By Gail Newbold — The beauty of cycling in Sun Valley is you don’t need to bring your game face. Or your fancy kit. Unless you want to, of course. This sprawling landscape made famous for its celebrity skiing, now draws cyclists of all ilks to its crown jewel of paved paths: the Wood River Trail.
On a weekend in June, you’ll see riders in full professional gear on premium high-performance bikes sailing past families on rental bikes with grandma in the lead and kids trailing behind. There will be no shortage of golden-age couples living their best lives, randos in cotton tees and basketball shorts, and locals commuting from point A to B. You might even spot a few recumbent trikes.
Chill vibes and smiles abound. It’s not hard to understand why.
Spectacular Scenery and Paved Trails
Nestled among the surrounding Rocky Mountains in central Idaho, the Wood River Trail offers up spectacular scenery (and wildflowers) along its central spine that spans 20-plus miles and a loop with additional spurs at its northern end, making for a total of 36 miles of trail. And since it also serves as a connector for the communities in the Wood River Valley and Sun Valley areas, this means that lodging, restaurants, and other services are available along the trail. On summer Saturdays there is a cute farmers market with live music in Hailey at the Roberta McKercher Park a few blocks off the trail.
An added perk are the paved trails that connect the Wood River Trail to some of the condo developments, such as Elkhorn Village and the famous Sun Valley Resort. This means no biking on busy roads and no need to transport your bike to an access point.
At various Wood River Trail end points, you can even continue your ride on lightly trafficked remote roads into the mountains for as long as your legs can handle. The area is also rife with mountain biking trails and even gravel riding.
Not for the Faint of Heart
Fearless cyclists can tackle the challenging but rewarding 20–25-mile climb from Sun Valley to the beautiful Galena Pass, for an elevation gain of 3,000 to 3,500 feet on Highway 75. The route offers spectacular views of the Sawtooth Mountains and the high mountain valley north of Sun Valley. The road is smooth, and a shoulder makes it safer for cyclists, but it’s also very winding with a lot of recreational travelers, RVs and boats, so weekdays are best.
While Sun Valley generally experiences warm, sunny summers, plan for surprises especially in the spring and fall. Even June can throw some curveballs as it did this year with winter weather advisories and morning temperatures below 40 one Saturday, and a blizzard the following day. Experienced cyclists donned in their all-weather gear were probably not phased. But novice recreational bikers either froze or wore puffer coats, rain shells, heavy jeans, or whatever they could lay hands on.
If bathrooms are important to you, know they’re hard to find. There is one at the Wood River Forest Service Campground or try searching public parks near your route.
Strangers Feel Like Friends
Turns out, the real sunshine in Sun Valley is the people. On a recent visit, I was blown away by how warm folks were.
At the Hailey Farmers Market where we bought a churro cookie and a super crunch cookie bar, the vendor chatted us up for 10 minutes about her English heritage and the ingredients in her amazing shortbread.
We found that bikers along the Wood River Trail were happy to stop and chat or answer questions. An older rider on a Catrike recumbent trike said he had Parkinsons and terrible balance and his three-wheeled bike allowed him to enjoy the great outdoors without fear.
One evening while searching for a table at crowded Lefty’s Bar & Grill in Ketchum, a man sitting alone at the bar jumped off his stool and insisted on saving a booth for us while we ordered. When we returned to wait for the waiter to bring our food, he hopped back to the bar as we thanked him profusely.
Another day at dusk, we went exploring by car and ended up on Warm Springs Road, which eventually becomes gravel. Drawn by the beautiful scenery and curious about how far the road went, we kept driving until we saw a lone cyclist and stopped to ask where it ended. He was as warm and friendly as others we’d encountered in the Wood River Valley and told us it seemed to go on forever and the summit was beautiful. We learned he enjoys gravel riding, but mostly mountain biking; and that he’s become more sensible with age and won’t cycle in bad weather or when he’s sick.
One last anecdote: While wandering downtown Ketchum in search of ice cream, a tipsy older man joined us. He said he’d been at a brew fest all day but doesn’t drink beer. “I drank hard cider for hours,” he said cheerfully.
More to Explore
If you’re up for a little extra driving, here are a few side trips well worth visiting within 100 miles of Sun Valley.
- Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve: “Craters of the Moon is a vast ocean of lava flows with scattered islands of cinder cones and sagebrush,” says the NPS website. “We invite you to explore this ‘weird and scenic landscape’ where yesterday’s volcanic events are likely to continue tomorrow. There are variety of fascinating trails, cinder cones to climb, lava tubes to explore and tons of tiny wildflowers. We loved it and found it to be beautiful and peaceful. Note that the roads inside the preserve are narrow and winding with no shoulder. It’s about 65 miles from Sun Valley.
- Land of the Yankee Fork State Park: If you’re into mining history, ghost towns and remote dirt roads all to yourself, The Land of the Yankee Fork State Park delivers. The Custer Motorway is 45 miles of pure, wild quiet—just you and the echoes of history. The landscape is ever-changing with wildflowers, historic cemeteries, three ghost towns to wander and a historic gold dredge you can tour. If you exit the motorway at Sunbeam, it’s about 75 miles to Sun Valley.
- Red Fish Lake: It’s no secret Red Fish Lake is over-loved and overcrowded, but one look at the clear turquoise water framed by the jagged Sawtooth Mountains and you’ll understand why. You can escape the crowds by taking a seven-minute shuttle ride across the lake where you’ll encounter almost no one on the nearby hiking trails and lakeshore inlets. Splurge at Limbert’s restaurant at the Red Fish Lake Lodge.
