Sawtooth Scenic Byway, Idaho

About this drive

ID-75 between Shoshone and Stanley crosses the Sawtooth Valley and climbs Galena Summit at 8,701 feet, giving the most complete view of the Sawtooth Range available from a paved road. The Sawtooth Mountains rise abruptly on the valley's western side — granite peaks between 9,000 and 10,800 feet, sharp enough to justify the name — and the highway runs between them and the headwaters of the Salmon River through a valley that few travelers from outside Idaho know exists. The town of Stanley at the northern end of the byway is small enough that its gas station closing time matters, but it sits at the edge of one of the best trout fisheries and whitewater rivers in the United States. Redfish Lake, just south of Stanley, is an alpine lake fed by snowmelt and framed by the Sawtooth peaks — the drive up to the lodge overlook is worth the detour. The byway is accessible year-round but the Galena Summit section can be treacherous in snow. The summer wildflower bloom on the slopes below the summit, usually peaking in late July, is one of the most concentrated in Idaho. The drive pairs well with the Craters of the Moon National Monument about 90 minutes to the south — a lava field landscape that makes an almost comically strong contrast to the alpine scenery of the byway.

Stops along the way

• 📸 Galena Summit Overlook · Scenic Viewpoint

  The high point of the byway, with a wide view down into the Sawtooth Valley and the headwaters of the Salmon River.

Featured in

• Best Mountain Scenic Drives in the USA