Stanley is a tiny town of a hundred or so people at about sixty-two hundred feet in the Sawtooth Valley of central Idaho, and it is one of the best-situated villages in the American West. The jagged granite wall of the Sawtooth Range stands directly behind it, tall and sharp, with snow in most months, while the infant Salmon River, the River of No Return, runs past the edge of the town. There are log buildings, a few lodges and cafes, a rodeo ground, and a sky so clear that the whole range seems to hang in the air.
The Salmon River is a historic route and a natural wonder. It rises in these mountains and runs over four hundred miles through the largest roadless wilderness in the lower forty-eight, before joining the Snake, and its salmon runs once reached all the way up to here. Sockeye salmon still make a long journey of about nine hundred miles from the Pacific to Redfish Lake, a few miles from town, climbing over a thousand miles of dams and rivers in the process, though their numbers are small and endangered. In 2017, the area was designated an International Dark Sky Reserve, the first in the United States, and at night the Milky Way is overwhelming.
The ride up here from the south crosses Galena Summit, from which the Sawtooth Valley appears below in a single sweep, and the descent into the valley is one of the great moments of the byway. The road is smooth and flowing, with gentle bends and long views, and it runs along the river through meadows and lodgepole pine. Traffic is light, and the pace is slow. In summer, thunderstorms can build quickly over the peaks, and mornings are often frosty even in July, since Stanley is one of the coldest places in the lower states.
Stanley has fuel and a small market, plus a handful of restaurants, but services are limited and close early outside summer, so plan ahead. The nearest large town, Ketchum, is a long way south. Hot springs along the Salmon River offer a soak, and the lakes, such as Redfish and Alturas, are good for a swim in July. Late September is often glorious, with crisp air, golden aspens and a clear blue sky. In winter, the road can be closed by snow and avalanches.