Idaho trails · Middle Fork
Middle Fork
A 71.8-mile point-to-point in Idaho, with 2,607 ft of climbing. Reaches Tappan Falls and other hot spring/spring/waterfall destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 46% of the ascent falls between mile 47.9 and mile 71.8. It gives back about 4,228 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Tappan Falls (waterfall)
- Sunflower Hot Springs (spring)
- Sheepeater Hot Springs (spring)
- Cox Hot Springs (spring)
- Hospital Hot Spring (spring)
- Dagger Falls (waterfall)
- Sunflower Hot Springs (hot spring)
- Cox Hot Springs (hot spring)
- Hospital Hot Spring (hot spring)
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:32 a.m., the sun rises at 7:02 a.m. and sets at 8:19 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:49 p.m. (MDT) — 13 h 17 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 71.8-mile route works out to roughly 27 h 54 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Nearby trails
- Soldier Basin — 8.1 mi
- South Fork Payette River — 20.9 mi
- Redfish Creek - Baron Creek — 27.6 mi