subject: A Snapshot of Idaho's Deadwood Reservoir [print this page] A Snapshot of Idaho's Deadwood Reservoir A Snapshot of Idaho's Deadwood Reservoir
One cold winter night, I poured over an Idaho topographical map and discovered its presence, tucked neatly into the Idaho backcountry. I began to search for books and internet articles on the area, and found little information is available on the lake. Most internet sites regurgitated the same information, including elevation, acres, and general proximity.
My family camped near Stanley for the 4th of July weekend, and endeavored on a day trip to Deadwood in hopes of researching its viability for a family vacation. The best route we could establish is a forest service road that travels through Bear Valley. The route from highway to Deadwood reservoir is 36 miles, and took us 2 hours.
The first 10 miles were riddled with potholes and washboards, but the road steadily improved the closer we got to the reservoir. A co-worker traveled the road to Bear Valley the same weekend, and told me it was the roughest he had ever seen it. He said the forest service will typically grade the road, which significantly cuts down on travel time.
We had never been to Bear Valley, and after seeing the calm and picturesque waters of Bear Valley creek, we committed ourselves to a future adventure at that location. I had read an Idaho paddling book that said the creek was an excellent class II float, and after seeing it for myself I would have to say the book did not do justice to the beauty and serenity of the area.
As we neared the reservoir, we noticed that many of the unimproved campgrounds adjacent to the branch of the Deadwood River that dumps into the reservoir were empty. An odd sight for a 3-day holiday weekend, but I guess the remote location dramatically decreases the amount of visitors to the area.
