Idaho Centennial Trail

The Idaho Centennial Trail (ICT, ref 88; route) is a long-distance hiking route through Idaho, officially designated as the state trail in 1990. It runs from Murphy Hot Springs at the Idaho–Nevada border up to Priest Falls at the Idaho–British Columbia border, totaling about 900 miles (995.6 miles per the state-trail description).

ICT is managed as a cooperative route crossing multiple jurisdictions: overall trail coordination sits with Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, while the Bureau of Land Management manages the southern section and the U.S. Forest Service manages the middle and northern sections.

The route is built largely from existing hiking trails and primitive roads and is designed to be feasible for thru-hikers, backpackers, day hikers, and stock users. Depending on the section, it can also be used by off-highway vehicles and mountain bikes.

Expect sustained backcountry travel with significant elevation change—climbing and descending through central Idaho between roughly 3,000 and 9,000 feet, with a low point near 1,900 feet along the Selway River area before climbing again toward higher elevations in the Cabinet and Selkirk Mountains.

The ICT crosses major wilderness country for more than 300 miles, including the Sawtooth Wilderness, Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness, and Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, and it also ties into several well-known historic trails along the way (including the Oregon Trail and Lewis and Clark Trail, plus an alternative that crosses the Nez Perce Trail).

Seasonality is typically May through September, with the practical thru-hike flow aiming to start in early June when snow levels begin to drop and to reach the northern end before late-September/early-October snows. In the Owyhee Desert-style early segments, water can be very scarce and hikers often plan for extended dry stretches.

More information: Map, Wikipedia, Department of Parks and Recreation - Hiking