Unit 51-2X

Key terrain markers include the Red Hills and Hawley Mountains as major ridge systems for orientation, with Hawley Mountain and Sunset Peak providing high vantage points for surveying the country. Foss Mountain, Taylor Mountain, and Howe Peak offer additional navigation anchors across the rolling high terrain. The main drainages—Long Lost Creek, Hilts Creek, and Massacre Creek—cut deep canyons that serve as natural travel corridors and waypoints.

Several named passes (Firebox Summit, Pass Creek Summit, Deer Creek Pass) and meadows (Firebox Meadows, Deer Flats) provide landmarks for route finding in what is otherwise open, complex terrain.

Terrain ranges from mid-elevation valley floors around 4,760 feet to high alpine ridges exceeding 12,000 feet, with the bulk of the unit sitting in the 6,000 to 9,500-foot zone. Vegetation is sparse throughout—open sagebrush and grass dominate lower elevations and ridgetops, with scattered stands of lodgepole and limber pine dotting higher terrain. Alpine meadows break up the highest ridges, while narrow canyon bottoms support denser riparian vegetation along streams.

This is open country where timber never dominates; terrain features rather than forests define the landscape.

Over 1,400 miles of roads network the unit, primarily Forest Service routes that climb from valley towns into the high country. Highway 33 provides northern access; Five Points Creek Road and Dollarhide Summit Road are primary entry points. Access is well-connected but spread across the massive terrain, which naturally distributes pressure rather than concentrating it.

Early-season hunters often focus on accessible drainages near roads, leaving the interior country less pressured. The combination of size and road density means solitude is possible if you're willing to leave the obvious staging areas and put in elevation gain.

Unit 51-2X sprawls across Butte, Custer, and Lemhi Counties along the Little Lost River drainage, bounded by the Lemhi Divide to the south and west, Highway 33 to the north, and Couch Summit anchoring the eastern edge. The unit encompasses the upper reaches of Little Smoky Creek, Carrie Creek, and the main Little Lost River drainage, with several tributary canyons cutting through the terrain. Five Points Creek Road (FSRD 094) and Dollarhide Summit Road (FSRD 227) define critical access corridors.

This vast, mountainous terrain sits in central Idaho's remote backcountry, far from major population centers.

Water is limited and concentrated in major systems. Long Lost Creek, the unit's primary drainage, flows year-round but access depends on location. Secondary creeks including Hilts Creek, Massacre Creek, Barney Creek, and Horse Lake Creek provide seasonal and perennial flows in canyon bottoms.

Multiple springs are scattered throughout—Blind Springs, Willow Springs, Barney Hot Springs, and others—but require specific knowledge to locate. High-elevation lakes (Copper Lake, Horse Lake, Swauger Lakes) and reservoirs (Nolan Lake, Summit Reservoir) exist but may be inaccessible during much of the season. Plan water strategy carefully; relying on small meadow seeps is risky.

This is elk country across multiple elevation zones and habitat types. Early season hunting focuses on high-elevation meadows and sparse timber in the 8,000 to 10,000-foot band where bulls congregate before the rut. Mid-season action shifts to timbered canyon breaks and ridge saddles as animals move between high summer range and lower drainage systems.

Late season elk push into lower sagebrush flats and scattered pine around 6,000 to 7,500 feet. Glassing open ridgetops is effective here due to sparse cover, but the terrain complexity (canyons, hidden drainages, bench terrain) demands careful map work before hunting. Water sources and saddles between drainages are key focus areas year-round.