Day 5: North Fork Campground to Redfish Lake - Soaking It All In on the Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route (IHSMBR) - CycleBlaze

June 18, 2020

Day 5: North Fork Campground to Redfish Lake

In comparison to yesterday, today was a gloriously warm and immediately inviting day. Robins were chirping and the aspens shimmering as we made breakfast and prepared ourselves for our longest day yet. The route led directly from our campsite and onto the Harriman Trail, a gorgeous stretch of dirt and gravel that parallels the state highway on its way north.

The trail was such a lovely start to the day, as it offered us vast panoramas of the Boulder Mountains. We climbed and descended through the forest and sagebrush before we began our search for today's only hot spring. Unfortunately, we were unable to locate it, and we had to forge ahead. 

The view leaving camp.
Heart 5 Comment 0
Heart 11 Comment 2
Scott AndersonSpectacular! What an inviting image.
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
Hylin GoldAwesome picture!❤️
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
Heart 2 Comment 0

We stopped at Galena Lodge for a delicious grilled cheese sandwich before continuing up and over Galena Pass. Due to the recent snowfall, the main dirt route was not in any condition to be ridden at altitude, so we climbed and descended the pass on the road. 

Ascending the pass, looking back towards Galena Lodge and Sun Valley
Heart 3 Comment 0
Heart 7 Comment 1
Hylin GoldI miss mountains!!! In FL we have tons of pine trees and I pretend they are on mountains, and covering them so you can’t see them! Hahaha 😂
Idaho is so beautiful!
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
Heart 3 Comment 0
Our road, disappearing into the horizon.
Heart 7 Comment 0

Once on the other side of the pass, we were again greeted with vast expanses, this time of the Sawtooth and White Cloud Ranges. We worked our way north on the rutted dirt roads that lined the east side of the valley, until we then cut diagonal across the valley and onto still more rugged roads. We were properly exhausted once we crossed the highway, but we still had to contend with more climbing on terrible roads. After what felt like ages, we turned left onto pavement and rolled the final few miles to Redfish Lake. We ate dinner at the lodge before scoring the final site available in an otherwise full campground. We are both again exhausted, but our push today will allow us to take tomorrow as a semi rest day, with only 10 miles to go to our lodge in Stanley. 

Redfish Lake. While I've never been to Lake Louise in Alberta, I'd imagine this is pretty similar.
Heart 3 Comment 0

Today's ride: 58 miles (93 km)
Total: 241 miles (388 km)

Rate this entry's writing Heart 8
Comment on this entry Comment 1
Marya MoosmanOh, such beautiful country. Too bad you couldn't find that hot spring. Sounds like there needs to be more detailed instructions to find it. And it sounds like this was such and exhausting day! 58 miles!!! Ouch. Glad you made it through okay and were able to get that last camp spot and that you had a short ride the next day!
Reply to this comment
4 years ago