Cascadian Wilderness Endurance Series - Thunder Mountain Loop

The Cascadian Wilderness Endurance Series events present an exciting opportunity for outdoor enthusiasts to participate in a multimedia adventure blogging contest. These self-supported/unsupported events are open to trail runners, backpackers, fastpackers, and hikers, and each event features a unique and defined route which participants must complete on foot and in one push. Unlike traditional endurance races, there are no course markings or aid stations along the way, providing participants with the freedom to create their own adventure. It’s all up to you! Participants can choose to tackle the route solo or with a couple friends. There are no cutoffs, so participants can take as much time as they need to complete the route without pressure. This unique event is not just about the physical challenge or exploring wild and beautiful places, but also about the opportunity to capture and share the beauty of the wilderness through captivating multimedia content.

Route Description

Monumental Creek Trail, Cougar Basin Trail, Big Creek Trail, and Lookout Mtn Ridge Trail. The trails are in surprisingly good shape the whole loop. 3 spots with deadfall landslides along Monumental Creek, several places with overgrowth along the creek but nothing too bad, and lots of blowdowns on the ridge section but nothing too difficult to get over or around. This is probably, mile for mile, the most scenic wilderness run I have done in Idaho so far. 50 miler, about 7,200 climbing (vast majority being in the last 20 miles) This route starts and ends in the old Thunder Mountain mining area. This forgotten town was the site of a brief and mostly disappointing gold boom around the turn of the 20th century. You will see the remnants of many log buildings and even an old stamp mill to the right of the trail along Monumental Creek. The Monumental Creek Trail is easy to follow, but can be overgrown in spots. It crosses the creek many times, so your feet will get wet. Route includes about 5 miles of dirt road with the remaining 45 miles being 100% single track and one primitive section on Lookout Mountain Ridge Trail. The twenty miles between the Big Creek ford and the Lookout Mtn Trailhead are dry, so carry ample water for this section. There is a spring right on the trail less than a quarter mile from the trailhead. The vast majority of the climbing on this route is in the last twenty miles (if you go clockwise), so be prepared for that. Shorter Option: - ~25 miles, ~5,300 ft climbing This route still gives you a great taste of the remoteness of the RONR wilderness, but you do miss the best part of the 50 mile route, which is the long Lookout Ridge section once you climb up after fording Big Creek. You do, however, avoid the Big Creek ford. You will still pass by the old Lookout Mountain Fire Lookout site.

Rationale

Why should you pay $20 to complete one of the endurance challenges? A small part of the fee will go to cover website maintenance and domain registration, as well as getting patches made and other small goodies/swag. The majority of this fee will be donated to trail maintenance organizations. Why are we even doing this? To get people out into the wonderful wilderness areas that we have here in the Northwest and to build the community of adventurous people! The trip report is just as important as actually finishing the route, and we love it when people come up with creative ways to share their experience. Information isn't always readily available for these areas, and maps can be scarce and not always reliable (especially the Pasayten and Frank Church/Selway Wildernesses.) That can intimidate some that aren't as experienced outdoors-people. The goal is to empower people to get out into these wilderness areas and hopefully to protect them into the future.