Friday, September 1, 2006

The Fab Fives

Karen Day chooses her five favorite horse trails


Karen Day

"Reality leaves a lot to the imagination." said John Lennon. This is the converse, unfortunately, with the current cult of fascination with reality TV shows such as "Fear Factor" and "American Idol."

It seems many people prefer entertainment where nothing is left to the imagination except dreaming of the flickering fates on the television screen. But visionaries such as John Muir, along with most of the populace who visit or live in the Wood River Valley, conspire to prove the best-lived life is spent outdoors. And some believe that time is best spent on a horse—in the mountains, on the plains, anywhere on a trail fit for four hooves.

So move 'em out and keep 'em rolling.

Greenhorn or East Fork

Half way between Ketchum and Hailey, there are two of the best horse trails in the Wood River Valley, maybe in the state of Idaho. They are renowned both for their pure convenience and spectacular beauty. To name names is redundant, as every mountain, meadow and sky is awash in the vibrant greens, blues, whites and golds that paint this valley each season. Drive until the pavement turns to dust and the dust turns to trail and trail turns to sheer amazement in breathtaking views of the Boulder and Pioneer mountains. Greenhorn's trails are so close they offer easy evening rides through rolling hills and sunset views that accommodate even the youngest riders and greenest horses.

Galena and the Gladiator Mine Trail

Twenty miles north of Ketchum, pull your trailer into the Galena Lodge parking lot and drive one mile to the Gladiator trailhead. This is an advanced three- to four-hour ride, meant for well-seasoned riders and horses. As the trail gets steep, climbing the ridge to the old mine, the payoff is a 360 degree view of every mountain range within 50 miles. The mine itself is abandoned but its solid rock walls are still laden with lead and silver, and the main shaft is safe for shallow bits of exploration and adventure.

The Alice Lake Trail

This is one the most well-maintained and scenic rides in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. It is 50 miles north of Ketchum, near Stanley. Drive to Iron Creek Road and hit pay dirt at the Sawtooth Lake trailhead.

It's an intermediate trail in terms of the difficulty of the last hour of switchback climbing, but the pines are lush. Iron Creek sings clear and sweet, and views of the jagged teeth of the Sawtooths line every hoof step. This trail is relatively crowded with hikers puffing their way to the higher Sawtooth Lake, but, in September and October, the path is wide-open. Alice Lake is a clear turquoise gem that rivals the color of the Mediterranean—though the lake hovers at half that temperature on the hottest days of summer.

Boundary Creek Trail

Drive 40 miles north of Ketchum, turn right across from the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery into the Boundary Creek-Casino Creek loop trailhead. This trail rises into the White Clouds and drops into the pure-watered Casino Lakes Basin within an hour of saddling up. An intermediate ride for experienced horse and rider, this trail gets a fair amount of motorized vehicle (dirt bike) traffic in summer. However, it a 15-mile loop with clean campsites and great golden trout fishing that ends six miles north of lower Stanley at Casino Creek Campground.

Wagon Days

It's always a thrill, of course, to ride the Wagon Days parade, even though the trail is asphalt.

Several "vintage" cowpokes and riders were interviewed for this column and, to be sure, more than one declined to divulge their favorites, but special thanks goes out to longtime cowboy and trail guide extraordinaire Will Jaynes, of Mystic Saddle Ranch. He confided a few of his well-worn saddle secrets. And, in the end, the best advice about the best of horse trails in this Shangri La we call home is simply, "move 'em out and keep 'em rolling!"

Karen Day, a professional journalist, will be riding Saturday with "the best of the baddest cowgirl in the Valley ridin' for the brand of War Eagle Ranch."




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