Awesome little day hike with my Dad this week. We started our hike at about 9:00 am and returned to the Jeep just after 2:30pm so between the drive time there and back it was a full day out.

Start of our hike.The jeep track we followed as we started toward the climb. Everything was so green and lush but it was a warm 70 degrees so that won't last for long.

I'm borrowing the following directions from another website (see references). 

"Take Canyon Creek Road north out of town. The road eventually crosses Canyon Creek and then runs west for a total of 14.1 miles where the road junctions with FS-167. Turn right onto 167 and follow it, climbing steeply, for 8.8 miles to a junction by a small reservoir. A 4WD is recommended. Class 1. (Danskin Peak, Tom Lopez; Idaho: A Climbing Guide, n.d.)" 

We needed the 4WD and high clearance for this drive. And it's important to note that as of our visit (May 2017), while the road does continue beyond the reservoir mentioned in the directions above, there is a huge washout making it impassible by vehicle, less than a mile beyond the reservoir so the remainder of your hike will need to be on foot. Also of note it's currently posted that all the Danskin off-road trails are temporarily closed to motorized vehicles for rehabilitation. We did see evidence of some off-road tracks so unfortunately not everyone is abiding by the closure but there were also several BLM officers we came across so hopefully they are enforcing the motorized closures. 

Washout at Case Creek, below the road to Danskin LookoutSo this is where we parked, the lookout is almost visible in the background.

We left the road just beyond the washout and proceeded up an old Jeep track for about a mile until we hit the base of the mountains. At this point we decided to just take the shortest route to the top avoiding areas with a lot of bushes and downfall. It was fairly steep but nothing beyond some minor scrambling was needed, just a lot of stamina in the hot sun! There was still snow on the ridge and most of the drainages still had clear, running water. Once we hit the top of the ridge we enjoyed the flowers and the views before visiting the lookout itself. It's still early in the season so it's not occupied - not counting the numerous blue birds and a lone elk.

From the steps of the lookoutFor such a clear day it was still a bit hazy looking back toward Mountain Home but the views were still spectacular. This is the road that we used for the first part of the hike down.

Since I was breaking in a brand new pair of ASOLO's we decided to take the road down from the lookout for at least the worst of the descent. I was really feeling the off-trail climb by the time we reached the summit so the road was longer but less taxing on my feet. Most of the road near the top was still covered in snow drifts so even if the washout below hadn't stopped us we wouldn't have been able to drive all the way up. Once we had descended the steepest part on the road we left the road and cut back across the base of the mountain and met up with the jeep track we had started in on. 

This was a beautiful, early season hike with absolute solitude, amazing views, and vibrant wildflowers speckling the green meadows. I've added a few photos to the gallery, not as many as I would have liked but sometimes it's hard to stop for pictures when it's so hot with a bright, cloudless sky. Nevertheless there are a few nice shots from the ridges and lookout. 

Views from the ridge above the snow line.Dad enjoying the views of the distant Trinity Mountains once we gained the ridge. Another view from the steps of the lookoutThis is looking back toward the trinity mountains, across what I think is the canyon that holds the south fork of the Boise river. (I could be completely wrong about that part)