Idaho trails · Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail
Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail
A 69.5-mile section of the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail in Idaho, with 5,477 ft of climbing. The full trail runs about 1,200 miles. Reaches Pyramid Pass and other lake/pass/summit destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 15,173 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Pyramid Pass (pass)
- Long Mountain (summit)
- Bussard Mountain (summit)
- Ball Lakes (lake)
- Pyramid Lake (lake)
- Brush Lake (lake)
- Kerr Lake (lake)
Getting there
Queen Mine access. 48.89979, -116.22169 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 5:26 a.m., the sun rises at 5:59 a.m. and sets at 7:29 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:02 p.m. (PDT) — 13 h 30 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 69.5-mile route works out to roughly 28 h 29 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Upper Priest River Trail + Upper Priest River + Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail — 12.7 mi loop, 956 ft gain
- Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail + Upper Priest Lake Trail — 5.7 mi loop, 469 ft gain
- Pyramid Ball Lakes + Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail + Pyramid Pass — 3.5 mi loop, 779 ft gain
Nearby trails
- US Highway 95 — 7.2 mi
- Timber Mountain Trail — 21.6 mi