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Sawtooth Singletrack

Mountain Biking in Idaho with Western Spirit Cycling

Highlights

  • Miles of technical climbing and descending at altitudes from 6,000 to 9,000 feet
  • Ride through gorgeous scenery and the remnants of historic mining districts

 

Full Description

Come and experience the beautiful Sawtooth Mountains with our 5-day Singletrack adventure.

We consider this trip our private stash of Idaho singletrack. After meeting in Sun Valley, we head north to the tiny town of Stanley, Idaho, gateway to the Sawtooth Mountains. We begin the trip with a classic singletrack to a high mountain lake, a great introduction to the area.

After day one, the trail gets narrower and more technical as the views get progressively more dramatic. On day three, we work our way up to Hindman Lake. From our camp near the lake, the singletrack seems to take off in every direction-and we will have a chance to sample it all. Singletrack experience is a must.

Riding Surface: Variable, mostly single and some doubletrack, dirt roads.

Technical Difficulty: Moderate to Very Difficult.

Physical Difficulty: Difficult, challenging steep singletrack and long days.

Altitude: 6,000 - 9,000 feet.

Includes:

  • All meals from lunch on first day to lunch on last day
  • Support vehicle
  • Guides
  • Campsites

Excludes:

  • Rental fees
  • Gratuities for your guides
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Applicable sales tax

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1

We will begin our trip with a scenic shuttle from Sun Valley into the heart of Idaho's mountain country, just north of Stanley. The drive will take us over Galena Pass and into the Stanley Basin, the headwaters of the Salmon River. The Stanley Basin is paralleled by the jagged spires of the Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho's most famous, and you may agree, most beautiful range. The east side of the valley is bordered by the majestic limestone peaks of the White Cloud Mountains. Today's destination is Martin Lake, a clear blue lake nestled into a high alpine valley. Our ride begins with a rolling doubletrack and quickly turns to more technical singletrack. A few steep sections and tricky switchbacks bring us to the summit and the short descent to the lake. After a refreshing dip and a quick nap in the sun, we prepare for the big descent. On the way down we cross several creeks and many open alpine meadows. A whole herd of elk is likely to cross our trail at any moment. We finally pop out on the road back into the basin which will take us to our camp for the night. TOTAL MILEAGE - 18 miles

Day 2

After a serious breakfast, we will head up the road to the East Fork Trail, a winding climbing singletrack that connects to Basin Creek. Idaho boasts some of the best singletrack in the world and this day will prove it! East Fork heads up through a beautiful drainage which continues all the way into the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. The trail is technical with lots of roots and rocks. After a hoot-n-holler down hill we'll climb again up Sunday Creek. A serious effort brings us to the Prospect Creek Trail which is one of our favorite descents in all of Idaho. This connects us to Valley Creek, a rippin' ATV trail that takes us all the way back to camp. TOTAL MILEAGE - 31 miles

Day 3

Our warm up for today is doubletrack up to the Knapp Creek Trailhead. The Knapp Creek Trail is fast and rolling, so stock up on momentum, because you will need your technical skills in just a minute. This climb connects us to the Hindman Lake Trail, a steep rocky technical climb with lots of switchbacks that leads us to a high alpine cirque. To crest the top we must negotiate one final super loose pitch through the scree. And if anybody rides it, Mark Howe will do a little dance. After passing several beautiful high alpine lakes, we descend into Hindman Lake and our camp for the next two nights. TOTAL MILEAGE - 20 miles

Day 4

From our camp near the lake, we will begin heading down hill on the Basin Creek Trail. Wake up because this trail has it all: steep, loose descents with lots of beautiful arcing turns and dangerous side hills. It is fast and technical and connects us to the Sunday Creek Trail. Here we begin to climb on a gradual grade along the creek and finish with an un-gradual climb to the top of the ridge. From here we have several choices for our return to camp. No matter which we choose it will involve an additional descent and a climb back to the lake. TOTAL MILEAGE - 20-30 miles

Day 5

Our final ride on this world class trip begins with a short climb up to the West Fork Trail. Again, this trail is the real deal. The zen masters of trail building from the Challis Ranger District have gone all out to create this perfect mountain biking experience. We descend on to the West Fork of the Yankee Fork River and it's all downhill (except for the uphills). This area was the site of a spectacular burn during the record breaking fires of 2000. Here remnants and ghosts of one of Idaho's major historic mining districts surround us. The last section of trail brings us to the road at the historic Bonanza Guard Station, once the location of a thriving mining community of 600. We'll finish the trip in the tiny town of Sunbeam, where we will meet our shuttle that will take us back to Sun Valley. TOTAL MILEAGE - 20 miles

About The Operator:

Western Spirit Cycling

Headquarters:

Moab, Utah

Established:

January 1989

The History of Western Spirit

"Back in the day", as our oldest guides say, Western Spirit Cycling was founded by a charismatic mad bike rider named Lu Warner. It was 1989; Lu couldn't get enough of riding his bike and decided he should impart some of his joy on the masses. He acquired a Suburban, dubbed "the burb” and a couple of guides and started taking people around the White Rim. Now Lu can be found in some semi-state of retirement in Crested Butte, CO, but his vision was just the beginning.

