StayonTrails.com now has 40+ OHV rides to share, including 2 new rides in the Owyhee Mountains

Riding on the front side of the Owyhee Mountains. (Courtesy Boise  ATV Trail Riders)

It might be the desert, but there are many streams that flow in the spring, fall and winter.  (Courtesy Boise  ATV Trail Riders)

Hi all,

We've just added two new rides to the www.stayontrails.com web site, which now features 41 ATV and motorbike rides on our where-to-ride page. Each ride has a detailed description and map, and some have photos and video.

All of the rides come recommended from the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation and local OHV clubs.

The latest additions to the ride list -- two rides in the Owyhee Mountains -- come from the Treasure Valley Trail Machine Association (TVTMA). Many thanks to club officers Steve Frisbie and Mark Weaver for providing the base maps and details about these rides.

TVTMA has a fun run each spring, typically in May. Watch their web site for the timing and details on next year's ride. The two rides featured on stayontrails.com came from the 2010 Fun Runs.

The ATV Fun Run course is approximately 30 miles long. Here's the trip map. The ride starts and finishes by the Chalky Butte Trailhead in the Owyhee Front, near Hemingway Butte.

The Motorbike Fun Run course is 27.5 miles long. Here's the trip map. The ride starts and finishes by the Diamond Basin Corrals Trailhead, accessed from the road to Silver City near Murphy.

Both of these rides are meant to provide an introduction to riding OHVs on the front side of the Owyhee Mountains. These are literally hundreds miles of trails in the front side of the Owyhees, and several different trailheads to use, including Rabbit Creek, Chalky Butte, Fossil Butte and Kane Springs.

To see a big-picture view of the trails in the Owyhee Front, check out the BLM map.

The best time to ride these trails is in the fall, winter and spring. So when you're itching to get out on a ride, and the trails are still snowbound in your neck of the woods, consider traveling to the Owyhees to get an early start on your riding season in the springtime. You can camp at the trailheads, or you could stay in Nampa or Boise.

Beyond the rides we offer on stayontrails.com, be sure to check out IDPR's interactive trail site for OHV riders to research new trails to check out statewide.

In other Idaho OHV news, the BLM Challis Field Office, in partnership with the Great Basin Institute and IDPR, won the 2012 Coalition for Recreational Trails Award for the Lombard Trail Project, located in Land of the Yankee Fork State Park. This is great news, and a very deserving project. Thanks to the Boise ATV Trail Riders for providing a write up on the award.

Here's a YouTube video of the Lombard Trail -- it's open to motorbikes and ATVs, and it takes you from the state park entrance area south of Challis to the mountains high above the valley and connects to the mines around the ghost town of Bayhorse nearby. It's a super-cool ride.

Save the date: The annual Ride to Bayhorse ATV event in Challis is set for Aug. 17-19 this year. See this link for more details. Here's a chance to experience the Lombard Trail, Bayhorse, Land of the Yankee Fork State Park, and tons of other motorbike and ATV trails in the vicinity.

Have fun and ride safe!
- SS

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!