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Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing in the Sun Valley, Idaho Region
The
Sun Valley/Ketchum area has about 210 km of trails overall. A potential
visitor can contact a local vacation planner to handle all of the details
for their vacation for equipment, instruction, guides, accommodations
and so on.
Check www.visitsunvalley.com
or call 800-634-3347 ext. 1 if you'd like to find a concierge service.
The
closest facilities are at the Sun Valley Nordic and Snowshoe Center
(208-622-2250 or 208-622-2251, www.sunvalley.com),
near the Sun Valley Lodge, where 40 km of cross-country ski trails are
groomed and marked for difficulty. They range from easy two-way trails
on the golf course to isolated forest escapes. There is a half-track
width for children as well as a terrain garden. The daily trail fee
is $12, with discounts for half-day, children and seniors. Group and
private lessons are available. There is also an Atlas snowshoe center,
along with 6 km of free designated snowshoe trails. Snowshoe rental
is $15 a day or $12 for a half day. The Sun Valley Nordic and Snowshoe
Center has the largest ski school in the region available for lessons
for all levels. CCSAA member
The
Blaine County Recreation District grooms the North
Valley Trails (208-726-4010, www.xcskisv.com),
which have more than 120 km of groomed trails in the Sawtooth National
Recreation Area supported by set trail fees or donations. There is 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 and is the home of the Boulder Mountain Tour, which
uses the 30 km Harriman Trail from Galena Lodge to the Sawtooth National
Recreation Area Headquarters.For a full page of info click here North
Valley Trails and Galena Lodge.
The largest trail
center is at Galena
Lodge (208-726-4010; www.galenalodge.com,
grooming report:208-726-6662) with 56 km of trails, a full restaurant
featuring hearty lunches, certified instruction and a full service ski
shop. It also has a 15 km snowshoe trail and snowshoe rentals. 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. CCSAA member
The Wood
River Trails feature 30 km of trails stretching north of Ketchum
to Hailey and Bellevue. Lake Creek has 15.5 km of trails, and
three other areas have less than 10 km each. The Boulder Mountain
Trail stretches 30 km from the Sawtooth National Recreation Area
headquarters 8 miles north of Ketchum to Easley Hot Springs and Galena,
and is groomed all winter, snow conditions permitting.
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.
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 three 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.
Sun Valley Heli Ski Guides offers several packages for backcountry
trips to the surrounding ranges.Call 1-800-872-3108 for more information.
