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My wife is taking the kid to new york in late July so i will have 3 days all to my lonesome. I have decided to spend the time backpacking.

The question is where do I go? I am looking for somewhere new that I could do 30-40 miles and get a little fishing in too. More than likely a solo trip. I know most people dont like to give out their honey holes, but looking for a little direction about somewhere new!

Options so far:

Ruby Crest Trail
Teton Crest Trail
Sawtooths
Winds

I frequent the winds and have a trip planned in august. I grew up in the Tetons and have been in almost all the canyons, but have never done the full crest trail. Spent alot of time in the rubies, but never done the full crest either. I visited redfish lake in stanely idaho in college and fell in love with the area, but have never had the opportunity to go back.

Although still scenic, the Rubies aren't quite as spectacular as the other three. They still are quite nice though.

Most areas in the Winds are best if you have more than three days, but three days is still good for several destinations.

If you only have three days, Teton Crest or Sawtooths may be the best bet.

Any direction on place/destination in sawtooths?

30-40 miles will get you across the Sawtooth range in most directions. The Stanley, or north side of the range is the most visited and scenic. The Stanley side is also closer to lakes that offer decent fishing and if the runs weren't so low, we'd have a Chinook salmon season on the main river again this year. Redfish Lake is a great starting point and you can jump start your trip by taking the shuttle boat across the lake. Once you get in a few miles you might be surprised at how few people you see. Some areas in the inner range see few, if any visits per season. It's a low snow year and the range and trails are pretty much snow free now. There are many loops a solo person could do from the Stanley side that don't leave you stuck somewhere remote like the southern or western side of the range.

I was in the Rubies a few times and it's a beautiful range but the area we were in (Ruby Pass, Ruby Lake) was heavily used. The fire pits all looked liked they had a thousand whiskey bottles smashed into them and the trails were beaten by a lot of horse traffic. I never bothered to go back.

Bob

The elko locals can be a rough crowd...

Thanks all for the input!

Settled on the teton crest as flowers should be in full bloom during my dates. I will certainly try to get the sawtooths in next year. I see that range as the hidden gem. Winds are my favorite (mostly for the fishing), but they are getting crowded... might have to switch up annual wind trip to the sawtooths...

Winds are my favorite (mostly for the fishing), but they are getting crowded... might have to switch up annual wind trip to the sawtooths...

Although much solitude can be found in either range, overall I'd bet the Sawtooths are the more crowded of the two.