McCall, Idaho|The Forest Primeval

Sawtooth · #1 Posted **Nov 19, 2023, 8:25 PM**

McCall, aka Ski Town USA, is 100 miles North of Boise in the Salmon River Mountains and bordered by the largest contiguous alpine Wilderness area in the Lower 48. Founded in 1889 as a logging village, it is now a tourist town.

The estimated population is around 4,000 and nearly triples during the summer season and ski season. The amount of condos, cabins, hotels and resorts, second homes and multi million dollar mansions attest of McCall's capability to house a lot of people.

Elevation 5,021' above the Sea.

Payette Lake was formed by glaciers and estimated to be around 10,000 years old.

This set is from a weekend trip earlier this month. There are two lakes represented in my photos, Big Payette Lake and Little Payette Lake which is in the mountains above the main lake.
Enjoy!

by Sean, on Flickr

by Sean, on Flickr

Upper Payette Lake

by Sean, on Flickr

by Sean, on Flickr

Big Payette Lake @Ponderosa State Park #NorthwestIsBest

by Sean, on Flickr

xzmattzx · #2 Posted **Nov 20, 2023, 3:40 AM**

Great pictures! I love seeing resort towns, and places where people go for long weekends or vacations.

I was wondering if there was a beach on one of the lakes, but you showed it. Have you ever gone swimming there in the summer?

creamcityleo79 · #3 Posted **Nov 21, 2023, 3:36 PM**

Stunning! The one house is reminiscent the old Monsanto House of the Future from Disneyland (50s/60s). I wonder if that was the inspiration.

dktshb · #4 Posted **Nov 21, 2023, 3:37 PM**

What a beautiful location. Thank you for sharing.

mousquet · #5 Posted **Nov 21, 2023, 8:55 PM**

Very nice. Love those pristine landscapes.

I remember watching a report by a guy in real estate in Idaho. The guy himself was a transplant from California.
He was joking a little bit about a so-called "clash of culture" that immigrants from CA would go through over there.
The thing is people over there have their own rural lifestyle and don't like it when you would bother them, like - no! Have mercy! Don't kill that deer, when they go hunting.
He was not talking about Boise, that's the "big town" over there, but about some more remote and rural areas where you get landscapes like this.

It's the same over here. People in the countryside don't like it when people from the city tell them hunting is something savage, while they actually eat meat every day, but just don't kill it themselves.
It's kind of hypocritical, and only a matter of lifestyle, to be fair.

mttop · #6 Posted **Nov 22, 2023, 6:33 PM**

The last time I visited that area, we drove from McCall to Yellow Pine via Lick Creek Road over the summit and down to the East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon River and eventually the South Fork of the Salmon. That steep and remote forest road is not for the timid. It's incredibly beautiful and wild, extremely wild. The mountains and scenery are world class.

Sawtooth · #7 Posted **Nov 23, 2023, 8:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

Great pictures! I love seeing resort towns, and places where people go for long weekends or vacations.

I was wondering if there was a beach on one of the lakes, but you showed it. Have you ever gone swimming there in the summer?

Thanks xzmattzx!

Both of the lakes have beaches although the upper lake is undeveloped except for a few campgrounds. The main lake has several areas with beach access including Legacy Park downtown which has a large beach. There is a third lake in McCall called Little Payette Lake which I didn't get any photos of.

I've swam there, it's tolerable in summer with water temps usually around 70 degrees. On the flip side, the lake does freeze over in the winter. Payette Lake is very popular for people to show off their wooden boats and has a chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society. Water skiing is also a major sport on the lake.

There is a mythical monster in the lake named Sharlie. There have been several sightings but Payette Lake is home to many large species of fish, Lake Trout, Rainbow Trout, Kokanee Salmon, Tiger Muskie, and Sturgeon. If you like freshwater fish and like to fish, Idaho is one of the best Western states for this experience. Central Idaho is a breeding ground for Salmon who make their way to the Pacific and then swim back home (if they make it) to die. This is a major reason the dams on the Columbia need to go.

Sturgeon in Idaho (which are protected) can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh 1500 pounds, so that could explain Sharlie.

Here's more info:
https://visitmccall.org/sharlie-payette-lake-monster/

Quote:

Big Payette Lake is named after Francois Payette, a French Canadian fur trapper who roamed the central Idaho mountains during the early years of the 19th century (1800’s).

