How to Explore the Fort Henry Historic Byway

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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To visit the Fort Henry Historical Byway from Rexburg take the U.S. 20 exit to the Salem Highway and the St. Anthony Sand Dunes on Red Road. Go on to the junction of A-2 Road and continue north, then east to Island Park where the byway ends. Fort Henry has a new monument erected that marks the first European settlement in Idaho. The old one was moved to the original site of Fort Henry and can be viewed with the telescope from the new site. The St. Anthony Sand Dunes can be reached on this byway from where the monument is. The dunes are part of a 20,000 acre Wilderness Study and this area is the winter home of about 4,000 deer and elk. Camas Meadows is where you'll see the returning Sand Hill Cranes. The Sage Grouse also gather here each spring for a court each other in their display area. The mountain streams are great for fishing. Historic ranches are also in the area, along with the early histories of Indians, the mountain men, miners, and stagecoach lines. There are also displays of the war between the Nez Perce Indians and the U.S. Calvary, in 1877 at the Camas Meadow Battlefield site. This byway is 81 miles long. Allow 2-4 hours to pass through, especially if you plan to visit the sites along the way.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Traveling Vehicle
A full tank of gas
Extra water and oil for vehicle
Emergency Equipment
First Aid Kit
Food and snacks
Drinks

How to Explore Fort Henry Historic Byway

Step 1

Begin at North Rexburg, U.S. 20 exit and go to the Salem Highway. Go to St. Anthony Sand Dunes on Red Road and on to A-2 Road North Junction. Continue on A-2 North. About mid way this byway meets the Lost Gold Trails Loop. Continue on A-2 Road.
Step 2

Visit the St. Anthony Sand Dunes. There privately owned campsites here. These Sand Dunes are part of the Sand Mountain Wilderness Study. Next you will come to Henry's Fork of the Snake River.
Step 3

After Henry's Fork of the Snake River, you can visit Camas Meadows Battle Grounds, and also see the Cranes and Sage Grouse, especially in April.
Step 4

From Camas Meadows are the mountains of Caribou-Targee National Forest. This area is great for fishing here, there are so many streams.
Step 5

The forest and meadow areas are dominant for most of this byway. The byway ends at U.S. 20 North at Island Park just before you get into Yellowstone National Park.