STANLEY, Idaho — Last summer the Wapiti Fire was sparked by lightning on July 24. This wildfire ended up burning more than 125,000 acres, it forced evacuations and it closed Stanley Lake for the rest of the summer.
In this edition of Idaho Backroads we went on a hike near Stanley Lake to check out how it looks and even though you can see signs of the fire in any direction you look, there is still beauty to be found.
Check out the video to see the fire damage
I went on an eight-mile out-and-back hike from Stanley Lake up to Bridal Veil Falls. This route took me just outside the Sawtooth Wilderness Area, which allowed me to fly my drone. It is illegal to fly in designated wilderness areas.
The hike went from a meadow where some, but not all, of the trees burned. However, as I got further along the trail, I made it to areas where everything burned. The Wapiti Fire sparked 15-miles from here, but it went through this area and past Stanley Lake.
There were signs along the trail warning people to be careful in this area. It's a dynamic environment prone to slides — if we get heavy rain, trees could fall down at any moment. If there is a silver lining, it comes with a low probability of fires this year because of a lack of fuels.
"Generally, we are not as concerned about those areas that burned in the previous year in the timbered areas," said Jim Wallmann, a meteorologist with the National Interagency Fire Center. "They need a few years to grow the grass and the brush back."
This hike did have a reward as we climbed to the base of Bridal Veil Falls, as beauty remains in the Sawtooth region, and there are a lot of places that didn't burn, so we need to be vigilant this year to prevent wildfires.
The hike up to Bridal Veil Falls was pretty steep as it gained about 500 feet of elevation, but it offered a magical waterfall as a reward. Lady Face Falls is also along this hike, but we skipped it on this trip.
Summer has also arrived in the Sawtooths, making creek crossings much easier, and you will only encounter snow in the higher elevations. However, this time of year also comes with some rules and regulations. Dogs need to be on leashes on the trails until after Labor Day Weekend, there are no fireworks here or in the national forest, and remember to practice leave no trace principles.
The area surrounding Stanley Lake also burned pretty significantly, but it is back open to the public this year for boating, fishing and swimming. Be sure to stop in Stanley, as they could use the extra business after wildfires put a damper on last year's tourism season.
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