Mountain Biking

A summer vacation in Sun Valley, Idaho offers incredibly beautiful scenery and an abundance of outdoor activities. Visitors can enjoy hiking, fly fishing, river trips and tubing down the Big Wood River.

But for mountain biking enthusiasts, those activities pale in comparison to the adrenaline rush of hitting the trail. With the summer sun up until 10 pm nightly, bikers can shred the area’s hundreds of miles of groomed mountain bike trails to their heart’s content. To put it simply, you can’t beat the mountain biking conditions in Sun Valley.

Take a gondola ride up Baldy with your dualie or hardtail bike and enjoy some downhill trails. If you’re up for a quick trip, head just north of Ketchum to Galena Lodge for scenic trails that switchback through the Boulders.

If you prefer a road bike or something a little less “out in the middle of nowhere”, the Wood River Valley has over 30 miles of paved bike trail connecting Bellevue through Hailey, Ketchum, Sun Valley and Elkhorn. There are lookout points like Hemingway’s’ Monument and Boxcar Junction, public water fountains, and park benches along the way.

Be sure to check out the trails you plan on taking before leaving for the day. The Sun Valley area – including the White Clouds and Bald Mountain trails – offer a diverse set of trail landscapes. Trails are classified as freeride, technical or cross country (xc) trails.

• Freeride Trails – Wide & smooth, for higher speeds
• Technical Trails – Narrow & rugged, for slower speeds
• Cross Country (XC) Trails – Long loops, for endurance training

Paved Multi-use Paths

• Trail Creek Path, White Clouds – 1 mile, easy
• Wood River Trail, White Clouds – 30.7 miles, easy

Freeride Trails

• Lupine Trail, Bald Mountain – 2.1 miles, easy
• River Run Trail, Bald Mountain – 3.4 miles, intermediate
• Mindbender Trail, Bald Mountain – 3.5 miles, intermediate

Freeride / Technical Trails

• Saddle Up Trail, Bald Mountain – 2.5 miles, difficult
• Pale Rider Trail, Bald Mountain – 1.2 miles, most difficult

Cross Country (XC) Trails

• Broadway Trail, Bald Mountain – 2.2 miles, intermediate
• Warm Springs Trail, Bald Mountain – 8.3 miles, intermediate
• Cold Springs Trail, Bald Mountain – 6.7 miles, intermediate
• Bald Mountain Trail, Bald Mountain – 5 miles, difficult
• Valley View Loop, White Clouds – 1.7 miles, easy
• White Clouds Trail, White Clouds – 2.7 miles, easy

If you’re flying to the Sun Valley area, or don’t have enough space for your mountain Bike in the car, you can easily rent from a local establishment. Here are our top picks for mountain bike rentals:

• Backwoods Mountain Sports
• Sturevants of Sun Valley
• Pete Lane’s Mountain Sports
• Formula Sports