For the week of July 2 - 8, 2003

Sun Valley swings
into summer lift
and trail season

Biking and hiking await on Bald Mountain

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"Mountain biking on Bald Mountain is really not for beginners. Whether it’s uphill or downhill, it’s a long way. The Warm Springs Trail is more than 10 miles long, and 90 percent of it is outside the ski area boundary."

— JACK SIBBACH, Sun Valley Co. public relations and marketing director

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By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

If the stunning views of the Pioneer, Smoky and Boulder mountain ranges from atop Sun Valley’s Bald Mountain don’t impress you, perhaps the 10-mile, 3,000-vertical-foot screamer of a bike ride back to the valley floor will.

Of the numerous Sun Valley summertime pass times, a simple ride up the ski lifts on Bald Mountain, the resort’s winter ski area, is often overlooked. Also, the lifts aren’t reserved only for mountain bikers. Sightseers and hikers would do well to add summer lift rides to their vacation itineraries.

"The biggest attraction in the summer is sightseeing—going up there and looking around," said Sun Valley Co. Public Relations and Marketing Director Jack Sibbach. "About 80 percent of the tickets we sell, that’s what people are up there for."

Sweeping fields of wildflowers and sagebrush, towering stands of coniferous trees, and world-class views await mountain-top travelers, whether they hike, bike or ride a chair lift to the top.

Sun Valley opened its network of Bald Mountain biking and hiking trails last week, and the lifts started running July 1. One-ride, up-and-down pass costs $15. A full day is $20. For those who hike the whole way to Baldy’s summit, the lift ride down is free.

But don’t go to the mountain’s Warm Springs base, where there’s a quaint village of restaurants and shops, for lift rides. Only lifts at the mountain’s River Run base are operational in the summer.

A local favorite hiking option is to depart from the ski area’s River Run base on the Bald Mountain Trail, which begins by traversing north along the Big Wood River. The tough climb meanders through sagebrush meadows, coniferous forests and across a few ski runs.

"I think it’s the views that most people are up there looking at. The lifts are also like an amusement ride for some people," Sibbach said. "Just the ride up is enough reason to do it."

For mountain bikers:

• The 10-mile Warm Springs Trail has a starting elevation of 9,010 feet and an ending elevation of 5,880. The single-track trail is rated difficult, but the views of the Smoky Mountains to the west of the lifts are well worth the extra effort. It ends at the Warm Springs village.
  
   
• The Cold Springs Trail is 8.6 miles one way, and its 3,330-foot elevation gain gives it a difficult rating for climbers. The descent takes riders to the base of the mountain behind St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center, about two miles south of the River Run access. Follow the bike path back north to River Run Plaza and the mountain parking areas reach your vehicle, or to do it again.

"Mountain biking on Bald Mountain is really not for beginners," Sibbach said. "Whether it’s uphill or downhill, it’s a long way. The Warm Springs Trail is more than 10 miles long, and 90 percent of it is outside the ski area boundary."

Even though the Warm Springs and Cold Springs trails are long, the gradients are consistent, and the paths are manicured. If the trails were shorter, negotiating a few tight switchbacks would probably be the hardest part of a Baldy biking day.

Sun Valley opened its lifts to summer hikers and bikers about five years ago, and the resort sells about 20,000 tickets each year. However, mountain-top activity is spread out and never feels crowded.

"It’s another amenity that everybody should take advantage of, whether they’re staying at Sun Valley resort, Kentwood Lodge or camping out," Sibbach said.

 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.