Backroads in the Sawtooths
Backroads mountain bike adventure in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho
A six day mountain bike and camping adventure in the Sawtooth Recreation Area in Idaho. Highlights included a climb up Galena Summit to 8,700 feet, fantastic off road riding for all abilities, great food and some spectacular scenery. We camped at Boulder Creek near Ketchum, Alturus Lake, Redfish Lake and spent an evening at a lodge in Stanley (hot showers and real beds- yeah!) Backroads provided each cyclist with a well-maintained aluminum-framed moutain bike, while not a high performance bike with front (or full) suspention, it was solid and reliable with decent components.
The photo on the left is the view of Stanley Peak as we rode a fabulous descent along double-track through Elk Meadows on the way to Stanley Lake for lunch. Every turn in the trail presented new surprises-- this scene begged me to pull the disposable camera out of my jersey pocket.
This trip combined moutain biking with camping in the shaddow of the Sawtooth mountain range. It was a perfect combination of riding and eating, some hiking and eating and for the cold-water fans, a bit of swimming and eating. The Backroads folks provided some terrific meals and the experience of camping with the tour group allowed everyone to get acquainted. We took our 9 year old son on one of their advertised family trips and everyone had a terrific time. I look forward to another Backroads trip, soon.
The support van was never far away and trip leaders rode with the group and swept at the back of the pack on the off-road sections. Rider support was very good.
If you might be interested in a Backroads trip, call 1-800 GO-ACTIVE for a free catalog.
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You can reach me by e-mail at: jerry@armourfamily.com
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