Description

The Taylor Wilderness Research Station airstrip sits on the south bank of Big Creek in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, one of only a few airstrips within this designated wilderness area. The roughly half-mile grass strip runs between Rush Creek and Pioneer Creek at the base of a steep, peak-flanked valley, featuring a mid-strip dog-leg.

The Taylor family purchased the property in 1935, but air travel was not yet practical in Idaho's backcountry at that time. By 1948, conditions had changed enough to make a private airstrip viable. With the ranch situated in prime habitat for bighorn sheep, elk, and deer, air access offered a significant commercial advantage for their hunting business.

The University of Idaho purchased the ranch in 1969. Today it operates as the Taylor Wilderness Research Station under the University's College of Natural Resources. The airstrip is classified as private, requiring advance permission to land. Authorized users include researchers, students, and faculty transported by permitted local aviation companies. General recreationists such as backpackers and hunters may only use the airstrip for medical evacuations. What was built to support a commercial hunting operation now serves primarily as access for scientific fieldwork and education.