Shedroof Divide

The Shedroof Divide trail traverses the high spine of the Salmo-Priest Wilderness, the only designated wilderness in eastern Washington. This is ridge walking at its best: nearly 23 miles of open meadows, beargrass slopes, and summit after summit along the crest of the Selkirk Mountains. The route tags Round Top, Mankato, Helmer, Thunder, Shedroof, Little Snowy Top, and Snowy Top mountains, each with its own character and views into Idaho's wild Selkirk backcountry.

Starting from Pass Creek Pass, the trail climbs onto the divide and stays high for most of its length. Alpine flowers bloom through sagebrush in midsummer, and early-season beargrass puts on a show worth planning around. Old-growth forest fills the valleys below, and the sense of remoteness out here is real. Several former fire lookout sites along the ridge give you the full sweep of the surrounding country.

This is point-to-point country, best done as a multi-day backpack. Established campsites sit at roughly miles 4, 7, 13, 15.7, 18, and 22.8. Water is scarce on the ridgeline, so plan resupply carefully. Trail junctions at Jackson Creek (mile 7), Shedroof Cut-off (mile 13), and Salmo Divide (mile 15.7) open up loop options, with the Thunder Creek Loop and Hughes Fork Loop being the most popular. The access road from Sullivan Lake has a washout a couple miles before the trailhead that requires AWD and high clearance. Bugs can be fierce in July.