Ever had something you REALLY wanted to do but could never find the time to actually make it happen?! That was me and my backpacking trip to Grandmother (& Grandfather) Mountain. I knew it would be amazing, but life always seemed too busy to fit it in!
What is it about Grandparents that’s hard to carve out time for?! 🙂
Carving out the time for memories
Speaking of Grandparents …
I still remember as a kid … the insanely LONG drives and incessantly asking “ARE WE THERE YET?!” We’d finally arrive around night fall and Grandma *always* had a warm pot of her delicious turkey noodle soup waiting for us. After a full day of traveling, nothing ever tasted better!
I remember us kids tripping along at Grandpa’s heels the next morning as he went about his chores. He’d tease us by ‘trying’ to remember where he’d stashed that *special* box of Trix cereal he was saving for us. We’d help him find it … *always* in the same place! Looking back now, I realize it was the moments with his grandkids that were *special*, not the cereal (Sorry Trix!).
Those are such precious memories now that they’re both gone.
I’m so grateful my parents carved out the time (and put up with us kids on such long drives!) to make those trips happen! Thank you Mom & Dad!!
Backpacking to the Grandparents
Summer of 2020, I FINALLY carved out the time and made that backpacking trip to Grandmother (& Grandfather) Mountain happen!
It was incredible and all I could think was why didn’t I do this sooner!
We got mosquito bites, had backpack malfunctions and survived steep “hey!-where’s-my-switchback?!” climbs. But the wildflower covered meadows and the jaw-dropping views across the valley made it so worth it!
Not just backpacking, this was also a ‘trip down memory lane’ …
The youth in our group were absolutely determined to build and sleep in their own lean-to instead of a practical, boring old tent!
As the adult, I kept thinking they were crazy (!!); it’s too cold; tarps are too heavy to carry etc, etc, etc. But no amount of logic would dissuade them from their epic plan!
It reminded me of another ‘under 20’ young person from years ago …
Reaching Grandma’s at Sunset
We made it to the summit just before dusk. Our reward was a 360 degree view from the highest mountain around just as the sun was going down. It was beautiful!
Just down from the summit, we found the perfect camp spot and the crazy-epic ‘how-to’ ‘lean-to’ building commenced!
After lots of attempts, most ending in “does anyone have duct tape?!”, the humble lean-to was a majestic feat of engineering that the ‘under 20’ crowd could be supremely proud of!
And yes … it was heavy to carry tarps and yes, they *totally froze* that night. But honestly, as I watched their crazy-epic adventure from inside my practical, boring, old tent, I had to wonder if I was the one missing something!
Taking the Trip down Memory Lane
I thought back to that other ‘under 20’ adventure-loving soul on a family camping trip years ago. She too was absolutely determined to sleep out under the stars instead of the practical, boring, old family tent.
It seriously rained BUCKETS that night and her *perfectly planned* spot under the long boughs of an evergreen tree couldn’t save her (or her sleeping bag!) from epic drenching! Luckily, her mom came and rescued her from the cold, and her pride!
(Thanks mom!)
It sounds miserable, yes, but honestly, it’s one of my favorite memories! I still talk about it precisely *because* of the rain-out! The pain and misery are long since forgotten and only the pride of living my dream in that moment remains!
The girl in me knew well, something the adult in me seems to have forgotten …
Tripping along on Grandpa’s heels
We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and laughing around a toasty campfire enjoying nature’s peaceful dark.
The next morning, we heated more than just breakfast around another toasty campfire! The mountain chill was just beginning to wane as we headed out to visit the other grandparent.
This second summit was almost better than the first!
We found the top of Grandfather Mountain was a wide-open, alpine meadow with *glittery* rocks everywhere. The whole scene just sparkled in the sunlight!
We explored, enjoyed the views and made ‘The Sound of Music’ come alive for real!
Back at camp, the ‘under 20’ crowd carved out some time to model their crazy-epic lean-to masterpiece! Flynn Rider himself would have been utterly charmed when they pulled out “The Smolder”. They couldn’t keep straight faces for long though!
Saying goodbye
After loading up, we left Grandmother (& Grandfather!) Mountain, backpacking thru high alpine meadows bathed in warm sunlight under a absolutely brilliant blue sky.
The experience was simply surreal and not one to be forgotten ANYTIME soon!
Again I had to ask myself … ‘Why did I wait so long to make this trip happen!?!’
Carving out the time NOW!
NOW is not just a good time, it’s the ONLY time! There are always a bazillion reasons why ‘I can’t right now’. But some experiences, like visiting the grandparents, won’t wait for us forever.
So even if it means really, long drives and incessant “Are we there yet’s?!” … MAKE IT HAPPEN! You won’t regret it!
And hey, freezing cold nights in a lean-to or rain-soaked sleeping bags may just be that *special* ingredient for creating the absolute best memories … the ones you talk about and share for years to come!
Adventure Planning
Backpacking Grandmother Mountain
Wanna plan a trip to Grandmother (& Grandfather!) Mountain?! You’re in the right place! Here’s what you need to know!
Location
It’s a little tricky to get to, but as you can see from the pictures, it is so worth it! Don’t worry, the drive to the trailhead is probably the hardest part of this trip!
- Grandmother Mountain Trail begins at Freezout Saddle just east of Clarkia, ID
- A 2 hour drive from Pullman, but the last 40 minutes are the 18 mile drive up the mountain! The road is decent even when it turns to gravel … except the last 8 miles (deep ruts and high center rocks)
- High clearance vehicles make it just fine … Passenger cars and vans will white knuckle it until deciding it’s easier to park and hike the few extra miles than to drive it! Good thing there are plenty of pull outs/camping spots to make that happen!
Helpful Driving Directions
- From Hwy 3 heading North, turn right on Poplar street in Clarkia.
- Follow it around a curve then south till it ends at an intersection.
- Turn Left onto FR 321 and head east.
- After crossing the river, Turn Right onto FR 301.
- Drive 4.5 miles. Stay Left at the first fork. Stay Right at the second.
- FR 301 begins to climb. Stay Right at the 3rd fork.
- At abt mile 15, turn left at the 4th fork to stay on FR 301 – RoundTop Freezeout Road (yes, this is the yucky road and yes, you want to take it!) The road gets progressively rough here as it drives along the ridgeline
- ~ 3.5 miles to the trailhead on the SW corner of Mark’s Butte. Big trailhead sign, multiple pullouts, you can’t miss it.
Distance / Elevation
- Starting elevation: 5850 ft
- Grandmother Mtn: 6369 ft
- Grandfather Mtn: 6306 ft
- 2.5 miles (one-way) to Grandmother summit
- ~1 mile (one-way) from Grandmother to Grandfather
- 7 miles Round trip total.
- We went ~ 10 total with the extra mileage hiking the road to the trailhead!
Making Camp
- Find the spur trail about 1/4 mile before reaching the summit of Grandmother Mountain. (We totally missed it the first time by)
- Follow for 1/4 mile as it drops steeply to an open area with a well established campsite right next to a small spring. Perfect spot to set up camp!
- Continuing on this trail leads to the summit of Grandfather.
Permits / Season / Crowds
- No permits needed. Check out the Idaho Panhandle FS page here
- We went in mid July 2020. We might have had the mountain all to ourselves that night!
- There was no snow except along the stream near our campsite.
- It did get fairly cold at night … just ask the ‘lean-to’ crowd!
- The approach road and the trail near Mark’s Butte were COVERED in Huckleberry bushes! Definitely worth checking out for picking when they’re ripe!
If you do plan a trip and make it out there, I’d love to hear about it! Share your adventure in the comments below!
