I’m a member of the All-Idaho Contest Club (AI7ID) in Southwest Idaho. Occasionally, we plan other ham-related activities. In June, we started discussing a potential trip through the Magruder Corridor in North-Central Idaho for some POTA and SOTA action.
The Magruder Corridor is a rough, single-lane road between Grangeville, ID, and Darby, MT. It separates the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area and the Frank Church River of no Return Wilderness Area. Together, these wilderness areas comprise the largest road-free area in the lower 48. For more information, check this brochure, Magruder Corridor Brochure.
Here is the basic map, which is not to scale as we confirmed over the course of the trip.
We finally decided on a date of July 16th to begin the trip. Unfortunately, due to other planned trips and conflicts, only three of us would be able to make the journey. The other two brave souls were Scott (W7IMC) and Larry (KF7XC). I hadn’t been tent camping in some time, so I was a little reluctant, but Scott had been hiking trails and summits long before becoming involved in the SOTA program, eventually becoming a SOTA Goat.
Since I hadn’t been tent camping in a while, I did have to acquire some gear. I knew I would be taking more stuff than I would need, but I wanted to make sure I had everything I did need. This would also be my first time attempting a SOTA activation, so I wanted to make sure I had all the right radio gear for that. I’ve been doing POTA activations for some time so equipping for SOTA shouldn’t be too much of a stretch.
Our first camping spot would be the French Gulch Campsite, just west of the corridor near the Red River Ranger Station. You might notice that this isn’t on the map, but luckily, Google Maps knew where it was.
Scott had gone up the earlier and did a couple of POTA/SOTA activations on the way. Larry and I drove up on July 16th to meet him. Once we got set up, the intent was to do a POTA activation since we were in the Nez Perce – Clearwater National Forest (US-4478). Unfortunately, after we got the camp set up, the motivation was gone. It was time to chill and enjoy nature.
On the second day, we made a brief stop at the Red River Wildlife Management Area (US-5616). We didn’t stay long enough to do a POTA activation. The plan was to attempt a SOTA activation at Green Mountain (W7I/IC-172). Here’s a picture of Larry and I before we headed into the corridor.
When we made it to the road that led up to Green Mountain, Scott remained below to do a POTA activation of the Nez Perce – Clearwater National Forest, while Larry and I headed up the Summit. We could easily talk to Scott down below on 2m, but when we got the Elecraft KX2 set up along with the Tufteln EFRW 4:1 antenna, the bands were dead. This would be a recurring problem for the trip.
We headed on down the corridor and traversed the roughest part of the road. It was very narrow, rough and had a severe drop off on one side. This is just a one lane road (Larry described it as a ¾ lane road) with very few wide spots to pass oncoming traffic. That usually required one of the vehicles (two in our case) to back up to a wide spot.
While we were on this impassable stretch, we came upon a mule train heading the opposite direction. Of course, the horse riders leading the train wanted to stay on the side opposite from the cliff edge so that left us hugging the edge. We were finally able to let the mule train pass as we sat still. We were a little irritated with ourselves for not getting any pictures or video of this event, but we were trying to stay not dead.
We made it through the worst part of the road and set up camp at the Observation Point campground. This is near Salmon Mountain Lookout, which would be our destination for a SOTA activation the following morning. After we set up camp, I was determined to do a POTA activation here. We were in the Bitterroot National Forest (US-4500) but not quite far enough off the road to claim a 2fer with the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area (US-7994).
I set up the Mission RGO One on a chunk of wood at the campsite. The antenna was my version of the Challenger Antenna designed by Greg, K6JER. My version is way over-engineered and complex, but it is very rugged, and I got to use my CNC machine and 3D printer to make parts for it. The band conditions were still not very good and maybe too late in the day for 20m.
I didn’t make any CW QSOs, so I decided to switch to the KX2, FT8 setup using the iFTx app on my iPhone. That was much more successful, and I wound up with 17 QSOs before calling it quits. Here’s a picture of the KX2 setup with the Challenger antenna in the background.
