Mallard Larkins | St. Joe National Forest, Idaho
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- Опубліковано 8 лип 2024
- We were trying to decide where to go and finally settled on the Mallard Larkins Pioneer Area in North Idaho. We did a trip here 3 years ago and the place blew my mind. While not being far from civilization when you look at a map, being there is another story. As the crow flies the trailhead is maybe 40 miles from where I live. To get there though, takes about 3 hours.
The stats for this trip would put this in the category of a moderate hike for me. Less than 10 miles per day, less than 2000' gain per day. Somehow hiking here feels a lot tougher than that.
From the trailhead we dropped steeply into Sawtooth Creek then started working our way up the other side. We departed from the Northbound Creek trail, taking the Martin Creek trail instead. The trail from the creek to the junction with Skyland Lake was brushy, but not too bad.
We camped our first night at Skyland Lake. The main campsite there is nice and large and we had no problem finding trees for all of us (5 hammocks) to hang from.
We set out the next morning up the Martin Creek trail looking to get up to the Heart Pass trail. We lost the trail shortly out of camp. We bushwhacked up the hill and stumbled in to it again. It was a brushy hike up to the ridge, but we managed to get up there and only lost the trail a couple times.
From there was ridge walked the Heart Pass trail over to the Heart Lake cutoff and down to the lake. Though it was a ridge walk, there was still plenty of climbing to get there.
The next morning the mosquitos had massed and executed a full assault on our camp. It was some of the worst I've seen. We packed up and got out of there as quickly as we could.
We hiked back up to the Heart Pass trail and backtracked our route from the day before. We passed the Martin Creek Junction where we had come up the day before and continued on to the Mallard Peak Lookout. The views from the lookout were spectacular! I love getting to check out old lookouts, the Mallard Peak lookout dates back to the 1930's.
From the lookout we continued on to Fawn Lake which might've been the most scenic of them all.
The next day we were hiking out. We started off by losing the trail right away. After some searching and bushwhacking we found it again. It seemed like a repeat of hiking out of Skyland Lake, except it seemed like this brush was fighting back!
Eventually we made it down to the Northbound Creek trail. We cameled up at Sawtooth Creek and made the hike back up to the saddle to complete our trip.
Quick Links:
01:39 - SAWTOOTH CREEK
03:23 - SKYLAND LAKE
04:54 - DAY 2
06:21 - BUSHWHACK TRAIL 479
09:22 - HEART PASS TRAIL
11:12 - HEART LAKE
14:00 - DAY 3
17:12 - MALLARD PEAK JUNCTION
17:39 - MALLARD PEAK LOOKOUT
21:23 - FAWN LAKE
23:29 - DAY 4 - Розваги
That trail was hard to find in 1999! Takes me back! Thanks for sharing!
Trails in there are still disappearing!
Loved your video, just back from from the St Joe,great place of nature
Thank you! The St Joe River is an incredible place!
All the lakes were beautiful in this one. Sorry about the mosquitos. I was up by Crater Lake in Oregon one year in late spring and there were mosquitos in snow, go figure. I also loved the view of the surrounding mountains at Mallard Peak Lookout. Thanks for sharing.
The mosquitos were bad on this one.. really bad. At least they were only at the one lake. Thanks for checking it out!
I travel every year to Heart Lake from the North Fork side on Smith Ridge. Mosquitoes are usually only bad early morning and just about dark. Fishing is good especially if you use Salmon eggs. Fish will hit spinners as well. It’s nice to see what Skyland looked like. I haven’t gone that far over.
Love the Mallard Larkins! I can't wait to get back there and hike some more of that area.
What a trip! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to watch it!
What an amazing place. One of my favorites
I am already looking at more routes in there. I love this place.
Great production. Beautiful scenery too
Thank you! Thanks for watching!
Lovely scenery and terrific flowers.
This area is a true gem. Tough hiking, but well worth it!
Another epic video. What beautiful scenery for sure. Thanks for the video and take care, Al
Thanks, Al! Those mountains are special.
Stumbled across your channel planning our summer hiking trips😁, Idaho looks amazing! Haven't hike in that state as of yet. Hopefully we can still get there this summer. Wanna hike the Sawtooths so bad someday! Great shots of the area and nice channel👍🏻! I dig your editing skills sir👊🏼
Thank you! Idaho has a lot to offer. There are so many great places to hike! I'm still trying to get to the Sawtooths myself!
EPIC!!! Oh dang Fawn Lake is heaven! Beautiful video man! 🤙🏻
Thank you!! If you get up this way again, we should take a trip in there.
I need to get out and do this one. That overgrowth was thick! Thanks for sharing this one brother! This is the Most underrated channel on YT.
This area is really amazing. We were definitely taking the path less traveled. The campsites were well used but I guess no one takes those trails out of the lakes.
Very nice trip (except for the skeeters). good views with good friends.
It was great company! Thanks for watching
Love this video! Found it through the nwhikers forum. You have a storytelling and video making gift. I love that area - hiked there three times in the last 20 years but it's been awhile since I've been there. I have to get back!
Thank you! That area is really special in my opinion. It definitely could use some more hikers on those trails, you need to get back in there!
So cool to see someone document thier journey, I’ve hiked up to heart lake twice now and I’m 15 and hoping to do it every summer I can!! It’s so beautiful what north Idaho has to offer, are you guys from Idaho?
How cool! Yep, I'm from Idaho and the Mallard Larkins just to the south where I live. Heart Lake is definitely worth a yearly trip in there! I'm hoping I can get back in to this area next year!
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Let him know I appreciate the support!
Dude....are you on Filming and editing steroids? Your last 2 videos, the production , the shots the story and now your adding more human element. Friggin awesome. That overgrowth was nasty. But you know what they say...."embrace the suck". Thanks for the share. 🤘
Thanks, man! I appreciate it. Embracing the suck is such a big part of hiking. I'm getting better at it.
Beautiful scenery and great trip. Though I could do without the mosquitoes. I have subbed
Welcome! Those mosquitoes were bad. They were so bad at Heart Lake that they seem non existent at the other lakes.
Happy Easter. Think you have been up to Mallard lookout before?
Oh Oh seen this video before...LOL.
@@bobparsons77 haha! This was my first time up to the lookout.
Amazing production value. LOVE the closeups of flowers, rocks etc.. Would LOVE to see these vids on Bitchute as well, as they do not censor people and there is a setting there so that whenever you post on UA-cam, it also posts on Bitchute. LOTS of people there, so a big new venue for your vds. It's going to overtake UA-cam one day once more people get sick of the orwellian censorship.
I haven't got there yet, but I will be looking into it. We're in the peak of the backpacking season so I am stretched for time at the moment, but I'll get it done later on. Thanks for watching as always!
Think I would have slowed you down on this one!
This was really tough hiking, no one was moving quickly.