Gateway to the Sawtooths

I bet you hear about Stanley, Idaho a lot more often you think.  Why, you ask?  Because on any given day Stanley is the coldest place in the continental US.  Weather-people love to say “The hottest place in the nation today is Death Valley California at 101 degrees, and the coldest place in the nation today is Stanley Idaho at 11 degrees.” Sound familiar?  Between 1995 and 2005 Stanley had the most days of the lowest temperature in the US, a whopping 398 days of being the chilly-chills.  Brr.

Apart from this awesome distinction Stanley is a stunning place to be (as most of you know I’m a bit predisposed to the cold, so Stanley stole my heart anyway).  Stanley is called “The Gateway to the Sawtooths” and has both soaring peaks and the bottomlands of the Salmon River. Hiking, rafting, climbing, fly-fishing, they’ve got it all.  All this in a town with a year-round population of 100 people.  You really have to love  your neighbors.

If you ever head to Stanley, a few places that cannot be missed:

• Redfish Lake – one of the most beautiful lakes you’ll ever see.  Be prepared to share it with a lot of people…it’s a busy place.
• The Bakery – one word…YUM.  Can’t be beat.
• The view driving from Lower Stanley to Stanley.

And to just add to the greatness of Stanley, it has the Braun Brothers. Reckless Kelly, Micky and the Motorcars, and Muzzie and Joann.  Enough said.