Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Check out 5 new rides in the Yankee Fork, Bayhorse areas near Challis

Bayhorse Pacific Mine Tour

Big mountain views are easy to find on the Bayhorse Lake - Trealor Creek Loop

Bayhorse Lake

Looking off into the Squaw Creek drainiange

Hi all,

We wanted Idaho OHV riders to know that we've added five new rides to the Where to Ride section of the http://www.stayontrails.com/ web site, including the new Lombard Trail that starts and finishes at the Land of the Yankee Fork State Park in Challis, Idaho.

With the five new rides, there are now a total of 31 OHV trails statewide to check out on the http://www.stayontrails.com/ web site. Most of the rides are appropriate for ATV or motorbike use, and a few of them feature singletrack rides for skilled motorbike riders.

As we mentioned in our last blog about the Lombard Trail dedication on Saturday, Sept. 11, the Yankee Fork region is loaded with literally hundreds of miles of OHV trails. The Yankee Fork District of the Salmon-Challis National Forest, the Challis Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management and Idaho Department of Parks & Recreation officials have been working together to develop the trails, sign them and map them. See the overview map above for a glimpse of the possibilities.

Here's a breakdown of the five new rides. Click on the title of each ride to get more detailed information about the ride on http://www.stayontrails.com/.

1. Lombard Trail - The Lombard Trail, named for IDPR Board Member Ernest Lombard, runs for 13.5 miles one-way from the Land of the Yankee Fork State Park to the mining ghost town of Bayhorse. It takes about 1.5 hours to ride to Bayhorse. The Lombard Trail is an ATV trail but it is suitable for motobikes as well.

2. Bayhorse Pacific Mine Loop - You can either ride the Lombard Trail from Challis to Bayhorse or drive to the Bayhorse ghost town and trailhead to do this ride. The mine loop runs for 15 miles, and you should allow at least two hours for the tour, so you have time to walk around, take pictures and read interpretive signs. This trail is suitable for ATV's or motorbikes.

3. Bayhorse Lake - Trealor Creek Loop - This ride starts and finishes at Bayhorse Lake, which is a nice place for overnight camping and fishing. The loop is 25 miles from Bayhorse Lake. If you start from Bayhorse, it's five miles to Bayhorse Lake from the ghost town. This trail is more demanding than the Pacific Mine Loop. It's suitable for either ATV's or motorbikes. It has several challenging steep climbs and descents and some rough, rocky riding in the last five miles of the ride. Otherwise, it's a gorgeous trail with many big views of the surrounding mountains, fun ridgetop riding and curvy trails that weave through deep woods.

4. Martin Creek - Squaw Creek Loop - This ride features a number of singletrack trails, so it is suitable for motorbikes, but not ATV's. The 25-mile loop takes about three hours. Motorbike riders should have experience riding rocky and uneven terrain before attempting this ride.

5. Cinnebar - Five Mile Loop - We had to include a more epic ride from this region, and this is it. Again, this ride features mostly singletrack trails, so it's suitable for motorbikes, but not ATV's. The ride goes for about 50 miles. It's a big tour of the Yankee Fork region, starting from a trailhead on the Squaw Creek Road. Because of the distance of the ride and the variable terrain, it's best for experienced motorbike riders who like to ride a lot of miles in a single day. Be sure to bring plenty of food and water for the ride.

Have fun!

1 comment:

  1. Why aren't old logging trails and roads being opened up for riding for ATV'S AND FIREWOOD cutting as well as for rec for those who cant walk much but can ride ATV'S, or Utv's mainly in the Sawtooth range districts Ketchum, Hailey area? . Also why are big campgrounds in these same areas being cut up blocked by boulders to make Smaller campgrounds when trucks and trailers are just getting longer?

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