Mountain Biking - Sawtooth Mountains, ID

My most absolute mountain biking vacation was Aug last year. There were 6 of us total (3 couples), and we drove 5 hours north to Sawtooths/Stanley, ID.

It was absolutle heaven. The weather was perfect, the trails were perfect, no crowds, free camping near a river, and soaked everynight in a natural hot spring for free. Laid out on the shores of Red Fish one afternoon, breathtaking. The scenery up there is magnificent. I couldn't have asked for more.

We're already planning a late spring trip to Sun Valley/Ketchum. The trails were too dusty and powdery when we were there in late summer, but would be prefect late spring. Then return late summer.

Shoot, I was supposed to post this in alexdesigns post.

Sorry!!!

I have not heard more true words for quite some time. Simply put, Stanly Idaho is heaven on earth. Out family has taken two trips there, most recently 4 years ago, and Im itching to get back.

Back then I wasnt mountain biking, so our main interest in going there was for the scenery of course and also the fishing. We camped on the salmon river at the mormon campgrond (its called something like that, and i dont think it has to do with the religion). The hotsprings are definitely a benefit of camping in the area as well. Going there almost feels like traveling back through time.

Hopefully I will go there again in the near future only this time with my bike.

The Stanley Basin and the Wood River Valley (Sun Valley / Ketchum) are excellent areas for both mountain and road biking. There are several guide books listing the many trails in the area. Highway 75 is also good for road biking or making a loop out of the Harriman Trail. Classic trails include the Fischer Creek / Williams Creek loop. There are also trails near Stanley Lake. The Wood River Valley has the Harriman Trail as well as some paved trails in the Sun Valley area. What trails did you ride?

JDC2000, we used the book "Good Dirt" and a great map from a local bike shop in Ketchum.

We rode these trails over a 3 day period:
Placer Creek to Castle Creek (which we lovingly renamed Whoopass Creek)
Red Warrior Creek
Fisher Creek to Williams Creek
Valley Creek to Knapp Creek

I'd like to try more Sun Valley trails when the trail conditions aren't so dusty and loose.

Shoot, I was supposed to post this in alexdesigns post.

Sorry!!!

Hey Shannon, It's actually my fault. I dug up this thread from a few years ago. I closed it. That is why you couldn't post to it.

Sorry. You see, I did a member search for other FL riders, Alexdesigns came up and I posted to his thread instead of sending him a PM. My BAD!

Regardless, the Sawtooths sound awesome! Too bad they're only a 40 hr. drive away!

L8R

"Good Dirt" (ISBN 0-966-59530-0) is an excellent book. Rides 34-45 in Falcon Guide's Mountain Biking Idaho by Stephen Stuebner (ISBN 1-56044-744-3) are in the same area. (Some rides are the same ones you have listed already). There are a few rides listed in The Trail Book - Sun Valley & Surrounding Area (ISBN 0-9639134-4-1) also. The Fischer Creek / Williams Creek and Valley Creek / Knapp Creek rides are classics. There are lots more excellent rides in the area as well, and then of course there are the hiking trails. The trails should be much less dusty this spring. Late May through June should see excellent conditions depending on when the snow melts. The drought of the past several years results in dusty conditions again by mid to late summer.