The next morning, we got up early so Scott and I could hike up to Salmon Mountain Lookout (W7I/IC-012) for a SOTA activation. This was a must have activation for Scott. He missed the opportunity two years earlier because of thunderstorms. This would be my first ever SOTA activation. Probably not the easiest for a first try, but since I was going along with Scott, not too much to worry about.
Here’s a panoramic picture looking out from the observation point at the campground early morning.
Larry decided to stay behind at the campground and do a POTA activation and provide logistics support if needed. Scott and I back tracked along the corridor for a mile or so to the Salmon Mountain trailhead. We started up the trail, which is about 1.2 miles with a climb of about 700 feet depending on what reference is used.
I stopped below the summit and did a QSO with Scott on 2m after he reached the summit. We did the reverse on the way down. After I reached the summit, we both got a QSO with Larry back at the campsite. The volunteer at the lookout, Rene, then offered some help.
Scott asked him if he knew Gary, W7FSI, who was manning Bare Cone Lookout in Montana, about 22 miles line-of-sight from the Salmon Mountain Lookout. Rene said, “sure, I know Gary, do you want me to call him?” He did, and Scott and I got QSO number 3. Rene then said that Warren (KI5QJT) was at the lookout on Spot Mountain, about 12 miles away, and was also a ham. Rene gave him a call, and Scott and I both got him on 2m.
That gave us the 4 QSOs we needed for the SOTA activation. We were tempted to stop there and head down, but we also wanted to get the POTA activation for Frank Church River of no Return Wilderness Area (US-10381). We set up Scott’s Yaesu FT-891 and his 20m EFHW antenna on a Jackite pole. We got an additional 11 SSB QSO’s, including 5 P2Ps. We called it good and headed back to the campsite. Here is a picture from the trail as we headed back down.
After making it back to the campsite, we packed up and headed to Darby, MT. Scott explained that we had to get the Magruder Corridor celebratory $25 hamburger. We did make a stop at the Nez Perce Pass, which is also the Idaho, Montana state line.
We made it to Darby and got our hamburgers. Probably not worth $25, but just fine for celebrating our trek through the Magruder Corridor.
After dinner, which was at an outside restaurant where it was blazing hot, we decided on a change of plans. We were originally planning on camping at an RV Park / Campsite south of Darby. We decided to splurge and rent a cabin at an RV Park in Darby that had actual beds and a nice shower.
After a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast, it was time to head out. Larry and I would be heading towards home. Scott was heading up to visit Gary at Bare Cone Lookout and to do some more activations before heading home. Larry and I were planning on stopping and doing at least one POTA activation on the way.
We finally decided on Shoup Bridge Recreation Area (US-11298). We found a great shaded spot with a picnic table. We found out that the park is a very popular put-in spot for rafts on the Salmon River.
We set up Larry’s Yaesu FT-991 and my Chameleon Tactical Delta Loop antenna. The SSB portion of the 20m band was packed. We couldn’t find an opening to call CQ and couldn’t seem to beat the pileups. We switched to 17m and got two QSO’s there. We switched back to 20m and found a spot to call CQ and got two more QSOs, but then the bands faded again. This seemed to happen every day of the trip at about 1:30.
We decided to switch to my KX2, FT8 backup plan. It took me about 45 minutes to get the additional contacts I needed and then another 25 minutes for Larry. The 20m band started improving as Larry was working on his. We were also playing a crunch game with the battery on my iPhone that was running the iFTx app. The low battery warning popped up just before Larry finished.
After we both got enough contacts for a successful activation, we packed up and headed out. Somehow, I failed to get any pictures of the radio setup. This happened a couple of times during the trip. I need to work on that since the main purpose of the trip and this article is amateur radio.
Overall, I would call it a successful trip.
I think all of us would have liked to get more activations, but it is what it is. I’m still not sure about that tent camping stuff, but I would probably do it again for the right reason. Larry and I both agreed that the full Magruder Corridor trip would be a one and done trip. I would consider going part way from one of the ends, but that 20 mile or so stretch in the middle was just a bit much. I would still recommend it to anyone that has an appropriate vehicle and the fortitude to traverse that 20-mile stretch.
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