Wilderness living... (Boise, Sandpoint, Salmon: for sale, buy, camp)
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I am looking for a location to live that is next to, or in the wilderness. Wondering if anyone can recommend specific areas in Idaho? I’d like to be 1-2 hours from the nearest town and have access in the winter. Other than the area being mountainous and beautiful I have no other criteria. I currently live in MT near Glacier- which is beautiful, but touristy. Looking to live simply (off grid, greenhouse, garden, horses, hiking, wildlife).
In search of a beautiful mountain wilderness area.
Thank you...
Last edited by VagabondForBeauty; 11-08-2019 at 09:06 PM..
I appreciate the input thank you. It’s confirmation that I’m looking in the right direction. I was just checking out Challis & Salmon this past week. Driving late into the night coming into Salmon I stopped along the highway to look at the stars. The night sky was magnificent, I’ve never seen anything like it. The stars seemed incredibly close, right above my head. Almost overwhelming. Beautiful country and nice towns, both. I’ll look into Mackay and Clayton as well.
I’ve looked at Yaak too. My sister lives in Bonners Ferry and I’ve become familiar with much of the country from Glacier to Sandpoint. At this point I prefer Idaho to MT, although MT has it’s definite merits depending on what you’re looking for.
I believe I’m looking in the right area. Just need specific spots within these areas from people with knowledge of that backcountry. What specific areas are right next to the wilderness..? What about places like Warren, Edwardsburg? Where are some of the places you can live close to the Frank?
Warren is an old mining camp and though I haven't been there for years, it's probably only semi-occupied at best, and may have no one who lives there in the winters. It was very run-down years ago when I visited and I would call it a ghost town.
Several ghost towns, however, were never completely abandoned here. Some others were, went down to rack and ruin, and then were re-occupied by summer folks. Those little places sometimes have a few year-round residents. It all depends on the access and how far a place is from a real town.
If that's the kind of place you're looking for, I suggest looking at Idaho City, east of Boise. It's another gold camp, but has always been more occupied. Though there isn't much there, its still a functioning little town.
Clayton is pretty close to Challis and Mackay (it's pronounced Mackey) is too, though futher southeast.
Tendoy is also close to Salmon, also southeast on Rt.28. Tendoy is really close to the Divide and the Montana border. Leadore is further south on the same road.
Leadore is one of those re-occupied ghost towns I mentioned. It was still a functioning mining town in the 1940s, but folded up after the local mine closed pretty quickly.
Last edited by banjomike; 11-10-2019 at 12:54 AM..
Thank you again for the info Banjomike, it helps! I’m continuing to look at maps and will visit each area that seems promising. Property inside the Frank Church wilderness is hard to find... That would be ideal for me- a lot of hard work but what a rewarding lifestyle!
The Frank is all reserved and locked up a wilderness, so you'll probably never find any property you can buy in it. If I recall correctly, the few private properties that exist in the edges of the Frank are grandfathered, and can't be sold outside the families who owned them. If ever abandoned, they must remain so and allowed to go back to nature.
But there are still plenty of places that are available that are almost as wild and are as remote. There are still quite a few in Montana too, over in the Bear Tooth country.
I have located only two properties inside the Frank Church wilderness for sale. One is a ranch and the other almost 200 acres. The challenge of course, with building in there is motorized vehicles not being allowed. So materials to build would have to be flown in or packed in... or built from recourses on site. Then there is the pesky issue of access in the winter (there isn’t.) This scenario would certainly require being all in and committed to a wilderness lifestyle. Again, hard work but the reward would be freedom and a pure, simple life I imagine. I’m still searching and exploring all options.. You’re right, there are still other places that are wild and remote- and have winter access. I guess being in the Frank Church wilderness appeals to me because it’s so pure.
1-2 hours from any town (pop. 50 or 300-1,000) or 1-2 hours to a town of 3-5k or a lot more?
Places not yet mentioned: Lowell, North Fork, Pine, Elk River, Clarkia, Headquarters, Bonanza, Bayhorse, Lowman.
Do you intend to be a regular visitor deep into wilderness or just want it outside your window?
Last edited by NW Crow; 11-14-2019 at 10:49 AM..
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