17 Reasons Why We Love Stanley, Idaho
All the locals in Ketchum recommended it
The drive from Ketchum is spectacular! Stop in Galena for some AWESOME bike trails and an adorable lodge with great food (and even a bike wash)!
Beautiful, free dispersed camping on the Salmon River just outside town and across from the road to Redfish Lake
Frequent dump stations with potable water
Population = 64
Plentiful outdoor activities in the surrounding Sawtooth Mountains. As many as your heart can imagine!
The astounding 900-mile journey salmon make from Redfish Lake down the Salmon river, to the Columbia river before finally making it to the Pacific Ocean! The fish hatchery near Redfish that is working on increasing salmon numbers in the river after they were almost decimated completely by dams, overfishing, and other human activities
Kayaking the incredibly scenic, mountain-lined, and glacier-fed Redfish Lake
The land of hot springs! The best- “boat box”- a small metal spring-fed hot tub on the side of the road just a few miles north of town
Thousands of amazing hikes in the Stanley wilderness – we recommend Alpine and Sawtooth lake hike starting from Iron Creek Trailhead, a beautiful 10 mile climb to alpine lakes
Fischer Creek mountain bike trail
Other reasons:
The 2 fantastic bars – Mountain Village, with karaoke and fire pits, and Kasino, with great live music and pool tables
Riley, auto mechanic at the town repair shop, who fixed our flat tire, installed our new radio, and found us a new trailer tire (notifying us at the local pub)! We learned so much about Stanley from him, a born and raised local!
The amazing community. In winter, they don’t have gas/propane- only electric, and it can run short so they have to keep warm with wood stoves. Some of the locals don’t have one, so many times they all group together in someone’s house with a big stove to stay warm!
