Harriman Trail
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DownloadHighlights & Remarkable Spots
Sawtooth National Recreation Area / ~ Start
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]
Easley Hot Springs / ~ mile 7.2
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 / ~ mile 19
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]
Credits & Acknowledgements
Route and media by Aaron Falkenberg. Research, writing and media by Kira Corbett and Kevin English of Dirty Freehub.
When We Like to Ride This
Late spring and early fall are ideal. In late May, when we rode this, the wildflowers were in bloom, the trail was free of snow, and the Big Wood River was running strong.
In the early fall, the early miles of the route would be spectacular with the change in the color of the leaves of the Cottonwood and Aspen trees.
Terrain & Riding
The trail climbs gradually and consistently going northward starting out on expansive grasslands before meandering through more forested terrain and then back onto the hillsides.
The majority of the trail is pretty easy going, never any washboard.
The Start
Sawtooth National Recreation Area (North Fork) Visitor Center. Water & flush toilets.
Food & Water
- ~ Mile 19: Galena Lodge (opens mid June)
Route Notes
We recommend a red blinky light with rear looking radar detector (i.e. Garmin Varia) for the paved sector.
Route Options
Alternate Route: There is the option to make this ride 100% gravel by taking The Old Toll Road 1.25 miles past Galena (~ mile 20.2) to the summit, but its quality can vary on any given day with the number of fallen trees. Trail crews seem to be visiting it more often so it’s worth looking at.
Have you ridden this route? Got a question? Join the discussion!