Points Ranch, Idaho Sleigh Rides offer great opportunity to see elk, enjoy the scenery!

My son Quinn enjoys a moment with a cow elk on the Points Ranch sleigh ride. 

Hi all,

We've had a very snowy start to the winter of 2022-23, and so the full slate of outdoor snow activities are available to enjoy, looking ahead to January and February of 2023. 

One thing you could plan with your immediate family or a group of friends is an elk-viewing sleigh ride with Idaho Sleigh Rides in Garden Valley or the Points Ranch near Donnelly. 

There's plenty of snow on the ground, which has driven the elk to lower elevations for their winter range. Both sleigh rides provide ample opportunities to see elk while enjoying the broader scenery. Both will be operating 7 days a week through the rest of the winter. Reservations are required. 

Get a group of friends together and reserve a trip!

The Points Ranch sleigh ride takes about 1 hour. They feed the elk while they take folks on the horse-drawn sleigh ride. The elk are watching and waiting for you to come by with more alfalfa hay ... and you'll have very up-close-and-personal encounters with them! 

I took my whole family on the Points Ranch sleigh ride, and they all loved it! My step-daughter Elena actually got kissed by an elk while it was feeding on a hay bale in the sleigh, and she thought that was quite memorable!

The Points Ranch is located south of Donnelly next to ID 55. They load people on the sleighon an hourly basis, and you go on a very slow loop through a big group of elk. Call 208-325-8783 to make a reservation and inquire about rates.

In Garden Valley, Idaho Sleigh Rides offers a great variety of trips, from a simple sleigh ride, to a sleigh ride and lunch, to a Dutch oven dinner ride with live music. They have a small sleigh for groups of four, and a larger sleigh that fits 12 people.  The rides last about 45 minutes and take you on a tour of some large snowy meadows and big groups of elk in Garden Valley, with the mountains lording above.

"We see the elk every day," says Darl Allred of Idaho Sleigh Rides. 

Contact Idaho Sleigh Rides to make reservations and check on pricing. 

Like I said, get a group of friends together and reserve a trip!



In Sun Valley, you can go on a sleigh ride during the day or do a deluxe dinner ride to Trail Creek Cabin. Both experiences would be great, but believe me, the dinner ride to Trail Creek Cabin would be memorable! Reservations required.

Unfortunately, Bogus Creek Outfitters is no longer in business, so if you live in the Treasure Valley, you'll need to travel to enjoy a sleigh ride. It's worth going up to the mountains to enjoy the beautiful scenery and ensure there's plenty of snow for the trip!

No matter where you go, be sure to dress warm for the sleigh ride trip. That means full-on winter gear -- long underwear, warm sweater, snow pants or a snowmobile suit, warm boots, warm winter hat and warm mittens or gloves. Bring a thermos of hot coffee or cocoa perhaps?
 
Enjoy!
- SS

P.S. We have had a phenomenal series of winter storms pass through Idaho's mountains since Nov. 1. Suffice to say that the snow conditions are outstanding everywhere for sleigh rides and any other type of winter activity right now. See my daily snow forecasts about snow conditions at Idaho's ski resorts on opensnow.com.

McCall Winter Carnival starts on Friday, Jan. 25 with a huge slate of family fun activities

Snow sculptures are under construction! Ullr the Snow God by the Brundage Ski Patrol (Courtesy Brundage) 

Hi all,

I guess I'm acting like Mr. Obvious this week ... you know that annoying guy from the Bob and Tom show? Well, it's hard to beat the McCall Winter Carnival for family fun and entertainment. The Winter Carnival begins tomorrow on Jan. 25 for the 54th consecutive year and continues for two weekends through Feb. 3. Children's Torchlight parade starts at 6:30 p.m. Friday to kick things off.

The weather forecast looks fantastic this weekend, with sunshine every day and highs in the low 30s and lows in the teens and 20s. That'll be great for the Marti Gras Parade on Saturday, and just about any winter activity in the area. Still, dress warm!

Believe me, all of these tips are spot-on! 

#1 - Find a place to stay! Try the McCall Chamber, InIdaho.com, or vrbo.com for lodging options. Things fill up pretty fast for winter carnival, so get on that quickly if you haven't already. The area hotels may have rooms available, too.

Every day, the options for fun expand multifold with snowshoe golf, ice skating, touring the snow sculptures, beer gardens, monster dog pull, beard and hairy legs contest, snow tubing, a snow bike race and so much more. See the event schedule for details. This year's theme is "Legends, Myths and Super Heroes."

The Boise Weekly had a great list of tips in the latest edition that came out today. Tips include the pancake breakfast on Saturday, Jan. 26 at the McCall Senior Center, $24 early-bird special for prime rib at 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 25 at the Anchor. There also will be lots of food vendors at Depot Park.

Brundage Mountain and Tamarack Resort are in great shape with fresh snow in the last week, so you can cruise some groomers and ski off-trail, whatever you like!

It'll be great conditions for downhill skiing, xc skiing, snowshoeing, snow-biking, sleigh rides and tubing at the Activity Barn and the North Valley Trail.

If you've never been to the Winter Carnival before, you'll get a flavor from this Outdoor Idaho program on Idaho Public TV.

Many other activities would be fun this weekend because of the sunshine. It'd be best to stay off the Boise Foothills trails. PLEASE! See Ridge to Rivers page on Facebook for the latest updates.

Skiing or snowshoeing in the backcountry should be fab this weekend, too. Try starting from Mores Creek Summit above Idaho City and scale Pilot Peak, Freeman Peak or Sunset Mountain. I bet it'll be fantastic conditions up there.

The Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas should be great as well. I would bet that the Gold Fork, Skyline, Banner Ridge and Stargaze trails are all in good shape for xc skiing or snowshoeing.

Hope you have a fun wintry weekend in the mountains!
- SS