CDT: Bannock Pass to Lemhi Pass (MT Sec. 8)

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• Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT)

The CDT from Bannock Pass to Lemhi Pass closely follows the crest of the Continental Divide and the Idaho/Montana border. The tread is mixed between the two passes with the southern half following singletrack and the northern half on two-track. Water sources are signed but may be dry if it is late in the season.

The following describes this CDT section from south to north.

Leaving Bannock Pass, the CDT briefly (for ~1/4 mi) follows Grizzly Hill Road USFS#012 then cuts up to the divide. This is marked with a lone post and CDT emblem. There is a fence along the state line, wire at first and then crossbuck, from here to Grizzly Hill. The CDT follows singletrack and stays on the Idaho side of the fence all the way to an old microwave complex where the trail meets the two-track.

There are several ring-latch gates along the singletrack CDT, one of them at the above road crossing where the trail now crosses to the Montana side and continues through the woods. There are CDT emblems on some trees and the trail offers a few view into the Clark Valley of Montana as it skirts the east side of Grizzly Hill.

The trail then crosses back to the Idaho side when it leaves the woods for a wide sage expanse at the head of Little Eight Mile Creek. Here you are met with a breathtaking view of Goat Mountain and, to the west, the Lemhi Range. Once across Little Eightmile, the CDT climbs and crosses the border several times and is, in general, great trail.

As the CDT nears the east flank of Goat Mountain, it becomes two-track. The road pretty much follows exactly along the crest of the divide. There are wide open alpine meadows separated by timbered sections. The CDT can be flat and easy or very steep up/down. The road loses a lot of elevation as it nears Lemhi Pass.