The natural lake is over 5,000 glacier-carved acres of clean, still water surrounded by towering pines and serene Douglas fir. At its deepest and darkest point, near the Northwest shore, the lake is 392 ft deep.

The Native Americans who once spent summers in Long Valley were said to fear the calm seemingly bottomless waters of the lake, telling stories of an evil spirit that lurked in its hidden depths.

The first documented sighting of something out of the ordinary was by a railroad logging crew. In 1920, while cutting railroad ties near the upper end of the lake, workers thought they saw a huge log floating in the frigid water. The log began to move forward. Then the log began to undulate. Then the ‘log’ created its own wake as it rapidly left the area.

In 1944, a group of people near the Narrows saw a creature, describing it as, “At least 35 feet long, with a dinosaur-type head, pronounced jaw, humps like a camel, and shell-like skin.” This dramatic account propelled the story into the national headlines, and serpent hunters began to frequent the tranquil area to snap a photo of the creature or even capture it outright. An article published in the nationally distributed Times Magazine in August of 1944, reported that 30 people had seen the periscope-shaped head of the creature they called “Slimy Slim” since July 2 of that year.

Cottonwood · #8 Posted **Nov 27, 2023, 3:36 PM**

Gorgeous photos Sawtooth

I've been following this proposal for the Ponderosa Center in McCall. This will be a tremendous asset when completed.

https://ponderosacenter.org/

• Video Link

mrnyc · #9 Posted **Nov 27, 2023, 11:44 PM**

i never heard of this place.

but im glad you showed it to us.

beautiful.

Sawtooth · #10 Posted **Dec 1, 2023, 4:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by creamcityleo79

Stunning! The one house is reminiscent the old Monsanto House of the Future from Disneyland (50s/60s). I wonder if that was the inspiration.

That is a great comparison.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dktshb

What a beautiful location. Thank you for sharing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mousquet

Very nice. Love those pristine landscapes.

I remember watching a report by a guy in real estate in Idaho. The guy himself was a transplant from California.
He was joking a little bit about a so-called "clash of culture" that immigrants from CA would go through over there.
The thing is people over there have their own rural lifestyle and don't like it when you would bother them, like - no! Have mercy! Don't kill that deer, when they go hunting.
He was not talking about Boise, that's the "big town" over there, but about some more remote and rural areas where you get landscapes like this.

It's the same over here. People in the countryside don't like it when people from the city tell them hunting is something savage, while they actually eat meat every day, but just don't kill it themselves.
It's kind of hypocritical, and only a matter of lifestyle, to be fair.

The influx is definitely driving up RE costs. McCall is now so expensive that it's difficult for the average service worker to afford to live there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mttop

The last time I visited that area, we drove from McCall to Yellow Pine via Lick Creek Road over the summit and down to the East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon River and eventually the South Fork of the Salmon. That steep and remote forest road is not for the timid. It's incredibly beautiful and wild, extremely wild. The mountains and scenery are world class.

The Salmon River area and the massive mountainous Wilderness of Central Idaho has to be among the most sacred places on earth.

geomorph · #11 Posted **Dec 7, 2023, 1:31 AM**

More please, very nice!
Although I would be cautious of the sushi place.

Evo5Boise · #12 Posted **Dec 7, 2023, 3:22 PM**

Awesome tour. Love McCall. One of my favorite places in the world. Asked my wife to marry me on the shore of Payette Lake many years ago.

giallo · #13 Posted **Dec 7, 2023, 4:31 PM**

Beautiful captures! Thanks for sharing.

McCall reminds me so much of the interior of British Columbia. You could tell me this is southeastern BC, and I'd believe you.

Boisebro · #14 Posted **Dec 14, 2023, 2:27 AM**

fun fact: the movie Northwest Passage with Spencer Tracy and Robert Young was filmed in the McCall area in the 1930s. for someone who's been to McCall many times, it was interesting to see the area on film from 90 years ago and recognize the mountains and landscape.

thanks for the photos; can't wait to get back up there again.

Sawtooth · #15 Posted **Dec 25, 2023, 5:25 PM**

I forget that movie was filmed there. On another note, Wayne Gretzky has a home on the lake as well as other celebrities.

I have more photos and hope to post them soon.

Thanks everyone for the comments!