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Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing in the Sun Valley, Idaho Region
The
Sun Valley/Ketchum area, which is home of the world famous Sun Valley
alpine ski resort also offers world class cross country skiing. There
are about 200 km of trails winding through scenic mountains. Contact
a local vacation planner to handle all of the details for their vacation
for equipment, instruction, guides, accommodations and so on at www.visitsunvalley.com
or call 800-634-3347 ext. 1 if you'd like to find a concierge service.
Ketchum
is the heart of the Wood River Valley and the Sun Valley Nordic and
Snowshoe Center (208-622-2250 or 208-622-2251, www.sunvalley.com),
is just two miles east near the Sun Valley Lodge. Most of the 40 km
cross-country ski trails are on the Sun Valley Golf Course that weaves
up Trail Creek. The trails are gentle and easy but there is also plenty
of challenging terrain. The Diamondback loop takes skiers up to a high
point with fantastic views up and down the valley and the Pioneer Mountains.
The daily trail fee is $18, with discounts for children and seniors.
Group and private lessons are available. There are also 6 km of designated
snowshoe trails available to hike for a $6 trail fee. Snowshoe rentals
are $15 a day. The Sun Valley Nordic and Snowshoe Center has the largest
ski school in the region available for lessons for all levels. Sun Valley
Nordic Center is a CCSAA member.
At the Sun Valley
Lodge, there is a 58,000 square foot lodge that replaced the old warming
hut in 2008 with a hugh dining area, rental shop, and an indoor driving
range for golf aficionados.
From
Galena Summit in the north to Bellevue in the south, the entire Wood
River Valley has groomed trails totaling 130 km thanks to the Blaine
County Recreation District North Valley
Trails (208-726-4010, www.xcskisv.com),
Although not all interconnected, these trails are all groomed with skating
lanes and classic tracks. A $15 trail pass gains access to these trails
except the Wood River Trail that is free. There are also 20 km of snowshoe
trails. The North Valley Trails offer spectacular scenery and professionally
groomed trails for skiers of all abilities and interest levels. Kids
that are 12 and under can now ski for free on all the North Valley trails
managed by Blaine County Rec District, which includes 5 trail systems.
For a full page of info click here North
Valley Trails and Galena Lodge.
Starting at the
top, the largest trail center operated by the BCRD is
at Galena Lodge (208-726-4010; www.galenalodge.com,
grooming report:208-726-6662) with 50 km of trails, a full restaurant
featuring hearty lunches, certified instruction, and a full service
ski shop. It also has a 22 km snowshoe trail and snowshoe rentals. There
are also two rental yurts. A popular event is the Full Moon Dinner,
followed by moonlit skiing. Rentals and lessons are available, and you
can ski with a ranger and learn about natural history or wildlife. These
tours are free with a trail pass. North Valley Trails maintains a grooming
hotline, 208-726-6662. Galena is 24 miles north of Ketchum on Hwy
75. Easy trails follow Horse, Senate, and Gladiator Creeks with more
difficult and most difficult trails traversing over the ridges separating
three drainages. The spectacular Boulder Mountains have a wild and beautiful
feel. CCSAA member
Heading down valley from Galena, the Harriman Trail travels 30 scenic kilometers in the Sawtooth National Forest before ending at the Sawtooth National Rec Area Headquarters and Visitor Center. Multiple access points and a parking area for the Harriman Trail are available along Highway 75 north of Ketchum. The Sun Valley Nordic Festival is held in February and these trails are the home of the Boulder Mountain Tour, an achoring event at the festival.
Lake Creek is two miles north of Ketchum and it has 15 km of trails. These trails are really designed for the Sun Valley Nordic Ski Team including a team building biathlon range and some challenging hills. The public is welcome to ski these trails as long as they have a valid trail pass and respect the racers in training. Just south of Lake Creek but not connected is the northern terminus of the Wood River Trail, which is a rail trail providing a flat and easy route for more than 30 km of trails stretching north of Ketchum to Hailey and Bellevue.
The newest area
is the Quigley Family Park directly east of Hailey with a separate
14 km trail system geared for families and kids. This area includes
snowshoe and dog trails, too. New in the 2008-09 season is a three-day
and season pass good at Sun Valley and BCRD trails.
BACKCOUNTRY
HUT SKIING
The skiing experience
in the Sawtooths is a well-kept secret. The
Sawtooth's high alpine reaches are laced with granite spires and inviting
cirques. The shoulders of these and other surrounding mountain ranges
offer superb backcountry slope skiing and the forests of pine and aspen
are a delight for Nordic ski touring. At day's end, a Mongolian style
yurt welcomes you for dinner or an evening’s rest before heading
out for another great day in the backcountry.
Guided tours are available through Sun Valley Trekking (208-788-1966,
www.svtrek.com)
with instructional, half day, full day, or mulit-day trips, hut or yurt
rentals, dinner tours, and much more. For a full page of info click
Sun Valley Trekking.
Galena Lodge also has two yurts for nightly rentals for $125,
which can accommodate up to 7 people. Reservations are required at 208-726-4010.
If a yurt doesn’t sound good to you, perhaps a ride up the mountain
in a helicopter sounds more your speed.
Shopping, dining, and apres ski activites are first class in the region. There are a number of specialty retailers in Ketchum for any Nordic skier visiting the Sun Valley region. For a list of retailers, contact the Visit Sun Valley Web site.. Avalanche and snow condition reports are available 24 hours a day from the Ketchum Ranger District at 208-788-1200, ext. 8027. Fly into the airport in Hailey or drive Route 84 north from the major airport in Salt Lake City.
Thanks to Don Portman
from the Methow Valley Sport Trails Association and Sun Mountain Lodge,
WA for the newest info about cross country skiing in Sun Valley.
