Kilgore Project area: See it for yourself

The area of Idaho's Caribou-Targhee National Forest and Clark County that Canada's Excellon Resources proposes to transform into a center of open-pit gold mining is worth a visit in summer or fall.

Tour of the Kilgore Project area (click to enlarge).

To do so, you will need:

-- a high-clearance, dirt-road-worthy vehicle;

-- the national forest's Dubois Ranger District visitor map (available weekdays at the Dubois Ranger District office in Dubois, when open; in Idaho Falls at the Eastern Idaho Visitor Information Center, 355 River Parkway, when open; or online);

-- a full tank of gas (available at Dubois and Spencer; not at Kilgore); and ...

-- food and drinks for the day.

Below is our favorite motor-vehicle loop (when conditions permit, perhaps by mid-July) beginning and ending at Spencer, just off I-15. An easy-to-follow, downloadable gpx track of the route is at the end of this post.

Water flows from the Kilgore Project area.

Take I-15 north; exit at Spencer.

Follow Idmon Road (a.k.a. Lost Gold Trail) east about 6.5 miles, then turn north into the mountains via Corral Creek Road, a.k.a Forest Road 177, north. This road is rough in places.


At the pond along Corral Creek, on your left, take a hard right (east) onto road 889.

Pond along Corral Creek

Follow 889 up into and over the mountains, to road 016. This will take you down through McGarry Canyon (photo below) to the main county road here, variously named Antelope  Valley Road/West Camas Creek Road/Porcupine Pass Road. There, turning west will return you to I-15 at Old Beaver.

Along the way to I-15, from the county road you also can turn left (southwest) onto road 566, which leads a short distance to a Depression-era log cabin and locked gate, at the site of an old gold mine.

Stream crosses road 566 from the project site.

Back on the county road, heading toward I-15, turn left (southwest) again, onto road 015 through Allan Canyon. It also will deadend at a locked gate.

When you return to the county road, resume following it west over Porcupine Pass to I-15 at Old Beaver.

Download the free, easy-to-follow gpx track here.