The Sawtooth National Recreation Area consists of 756,000 acres of wilderness. There are over “700 miles of trails, 40 peaks rising over 10,000 feet and 300-plus high-elevation alpine lakes that add to the spectacular scenery and vistas.” The route also follows Big Wood River, a 137-mile flow that joins Little Wood River to form Malad River. [Forest Service]

In 1880 John V. Easley dug out the springs and built a loghouse to provide travelers and miners a place to stay and clean up. When the mines diminished, so did the hot springs. The water in the pool and showers are free from chemicals and mineral-rich as they are from the natural springs themselves.

Galena was founded as a mining town in 1879. During its heyday with 800 or so residents, Galena was the largest community in the Wood River Valley boasting several hotels, stables, a meat market & the Daisy Saloon. By the 1890s the residents all moved on as the veins of ore were not as profitable as hoped and Galena was left virtually a ghost town.

In the 1960s the Galena area went through a succession of ownership transfers until it was purchased by the Gelsky’s who constructed Galena Lodge in its present location, using remnants of the old townsite for much of the interior construction. In 1976 a seven-member ownership team purchased the lodge. A cross-country trail system was developed which utilized the old mining and logging roads around Galena. The lodge and ski resort went through several transfers of ownership with ambitious proposals to further develop the cross-country trail system and resort. All of the plans were abandoned until a community effort in 1994 – Help Save Galena Campaign – raised over $500,000 for the community to purchase. The lodge was donated to the Blaine County Recreation District (BCRD) and today relies on community donations and trail fees to maintain operations. [Galena Lodge]