A memorable road trip to Smith Mountain in Adams County
Smith Mountain is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 2.442m (8,011ft) above the sea level located in Adams County, in the US state of Idaho.
Set high within the Payette National Forest, the road to the summit is a gravel track. It’s called Black Lake Road. It’s a steep and rough road with some rocks in it. It’s not recommended for RVs, trailers or low clearance vehicles. Not suitable for passenger cars, a vehicle with high clearance is required. The summit hosts a lookout called Smith Mountain lookout. Established with a camp in 1908, a cupola cabin was built in 1920. This was replaced by an L-4 cab in 1932. The present 10' concrete base with 16x16' cab, built in 1963, is available for emergencies.
The road to the summit is steep. Starting at NF-105 (gravel road suitable for passenger cars), the ascent is 10km (6.21 miles) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 698 meters. The average gradient is 6.98%.
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