Wild West Trail Overview

Jarbidge Mountains
Jarbidge mountains, near the western terminus

Total mileage of the Idaho Centennial Trail and Jarbidge Wilderness portion: 972.8mi

Crown of the Continent Trail Section, from Idaho to Glacier National Park total mileage: 257.47 miles

Glacier National Park to Wild West Trail Southern Terminus 805.35 miles

Total Mileage: 2,139.5 miles

Support The Wild West Trail And Shop Our Best Selling Items

16 thoughts on “About the Trail

  1. This is an excellent site full of great information. I currently belong to the NMVFO.org and I was wondering if there was a way to join WWT as a Trail Maintenance Volunteer or is this just an information only site and not a non-profit that supports the WWT like the Continental Divide Trail Alliance supports the CDT?

    1. Hey Doug! This website is here to host information and help people connect with the outdoors, specifically the WWT and the Idaho Centennial Trail. The trails in Idaho could use as many volunteers as possible! You can reach out to http://www.idahotrailsassociation.org/ they do great work all over the state!

  2. I have really enjoyed your videos on each section. Are there videos beyond Glacier? I feel left hanging, lol, and am going through withdrawals. Also, do you have any trips coming up in 2019? Thank you.

    1. Hey Jill!

      Thanks for the comment. There are more videos coming out. The Bob Marshall, Tobacco Roots, Spanish Peaks, Yellowstone, and the Teton Crest Trail. It takes a while to edit them but I am trying to get a new episode out every week. As for trips planned in 2019, we are going to focus on loops right here in Idaho. The Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Pioneer Mountains, White Cloud Wilderness, and Gospel Hump Wilderness – to name a few. We are also focusing on Turkey and Elk hunting this season. Plenty of content on the way!

      1. Thank you so much! I live in Wallace, so I am familiar with a lot of terrain around here, Western Montana, Lochsa area and have backpacked White Cloud area as well. I hope to do more exploring around Priest River and Bonners Ferry this summer. Thanks again, and happy hiking!

  3. You’re a legend man! I have very much respect for you. Plans are in the making for a hike of my own, just not sure about a route yet. Keep on truckin!
    I’d love more gear info. Camera, fishing rod ect….

      1. Thanks for the reply! So I want to thru hike a section of the WWT and was hoping I could get your opinion on where to start. I’m thinking somewhere in the 600-1200 mile range. My thoughts were either the northern terminus of the ICT and heading east, or maybe somewhere around Yellowstone area and heading north. Would most likely be flying in from Pennsylvania, unless I could figure out a way to safely leave my car for that long. Would be starting late June/ early July. End time or place is not super critical and would play by ear. I will be solo and am somewhat new to backpacking, so ICT might just be too hardcore for me lol. Any recommendations would be so amazing! So sorry for such a long question, but I look up to you and really value your opinion. Thanks again!! (Wasnt sure if this is the best place to leave this message)

  4. Thanks for the reply! So I want to thru hike a section of the WWT and was hoping I could get your opinion on where to start. I’m thinking somewhere in the 600-1200 mile range. My thoughts were either the northern terminus of the ICT and heading east, or maybe somewhere around Yellowstone area and heading north. Would most likely be flying in from Pennsylvania, unless I could figure out a way to safely leave my car for that long. Would be starting late June/ early July. End time or place is not super critical and would play by ear. I will be solo and am somewhat new to backpacking, so ICT might just be too hardcore for me lol. Any recommendations would be so amazing! So sorry for such a long question, but I look up to you and really value your opinion. Thanks again!! (Wasnt sure if this is the best place to leave this message)

    1. I always recommend the ICT half! But I understand your hesitancy. Starting near Coolin at Upper Priest Lake will put you at about the halfway point on the Pacific Northwest Trail.

      There will be some bushwhacking, especially in the Selkirks, but it should be fun 🙂

      Plenty of hikers on this section and it makes a good starting point for an initial thru-hike. You could fly into Coeur D’alene or Spokane and hitch up to Coolin. Folks in Idaho are pretty friendly once you leave the cities. 1-2 miles outside of town and you will be good. There might be a local that lets you park all summer even.

      Take a 0 day in Eureka and enjoy the trail life there.

      I recommend accessing Glacier NP via the Flathead river crossing and participating in the no-permit challenge. As long as you wake up at sunrise, and make camp at sunset, you should avoid ranger danger. Also, because dayhikers are everywhere if they ask where you’re hiking from, just say, “the trailhead” haha

      From there, the CDT is well marked and well traveled. The Spanish Peaks are insane! And Yellowstone is remote. Again, even less of a need for permits in Yellowstone. You won’t even see a ranger.

      I highly recommend the Teton Crest Trail. But sounds like you have your own adventure ahead! Don’t be afraid to change your route and destination, only sheep follow a trail 😉

      1. Also wondering if there is a place you recommend for paper maps? Or did you go strictly gpx. And is info on resupply points available anywhere? Or is that a figure it out as you go kinda deal? Thank you!

  5. I have been watching your hiking the IDaho centennial trail on u tube . I absolutely admire your courage and determination.I am 62 years young and love hiking and we just recently moved to IDaho . IS there a possibility that sometime I can hike with you folks and I will pay hiking with you .I also like to volunteer to help with maintenance of trails.
    Regards

    1. Glad that you’re watching, and welcome to Idaho! We are currently based out of Boise but hike all over the state. We may be offering some guided hikes this year as well. Once the weather gets a bit nicer, send us an email at openspace@wildwesttrail.co

  6. Hi, I would love some more info on how and where you did your resupplying on the more remote sections of the ICT. The water for the desert is easy enough as I only live a few hours away.
    Where you sent packages? Where you bought food from a store? Where you should have bought instead of sending a package? How you chose which ranches and obtained permission? Anything would help.

    Thanks

    1. Hi Jack,

      I get these questions all the time! The best person to ask about logistics is Clay Jacobson – we call him the GEOTICT (God Emperor Of The I.C.T). He manages all the trail maintenance in Idaho and can give you the best information. Email him at Clay@idahotrailsassociation.org

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Name *