A rough 4x4 road to Sundance Mountain in ID
Sundance Mountain is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 1.914m (6,279ft) above the sea level, located in Bonner County, in the northern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. The summit is accessible by high clearance, 4X4 vehicles during the summer. It was the site of a horrific lightning caused wildfire that ignited in August 1967, and claimed two lives.
Set high in the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, the road to the summit is totally unpaved. One mistake can have serious consequences. This road system is minimally maintained and travel may include negotiating downfalls, brush, and other obstacles. Road conditions are always changing. This is definitely not a Sunday drive. Winter comes early and stays late on this trail, so you may only be able to safely run it in the middle of the summer. In the late summer of 1967, a forest fire erupted on Sundance and eventually consumed approximately 56,000 acres on the mountain and adjacent areas. The mountain is still recovering from that trauma, which burned away its trees and left only a forest of ghostly fire-scoured snags to cover its slopes. At the time the Sundance fire was called the most destructive fire in Idaho in 50 years.
The road to the summit is very steep. Starting at the paved Cavanaugh Bay Road, the ascent is 12.71km (7.9 miles) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 1.137 meters. The average gradient is 8.94%. The views of the Priest Lake and surrounding mountains are spectacular. This is definitely one road trip that you want to record with lots of photographs. At the summit there’s a fire lookout tower built in 1935. Don't be surprised to see deer, or a moose in the forest leading up to the mountain. The last quarter of the way is steep and rocky and not suitable for most cars lacking 4-wheel drive and/or high ground clearance.
Pic&video: Tom70s