles that can take more than 8 hours to drive – if you have 4 wheel drive. Folks driving on it are advised to carry cutting tools, plenty of water, and a properly inflated spare tire.
We drive a Ford Focus sedan. It really isn’t meant to drive on that kind of road, but we were going to give it a go – only to Dry Saddle, where the Idaho Centennial Trail comes from the Frank Church and then follows the corridor for a spell before heading into the Selway.
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6881KH4erjQ/XU47vjnzVhI/AAAAAAAAUQU/UY5etm0jNWUcZZ93QLG8DbSWSfbwKtslACKgBGAs/s640/IMG_20190728_090434754.jpg) |
Caution signs at the start of the road – only 33 miles to Dry Saddle. |
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XdwfPZv0rHM/XU47vgLqAlI/AAAAAAAAUQU/BUWGJqfQVw8t5nl6s1D-ji6BsKQoW7BnQCKgBGAs/s640/IMG_20190728_090639079_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg) |
The road started off decently. |
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NZSnYY13RDo/XU47vnxBbLI/AAAAAAAAUQU/cHXtSI9d0-09LSFDf7s0K6c5gdusM1znQCKgBGAs/s640/IMG_20190728_100458882.jpg) |
We reached 14 mile campground in about an hour. |
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jRoGzXWv8hc/XU47vmAvXoI/AAAAAAAAUQU/XC_sLckbixsSdfJZ716PiAZyuVKjplekgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_20190728_103336619.jpg) |
The Elk Creek Road junction at the start of a large burned out area. |
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vFLscXNrH_c/XU47vkIU2VI/AAAAAAAAUQU/5nbTvMIgBeUJ8Smucw1oq3sKSJmaoU8gACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_20190728_104405238_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg) |
The trees being burned did at least allow us some expansive views. |
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XbFnTnUM_8s/XU47vu4V7II/AAAAAAAAUQU/p37224hpK9AhZgoSW6uF5QUL3xJ9VAkyACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_20190728_111826581.jpg) |
Poet Creek Campground where we took a little break. |
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nZuLzzdvtiU/XU47vjJba8I/AAAAAAAAUQU/7i-rRe91nnYTtPVLQR_D5DZzyeup6qSRwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_20190728_112520980.jpg) |
Graffiti on the inside of the privy at Poet Creek. |
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CwE9tyLuECw/XU47voefgkI/AAAAAAAAUQU/u_ZQlo03E_Q4XSfAdIwFNzWBEVY0e1G2QCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_20190728_113025042.jpg) |
The road got rougher after this and I was too busy clenching and urging Ambrose and the car on safely to take many pictures. |
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OBfH6I6vTh8/XU47vuILPgI/AAAAAAAAUQU/B5pVSxKuiaAIjK1FsPIrdFGUuktgcplWQCKgBGAs/s640/IMG_20190728_123914256.jpg) |
Oh yeah, we got a Ford Focus up to Dry Saddle. And we didn’t bottom out once! |
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6DHqDXVLo8Y/XU47vvEvKjI/AAAAAAAAUQU/Z5MxMR2-hI03QW9DKDnUQJNYb9VAkcp5QCKgBGAs/s640/IMG_20190728_124016958.jpg) |
What a gorgeous view of the wilderness, looking towards Montana. |
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-voEW-JUqlG0/XU47vqupTmI/AAAAAAAAUQU/kAEjsyoGiiEmC-TnQL0h2cU53jDUi5ibgCKgBGAs/s640/IMG_20190728_125538477.jpg) |
We didn’t see any Bigfeet or clowns. |
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xc2vQeN5rhY/XU47vqaL_fI/AAAAAAAAUQU/Nk9Cuis-QvAp7DU9Y3o0eixcTF_5zY9fgCKgBGAs/s640/IMG_20190728_125630626.jpg) |
The car is right in front of the trail head. I’ll be either leaving from here or coming out here next year, depending on whether I decide to do the section southbound instead of northbound. |
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2-qnUS1Ca4Y/XU47vnmSgfI/AAAAAAAAUQU/u-ReAlah__UKvXWaP4yZWmc5ob0-mdc2gCKgBGAs/s640/IMG_20190728_132244560_HDR.jpg) |
Ambrose and I hiked the trail out a bit to see what we could see. |
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uIVqXy5sow4/XU47voxDwgI/AAAAAAAAUQU/6jIp2hBLrM4t6DIzS_pxZn31H_mJbKLvQCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_20190728_132324498.jpg) |
Ambrose on the trail. |
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--VnqkqthV7Q/XU47vkSPLhI/AAAAAAAAUQU/WYKSdNfE6ZwuO3WUp_UUFbDqqc_XlMutwCKgBGAs/s640/IMG_20190728_132459862.jpg) |
Wilderness selfie! I borrowed Ambrose’s hat because my hair was so short I could have gotten a scalp burn without it. |
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dVRbYkjL6WQ/XU47vqD-09I/AAAAAAAAUQU/-bOTjAtDlXYiKJDK9X1WjtCw1bVcDocywCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_20190728_133601634.jpg) |
Dry Saddle had a privy – but no toilet paper (we had some in the car though). |
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mjHSjnNsYA8/XU47vjYNmtI/AAAAAAAAUQU/8QmygtLbffMLtsbjRrUE9e85R53NEpQsACKgBGAs/s640/IMG_20190728_144819258.jpg) |
Hard to get a good picture from a moving car – even at slow speeds since there were a lot of bumps in the road. |
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lmGsZOvLkJE/XU47voNrL1I/AAAAAAAAUQU/xk1JylQ7AfY-uwN6ovEjCCPtep3pCOizgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_20190728_162954389.jpg) |
A tease of a flat section before we re-entered the living forest and the one place where water crossed the road in a scary ditch. |
It took us over 3 and a half hours to get up to Dry Saddle. We ate lunch there and hiked a bit before heading back down. Down wasn’t any easier than up. We started up Magruder about 8 am and didn’t get off it until 4 pm. A whole day to travel 66 miles.
Ambrose is a badass driver for making that happen in a stick shift sedan, but yeah… next time we head up there, it’s going to be in a rental SUV 🙂