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Ride into the hidden lakes on this grueling trail.


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Map Key

12.8

Miles

20.6

KM

Singletrack

8,636' 2,632 m

High

6,763' 2,062 m

Low

2,697' 822 m

Up

3,148' 959 m

Down

9%

Avg Grade (5°)

44%

Max Grade (24°)

Dogs Off-leash

E-Bikes Unknown

Snowbound until late June or early July.

Description

The Bench Creek trail takes you past two rarely visited lakes, but with solitude also comes a trail that's a little less traveled. There will be some meadow sections where the trail becomes faint. Riding from Trap Creek you'll have a gradual climb to the high point of the trail before descending more steeply off the backside of the mountain. This trail is a great way to make a loop in between Trap Creek and the Elk Mountain Trail. It is recommended to ride it in the direction shown.

The descent off of the first high point is very challenging and should be descended knowing that help is a long ways off and you'll rarely see anyone but yourself on the trail. When you hit the Elk Mountain Trail, you'll continue up Elk Creek. The trail from this point is non-motorized, so it can be very primitive at times and will take you all the way over to Iron Creek. Good route finding is a must in this section since you'll definitely lose sight of the trail in the meadows. Make sure you have up-to-date Idaho data downloaded on the MTB Project MTB Project mobile app and use it if you have trouble. You'll be rewarded with some amazing views and great lakes as you work your way along.

The lakes do have fishing, so if you pack in your own fishing rod you can land yourself some large trout.

Contacts

Shared By:

Chris Cook

Trail Ratings

  2.5 from 2 votes

#34382

Overall
  2.5 from 2 votes
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Trail Rankings

#1,215

in Idaho

#34,382

Overall
1 Views Last Month
1,131 Since Mar 16, 2015
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Photos

This is what the majority of the trail looks like from Elizabeth Lake to Elk Meadow.
Sep 10, 2019 near Challis, ID
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