Find your Private Idaho at Harriman State Park, Ashton-Tetonia Rail-Trail in E. Idaho

Hi all,

Last week, I traveled to Salmon and Eastern Idaho to work on some conservation stories, and Wendy agreed to meet up with me at Harriman State Park last Thursday to stay in one of their yurts and spend time in that quiet, beautiful corner of Idaho.

We planned a long weekend to ride the cool bike trails at Harriman, do some fishing, maybe float the Big Springs section of the Henry's Fork in our double inflatable kayak, and ride the Ashton-Tetonia Rail-Trail. I always like to stop by Mesa and Lower Mesa Falls while I'm in the 'hood, too.

We got a great start to our little stay-cation Thursday afternoon. We checked into the Wythea yurt after 3 p.m., rode the bike trail around Silver Lake, saw a yearling moose in the woods, and then went over to the historic cabins overlooking Millionaire's Hole on the Henry's Fork and soaked in the grandeur of the scene.

Here's a long-form video that I produced several years ago for Life on the Range about the history, fishing, recreation and grazing at Harriman Park:

If you haven't ever been to Harriman State Park, it's truly one of Idaho's gems in the state park system.

Looking out into all of that gorgeous open space in the meadows surrounding the Henrys Fork leading up to Last Chance and Island Park is quite a sight to behold. If you hang out by Millionaire's Hole in the evening, you might see elk and moose wander out into the open at dusk. It's a place that always takes my breath away.

The Harriman Family gifted the property to the state of Idaho back in the 1960s under a provision that Idaho would have to create a state parks system to receive that incredible gift. Former Gov. Robert Smylieand the Idaho Legislature came through in 1965, creating the state park system and Harriman State Park became an official state property.

Wendy and I went out to eat at the Trout Hunter's Lodge in Island Park Thursday night, right on the banks of the Henrys Fork as multiple bug hatches were swirling above the river in the evening twilight.

I didn't sleep very well in the yurt that night. The next morning, I woke up with diarrhea. That continued through the morning, and I felt like crap. Must have picked up some bad water or food along the way, and it was hitting me like a ton of bricks. Wendy had reserved a room in Ashton that night, and I headed for the hotel to sleep it off being close to a bathroom. So much for doing anything on Friday for me. Wendy went swimming and met up with an old friend is Island Park for dinner.

I slept from 2-10 p.m. that day in the hotel room. I woke for a few minutes, and then slept through the night to 6 a.m. The diarrhea continued. But I had enough energy to drive home to Boise. I threw my stuff in the car and zipped home on the freeway. Because diarrhea is listed as one of the possible symptoms of COVID-19, I called Primary Health and signed up for a test at noon on Saturday to follow protocol.

Knowing that it'd take 3-5 days to get test results back, we had to cancel our Lower Salmon River trip, planned for Tuesday-Sunday this week before Quinn goes back to Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire to finish his senior year. DAMN! That pissed me off. And it was depressing.

I was pretty sure I just had a stomach bug. But my oh my, it was a doozy. It knocked me down with fatigue for three days. I finally started feeling a bit better by Sunday evening, and then Monday I felt much more energetic, but I still couldn't eat anything and had no appetite because of the Imodium I was taking to treat the loose bowels. Finally, Tuesday, I emerged feeling more normal, and Wednesday morning, I got learned that my COVID test was NEGATIVE. 

Anyway, I still would recommend a fun stay-cation in the Island Park area to do the things mentioned above. Here are some links to find the fun:

Harriman State Park - The 16,000-acre park has 22 miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails. You can go on a guided horseback ride, too. Rent a yurt or one of their cool cabins and stay in that gorgeous spot to soak up the scenery and enjoy all of the amenities right out the back door. 

Ashton-Tetonia Rail-Trail - The trail is 29.6 miles long. You can start in Ashton and ride to Tetonia or vice-versa. There's a local shuttle service available. It's a gravel surface trail with several very high bridges over Fall River and Bitch Creek (the tallest and longest one). You can see the backside of the Teton Range and the Grand Teton as you're riding the trail through seed potato fields and grain fields. Very quiet and lightly used trail.

Floating and fishing the Henry's Fork - There are many sources that are more knowledgeable than I am about fishing the Henry's Fork, but suffice to say, it's a very challenging stream to fly fish. People come from all over the world to do it because of the large rainbow trout that lurk below the surface. If you don't fish, there are numerous sections of the Henrys Fork that you can float in a raft, drift boat, IK or SUP. Pick up a map of the Henrys Fork in Island Park or Harriman Park. The Big Springs section is crystal clear. Really special.

Mesa Falls - 114-foot Upper Mesa Falls is the tallest and most spectacular of the two falls. Take the scenic drive from Ashton or Island Park to the falls and take the short walk over to an overlook to see the falls. Well worth the drive and the walk!

Have fun and be well!

