Inside Scoop

Exploring Historic Road 19

A Great Place to Hike, Bike or Walk the Dog

Forest Service Road 19 is a popular trail that locals have been enjoying for over a decade.  Originally the “backroad” connected Zigzag to Rhododendron from Lolo Pass Road to Henry Creek Road. Road 19 was washed out when the Zigzag River overran her banks during the floods of 1996.  The Forest Service decided not to rebuild the road and convert it to a trail instead.  For history aficionados, Road 19 traces a portion of the original Barlow Route (see related stories in this issue).

Road 19 takes a gradual uphill 2-mile coarse as it heads from west (1450 ft elev) to east (1600 ft elev), under a towering canopy of firs, cedars and hemlocks.  It is not uncommon to view a deer crossing the trail and occasional sightings of black bear have also been reported.  Hikers looking for a more strenuous hike, can access the 1-mile Castle Canyon Trail (#765), which brings you to a craggy, scenic overlook (2300 ft elev).  For a longer day hike, head up the Zigzag Mountain Trail (#775), which leads to dozens of miles of hiking and backpacking that is only limited by your desire and ability.

Explore More by Camping Out

A great overnight backpacking trip that will beat the heat during the hot summer, is to head up Zigzag Mountain Trail for 8.5 miles until you reach Cast Lake (4500 ft elev).  Cast Lake and her close neighbors, Burnt Lake and Devil’s Lake are perfect for refreshing dips at the end of the day. The next day you can come back the way you came or if you have set up a shuttle in advance, head back down East Zigzag Mountain Trail (#778) which ends at Road 27.  Or take the Burnt Lake Trail (#772) or Cast Creek Trail (#773), which end up in the upper Lolo Pass area.

August/September 2008

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