Saw lots of these guys in bunches growing out of rock outcroppings along the Old Salmon River Trail (at about 1700 feet). Wondering what they are...

At a glance, that looks like a saxifrage, although what specific variety is usually guess work. They're typically common east of the mountains, or in rocky areas west of the mountains with pretty poor soil. I usually see them growing with camas, rosy plectritis and prairie stars.

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What do you suppose is around that next bend?

Definitely saxifrage.  At this time of year, at that elevation, probably "Western saxifrage," which is very very common.

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adamschneider.net
www.gpsvisualizer.com

Thanks!  I found "western saxifrage" on the web, but it is not named in my Peterson's Field Guide to western flowers.  Anyone use this guide and know anything about its thoroughness?

The Peterson guides can be helpful in narrowing a plant down to a family or genus, but since they try to cover huge swaths of the country, they often won't have the exact plant you're looking at.  I also find the lack of photos limiting.

Check out Mark Turner's Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest (2006).  Even it's not perfect, but it's the best I've seen.

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adamschneider.net
www.gpsvisualizer.com