- SS

Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival coming up, plus some ideas on how to escape 100-degree blast furnace

Ride Sun Valley! 

Cool off at Lake Cascade State Park! 

Trinity Lakes 

Harriman State Park ... Mesa Falls is nearby! 

Loon Lake would be refreshing this time of year ... 

Hi all,

Well, the 4th of July is coming up next week, and extreme heat is descending on the Boise Valley after a nice respite of cool weather. Five days of 100-plus heat are forecast in the Boise area, beginning Friday. Geez! This week, I'll share some thoughts about where you could go to beat the heat, but first, I'll tout some events coming up.

The Ride Sun Valley Bike Fest kicks off on Friday with an enduro event and opening party at Sawtooth Brewery on Friday night, and then there is a full slate of events going on through next week that promise to please cyclists of all kinds.

The Ketchum-Sun Valley area will be a nice place to cool off as well. One event that looks fun is the SRAM Gold Rusch Tour, a series of mountain bike rides for women led by Sun Valley's own Rebecca Rusch, known as "the queen of pain." She's a three-time world-champion in mountain bike endurance events and four-time winner of the Leadville 100 mountain bike race. Reba's Ride Camp runs from July 2-7. There is no charge. Seems like an awesome opportunity.

On July 1-2, demo bikes are available from Cannondale, GT, Mongoose, Ellsworth and Scott, among others. The bikes are available at no charge to ride on Sun Valley's 400+ miles of singletrack from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Another great opportunity.

On Wednesday, July 3rd, there's a criterium race in Ketchum starting at 3 p.m. in the afternoon. That would be fun to watch! And from Monday, July 1 through Friday, July 5th, there are a bunch of "local stoker" rides on the creme de la creme of Sun Valley's singletrack trails. For folks who want to ride the best singletrack that Ketchum-Sun Valley has to offer, here's a chance to explore those rides with local ride leaders.

Next Saturday, July 6th, the USA Cycling Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships will be held at Bald Mountain ... good chance to watch the strongest riders in the nation compete on the 45-mile course featuring over 5,000 feet of climbing and descending. Plus, there's the MASSV Music Fest on July 5 and 6 at the base of Bald Mountain.

I've got to tip my hat to the folks in the Ketchum-Sun Valley area for packing an incredible amount of fun, food and music into a week's worth of quality activities. If you're looking for lodging, check out the Visit Sun Valley web site for the best deals that fit your budget. You also could camp in the Sawooth National Recreation Area nearby.

Cool off in the Payette River and learn about river safety ... On Saturday, June 29, the Idaho Whitewater Association is hosting a safety clinic on the Main Payette River from Banks to Beehive Bend. Put-on the Main Payette between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Participate in clinics on boat-flipping (and flipping back over), first-aid and throw bag safety.

Here are a few recommendations for cool-off trips during the 4th of July week:

• Head up to Bogus Basin, where it's always 10-15 degrees cooler than it is in the valley, and go hiking or biking on tons of trails at the ski area or nearby in the Eastside, Stack Rock area. 
• Go camping in the Trinity Mountains near Prairie in the Boise National Forest. It's a high-elevation area with a number of high mountain lakes near the end of the road. 
• Head for Lake Cascade State Park in Cascade. Ponderosa State Park is likely booked for the whole holiday week, but Lake Cascade State Park will have some openings. The north unit of the park along Lake Cascade west of Donnelly has a number of nice campgrounds right on the shores of Lake Cascade. You can go canoeing or lake kayaking on the lake, bike the Crown Point Trail (great for kids and families), go tubing or kayaking at Kelly's Whitewater Park, or hike/ride the Eagle's Nest Trail (click on free download). 
• Go camping, hiking and biking in the Payette National Forest, north of McCall. Areas like Upper Payette Lake, Squaw Meadows, Burgdorf Hot Springs, Loon Lake and others will be much cooler than the Treasure Valley. Be sure to bring your bug juice as the mosquitoes will be out in force in the evening.  
• Go camping in Eastern Idaho, visit Harriman State Park and Mesa Falls or go fishing on the Henrys Fork or the South Fork of the Snake River. 
• Rent a cabin in the Boise or Payette national forest and dip your toes into a nearby creek. Go to recreation.gov to check on availability. The cabins are inexpensive and make a great base camp, especially with kids. 
• Go kayaking, rafting or canoeing on the Payette River. 
• Float the Boise River. 
• Go backpacking to a high mountain lake in the Sawtooths, White Clouds, Boise National Forest, Payette National Forest, Sawtooth NRA or Frank Church-River of Return Wilderness. Go swimming in the high mountain lake ... it'll be refreshing, I guarantee it. 
• Escape to the Oregon Coast. 
• Head up to Priest Lake or Lake Pend Oreille in North Idaho. 
• Go Ice Skating at Idaho Ice World. Ha! That'll keep you cool. 

There you have it!
- SS