Idaho trails · Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail
Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail
A 89.1-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 Canuck 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 16,314 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Canuck Pass (pass)
- Pyramid Pass (pass)
- Long Mountain (summit)
- Bussard Mountain (summit)
- Ball Lakes (lake)
- Pyramid Lake (lake)
- Brush Lake (lake)
- Kerr Lake (lake)
Getting there
Brush Lake Connection access — parking nearby. About 1 h 14 min drive (51 mi, 2 of them unpaved) from Sandpoint. 48.89113, -116.33076 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:32 a.m., the sun rises at 7:04 a.m. and sets at 5:57 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:29 p.m. (PDT) — 10 h 54 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 89.1-mile route works out to roughly 35 h 44 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail + Upper Priest Lake — 12.6 mi loop, 1,928 ft gain
- Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail + Upper Priest Lake Trail — 5.7 mi loop, 473 ft gain
- Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail + Upper Priest River + Upper Priest River Trail — 12.7 mi loop, 951 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Timber Mountain Trail — 22.9 mi