Just for the record, yes, we still have the burb. It's retired. And those "couple of guides" are our finest Rachel & Johnny - no sign of retirement there!

Then the Mid-90s

Ashley Korenblat bought Western Spirit in 1997 and since then has spent many days riding unknown trails (with a headlamp in her backpack, just in case) creating the plethora of trips that Western Spirit now offers. Ashley is a graduate of Dartmouth and Tuck Business School, a former bike racer, former Wall Street captive and possessor of entrepreneurial spirit. She was president of Merlin during the Titanium mountain bike heyday and served as the IMBA President working to sustain trail availability to everyone. Combine all that with the desire for a Moab lifestyle and an alternative view of a fulfilling career path, and you have the perfect recipe for the owner of a cycling tour company.  Enter Mark. Mark is our charming, wicked-fit, voice of reason, miraculously lured from his ski town tradition to live in the desert. Ashley and Mark got married in 1999 in Moab and now run the company together.

Well, actually Kip runs the place. Kip is Ashley and Mark's young boy and he has his own bike helmet and chariot. He is also beginning to tear it up on the dirt with his training wheels.

Our office staff is comprised of mostly gals...and Mark. Thank goodness for Mark! Mark is our bike junkie and can be seen pedaling on a daily basis. Ashley makes the best backcountry bacon you will ever have, but definitely burns off those calories towing the little Kipster around town in his trailer. Anne Clare loves riding her road bike and hiking in the mountains. Sheri and Tonya both love the water and do their best to kayak 365 days a year. Emily is pretty "green". She is the founder of a non-profit organization, Community Rebuilds that promotes affordable and eco-friendly housing.

All of us have worked outdoors and are familiar with what you will experience on a Western Spirit trip. At any given time when you call you can talk to someone who has been on any trip that interests you. That's because we love to be out there too!

Our Philosophy

In our busy world, we often don't get to be outside enough. Even if you do, there's some phenomenon that just makes you want more. Nothing like going somewhere to make you realize all the other places you still need to go! Traveling outside makes you see Mars when it's the closest to earth it'll ever be, makes you smell the fragrant lupine covering the mountain slope, makes you feel the wind, see the perfect sunset, catch an eclipse of the moon, experience the herd of elk in the alpine meadow, and start to tell time by the location of the moon in the night sky.

What's that all worth in our busy world? Well, it is our world.

On all of our tours, we strive to protect our fragile mountain and desert environments. Many of our campsites are remote and unimproved, and we seek to leave them better than we found them.

Meals

Food is one thing we take pretty seriously. Our guides are great backcountry chefs and your trip includes all meals from lunch on first day to lunch on last day.

Support Vehicle

Our customized trucks and vans carry all of your gear as well as many camper comforts! We have the coolest custom F-450's in the industry. Our guides have incredible backcountry experience, but the best part is that they are all super friendly and look forward to a week of riding with you.

Campsites

We camp primarily in pristine locations where it's quiet, dark and peaceful. The finest morning view comes with a hot cup of cowboy coffee. All shuttles are included from our meeting place to the start of your ride. At the end of the trip we shuttle back to our meeting place.

Permits

Western Spirit Cycling, Inc. operates under special use permits from the USDA Forest Service in the Boise, Coronado, Dixie, Grand Mesa, Gunnison, Kaibab, Manti La Sal (Moab and Monticello Ranger Districts), San Juan, Sawtooth, Sierra Vista, Uncompahgre, Challis, Clearwater, Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Caribou-Targhee, Black Hills, Mount Hood, Umpqua, Nantahala, White Mountain, Monongahela, and Pisgah National Forests and by Dakota Prairie Grasslands. As well as under permits issued by the Bureau of Land Management in the San Juan Resource Area; Henry Mountain Field Station; Moab, Arizona Strip and Grand Junction Field Offices; Grand Staircase National Monument; and by Bryce, Zion, Capitol Reef, Grand Canyon, Crater Lake and Blue Ridge Parkway National Parks. Western Spirit is a concessionaire in Canyonlands National Park.