Guide to Mountain Biking Spots Around Salmon

Aaron Theisen worked in partnership with Visit Idaho to create this travel tip.

There’s no question that Salmon, in eastern Idaho, is a river town: the community of 3,000 is best known as the departure point for float trips on the famed Main Salmon River. But amongst the trucks towing rafts or drift boats can be found a few with bike racks. The secret? Salmon is a mountain biking town too.

At the confluence of a handful of high mountain ranges—the Beaverheads, the forbidding silhouettes of which form the eastern skyline; the Lemhi Mountains, which stretch away to the southeast; and the Bitterroot Range, which form a wall to the west—Salmon is also the departure point for hundreds of miles of bikeable singletrack, from close-to-town paths to the alpine routes on the Continental Divide.

Scratched in by pioneers chasing livestock or mineral riches or packed in by cattle, the tracks here are narrow and rough. Once off pavement, trailhead access roads tend to be rough and remote; trail signs are few and faded. Bring strong navigational skills, or, better yet, a local guide. Wild, raw and untamed, the region’s mountain bike trails often resemble the Salmon River itself, with thrills in equal measure.

Discovery Hill – Slump Gulch Loop (7.2 miles, 660 feet elevation gain)

Stitched across the sagebrush-covered foothills on the edge of downtown, Discovery Hill makes for excellent and easily accessible shoulder-season riding or a first-night-in-town leg stretcher. By mid- to-late summer, local riders have headed for bigger hills, but in spring or fall Discovery delights with fast cross-country riding in front of a Beaverheads backdrop. The Slump Gulch loop samples the trail system, mixing in some moderately steep and loose climbs and descents into and out of Slump Gulch with sandy, meandering traverses. Nothing demanding here—except the views on your attention.

Wagonhammer – Elk Loop (9.9 miles, 2130 feet elevation gain)

Perhaps the most well-known trail network in the Salmon area, Wagonhammer attracts riders from Missoula and points beyond, especially early in the season when the high country here opens up earlier than nearby trail systems. As elsewhere in Idaho, cows make most of the trails here. And the cows that graze Wagonhammer seem particularly agile, if the exceedingly skinny sidehill trails of the Elk Loop are any indication. A lollipop-shaped loop off lower Wagonhammer Creek, the Elk Loop ascends an old roadbed that looks steeper than it climbs. The narrow, crumbling tread of the Elk Loop will test riders’ concentration before Lewis and Clark (Meadow Surfer) tests their brakes on a chunky, plummeting descent back to the cottonwood-shaded confines of Wagonhammer Creek canyon.

Barracks – Rippey Spring Loop (12.5 miles, 1990 feet elevation gain)

The Barracks trail system occupies a hillside across the Lemhi Valley from Discovery Hill. Like that network, Barracks consists of sandy, sagebrush gulches, although the trails here tend to be slightly more technical. The Rippey Spring Loop provides a good overview: the cherry-stem loop climbs into and out of numerous small gulches, capped with a nearly thousand-foot descent through shoulder-high sagebrush and loose sidehill singetrack. The occasional aspen grove provides closeup color; constant views of the high peaks of the Beaverheads across the valley provide big vistas. Unadorned wooden signposts mark trail junctions, although sagebrush often obscures them; a trails app or a local shredder.

Upper Powderhouse Gulch (1.7 miles, 1300 feet elevation loss)

Salmon’s riding rewards are often earned with sweat and strong lungs. Not so Powderhouse Gulch. On narrow, skidded-in singletrack, Upper Powderhouse Gulch immediately descends from the trailhead, some 1300 feet in 1.7 surfy, brake-squealing miles. With a handful of sharp sidehill turns that could punish the inattentive or overly exuberant rider, Powderhouse Gulch requires a few laps to dial in its speed limit. Fortunately, even the shuttle is easy, on a good, well-graded gravel road (although watch for heavy truck traffic). Williams Creek Picnic Site, at the bottom of the trail, makes a convenient shuttle stop; it’s also the nexus for a number of longer ride options in the area.

Shop, Sip, Stay, and Support

The Hub carries an impressive selection of bikes and gear for a town this size. More importantly, the owners carry loads of local trail beta. Hours vary; it’s best to call or email in advance to ensure the shop is open, or to arrange an appointment if it’s not.

Rise and Shine Espresso offers a full array of caffeinated pre-ride drinks, baked goods and smoothies. For aprés-bike beer and BBQ, grab a table at the Pork Peddler, which conveniently shares a patio with The Hub; whether it’s for a taco’d wheel or a taco plate, this is the place to be.

Housed in the old Lemhi County lockup, the Jailhouse Suites combine urban-loft style with small-town history. The old brick building is also across the street from the Pork Peddler and The Hub, so there’s no excuse not to get cleaned up before post-ride beers.

The Salmon Idaho Mountain Bike Association (SIMBA) maintains—with the help of cows—the local trails and advocates for mountain biking in Lemhi County.

Feature image is credited to Aaron Theisen.

Aaron Theisen is an outdoors writer and photographer whose work has appeared in Freehub, Mountain Flyer, Powder, Backpacker and elsewhere. His passions are the big peaks and small towns of the Northern Rockies. When he’s not searching for obscure trails or sampling the region’s dive bars, Aaron can be found mountain biking and skiing around his hometown of Spokane, Washington.