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

Idaho OHV enthusiasts to ride the Lombard Trail in Challis Saturday for trail-dedication event

Ernie Lombard

Pacific Mine Loop

Views from the Lombard Trail

Old Mill

Lombard Trail map (courtesy IDPR)

Motorbike and ATV riders are heading to Challis this weekend for a trail ride and trail-dedication event on Saturday, Sept. 11, to officially open the Lombard Trail in honor of Ernest J. Lombard of Eagle, Idaho, a long-time Idaho Parks & Recreation Board member, trail enthusiast, history buff and architect.

Anyone who wants to participate is welcome. The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, Bureau of Land Management, Great Basin Institute and the Challis Area Chamber of Commerce are co-sponsoring the event. A number of Idaho ATV and motorbike clubs are expected to be there, as well as the Idaho State ATV Association and some out of state clubs.

Activities begin at 9 a.m. Saturday morning with the trail-dedication at Land of the Yankee Fork State Park in Challis, followed by a trail-ride at 10 a.m. on the Lombard Trail, BBQ lunch at the Bayhorse ghost town at noon ($5 per person), and then folks can take off for additional rides or ride back to Challis.

Here's a brief video of the Lombard Trail. It runs for 13.5 miles from Land of the Yankee Fork State Park to the old Bayhorse mining site and ghost town. The trail is well-designed so it can be ridden by all skill levels. It climbs several thousand feet and suddenly you are riding among the mountain peaks near Challis, affording awesome 360-degree views.

Once in Bayhorse, there are many trail rides available that people will enjoy. One of the new trails in the area, the Pacific Mine Trail #390, provides a great tour of the Bayhorse mining area, where people can see the old mines, a stamp mill, a smelter, cabins, bank, cemetery and more.

Bayhorse also is a jumping off point for literally hundreds of miles of trails in the Yankee Fork region. IDPR has produced an excellent overview map (see above) that shows the myriad of options available. The Idaho OHV Public Outreach Project is in the midst of publishing trail descriptions and maps to five specific rides in the Bayhorse area on http://www.stayontrails.com/.

For more information about Saturday's event, contact the Land of the Yankee Fork State Park, 208-879-5244.