Austin Trail

Hikes: D.
Total Distance, D: 3 1/2 miles.
Difficulty: Level II.
Season: March 15-June 15.
USGS Map: Austin Butte.
BLM 100K Map: Glenns Ferry.
Dirt Road Miles: 7 gravel, 11 poor dirt.
PLSS Location: Section 5, T10S R7E.

Introduction: Sometimes, the Bruneau River's canyon seems to make better viewing than hiking. There are no developed trails anywhere in the canyon, and no developed trailheads: a situation that should be remedied.
  From the east side, where there is good access from the Bruneau-Three Creek Road, there are two major trails into the canyon. One, the Roberson Trail's east branch, leads down from the Bruneau Canyon Overlook area.
  The other eastern approach is a long hike down Clover Creek. One problem with the east side trails is the pain of driving through miles and miles of crested wheatgrass stands. From the Bruneau Overlook to Jackpot, millions of acres were seeded to pure stands of this exotic grass. It makes for poor scenery...
  From the west, the hiking is better but the access varies from good to bad. The Indian Bathtubs hike is normal in terms of high quality hiking, but exceptional in terms of easy access. Any hikes further upcanyon involve travel along the Blackstone-Grasmere Road and its extensions--a route whose name strikes fear in the hearts of those who have driven it.
  One hike you encounter early along that route, while the road is still almost gravel, is the Roberson Trail's west branch. It brings you to the river opposite the old gaging station. (Yes, you could descend from one side and ascend on the other, but why would you want to?) That hike is detailed in Margaret Fuller's Western Idaho Hiking Trails.
  The farthest trailhead that a car can reach is for the Austin Trail--and it is the roughest road in this book. The author had two OK experiences on the road in springtime, and one dismal trip in the fall, when the summer and fall's traffic and dry weather had turned the road to deep powder dust. The author also got one "you mean this is really the worst road in the book?" report from Subaru drivers who had no problems. Take your chances. If you see powder dust stretches, watch for bypasses just to the west of the main road.

The Hike: The Austin Trail is depicted on the USGS map with remarkable accuracy. Walk along the way to the canyon rim, savoring the peaceful view across the Owyhee Plateau. The very start of the trail down (W1) is a bit hard to locate. Cut off the way before it ends, where the first gully you encounter gives you an excellent view into the canyon. Descend the right side of the gully, along a spur of ridge, and watch for a switchback where your descent begins in earnest.
  Along the trail down, watch for an array of native grasses: Indian ricegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, Basin wild rye, and red three awn. They all flourish in this rugged environment out of the cow zone. (The ricegrass especially likes the area just under the canyon rim, where the wind deposits the sand it likes to grow in.)
  The trail now moves more or less to the right of a tall rock monument. It then goes down the right side of a chute and cuts to the right. A last cut to the left at the base of a rhyolite scree slope brings you to the left side of the drainage that heads down to the river.
  Once at the river, you find huge specimens of big sagebrush, and a potential campsite across the river. This is rocky country with river noise, the kind of place where you have a good chance of surprising a rattlesnake. For this reason, the author remained in this delightful area, and didn't venture up or down stream. You can try it, though: the confluence with Clover Creek is two miles upstream.

Extensions: The Bruneau West Rim Road gets really rough past here. Even the BLM declares it a way past White Lake, and you could walk that stretch of road. The start of the Blackstone-Grasmere Road appears on the Austin Butte map's northwest corner. This might be a challenging mountain bike road-it certainly is unsuitable for anything with four wheels!

Access: Drive to the "One Stop" cafe at the junction on the north edge of Bruneau. Turn east on the paved road, and follow it for 7 3/4 miles, to pavement's end (W2). Turn right here, across the old bridge. After a long 1/2 mile, turn left on a good gravel road, the same one that leads to Indian Bathtubs (W3). After 5 1/2 miles, leave this good gravel road and turn left to climb up the Blackstone-Grasmere Road (W4). This part of the route seems to vary between good dirt and fair gravel.
  After a short 6 1/2 miles, you pass a stock corral and loading chute which has survived the fires that seem to plague this area. A bit past here, the Roberson Trail Road heads left. Not far beyond that junction, a new gravel road cuts right and crosses a fence (W5). Don't take it: continue absolutely straight on what seems like good dirt but deteriorates as you descend a rocky stretch (I call this the Hillary Step in honor of the book "Into Thin Air").
  Four miles past the new gravel road junction, you come to a junction about as remote as Timbouktu (W6, on your USGS Austin Butte map, just east of Rock Lake). To the right is the Blackstone-Grasmere Road, which is in good condition on the flats but atrocious condition on any hill. Definitely go left!
  After a short mile, when you can see Austin Butte, turn left on the way to the Austin Trail (W7). In 1/4 mile, another way bears right to Salvador Lake. This is the Bruneau Wilderness Study Area boundary, so resist the temptation to drive on, park here, and walk the left path.