Eastern Idaho Nordic News – November 2007
Kelly Canyon Nordic Area
Area trails are included in the new black and white Kelly Canyon Nordic Area brochure that is now available locally and will be available at the trailhead. A full color version of the current map can be downloaded from the IF Ski Club’s web site, http://www.ifskiclub.com/WeatherAreasMapsInfo/TrailsMapsandGuides/tabid/189/Default.aspx (maps for most of the areas discussed below are also on this web site including trail guides for many of the areas). Other new features at Kelly are the large parking lot (summer use only) and permanent toilet at the Y-Junction. They were funded under a grant from the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation Off Road Motor Vehicle Fund. The road will not be plowed to the Y-junction parking lot. Cross country skiers and snowshoers are requested to park in the lower parking lot at the Kelly Canyon Resort.
Kelly Canyon Ski Trails
Volunteers have cleared the trails for grooming and skiing with only minor changes. Part of Pine Loop has been changed to avoid a steep grade that was difficult to groom, and the start of the Upper Hut trail has been rerouted through the Kelly Mountain gate before taking a sharp left and continuing on as before.
Both tents will be erected when the ski resort opens. The floors are already in and the firewood has been cut. We just need snow!
Kelly Canyon Snowshoe Trails
Two new snowshoe trails were created last winter and another was cut this fall. One of last year’s new trails extended the Connector trail to join Big Slot with Corkscrew. With the completion of this trail you can now take the trail that starts about 100 yards beyond lift number 4, travel parallel to the road and rejoin the road just short of the Y-junction. This is also the starting point for the Repeater trail, which leads to the new cell phone tower on Kelly Mt. Once at the tower, it is fairly simple to continue along the ridge and drop down to Norm’s Hill and visit the Kelly Mt Hut. While the connector trail is fairly easy, the Repeater trail is steep and rough in places.
The new Hut trail created this fall branches off of the Repeater after 0.3 miles and continues another 0.8 miles to the Kelly Mt. Ski Hut. It provides a more interesting, but still easy way for snowshoers to get to the hut and it avoids conflicts with skiers. These trails are shown on the maps referenced above.
Park N’ Ski Areas
The US Forest Service Ashton/Island Park District plans to continue grooming all the ski trails at Buffalo/Brimstone, Bear Gulch/Mesa Falls and Fall River Ridge on a weekly basis depending on snow conditions. Rayce Angell, the trails coordinator, is leaving his position for a new one as an Enforcement Officer for the Forest Service. That may leave trail grooming to Robin Jenkins who is retiring in February or March and possibly a seasonal employee. Maps and descriptions of these trails and others are available from the previously noted web site. Parking at Park N’ Ski areas requires a $25 permit that is available from several locations including Forest Service offices, the Chamber of Commerce and Idaho Mt Trading Company. Please note that Harriman State Park is not a Park N’ Ski permit area and requires a separate park entrance fee plus grooming fee as noted below.
Bear Gulch/Mesa Falls – Last year a new trail was established between the Lower Falls and the snowmobile trail leading to the Upper Falls. The new trail is on the east side of the main snowmobile trail and was established because snowmobiles were routinely trashing the set tracks along the canyon rim. To find the trail, leave the south entrance to the Lower Falls scenic overlook and cross the snowmobile trail by the large entrance sign.
Many that ski the canyon rim to the Lower Falls return to the Bear Gulch parking lot via the snowmobile trail because the return loop has been hard to find and has sometimes been trashed by snowmobiles. A couple of years ago the Forest Service rerouted loop 2 from the Lower Falls view area through the campground (the trail initially follows the road through the campground). This makes for a much more pleasant ski.
For a few years, the return route of Loop 1 has been difficult to follow: it was poorly marked and blocked by trees. This year volunteers cleared and marked this trail so it can be skied on the return and making it much more preferable to the snowmobile trail.
Fall River Ridge - A work party recently cleared and marked Loop 3 at Fall River Ridge and it currently has the most snow around, 6 inches as of November 28.
Brimstone/Buffalo River – The trails were at least partly cleared by a Forest Service fire crew this year. There are no changes, but if you haven’t skied the Buffalo River Loop, check it out. It is on the east side of the highway and starts from the Island Park Forest Service Office parking lot. It is a winter interpretive trail, easy to ski and great for kids.
Mink Creek – From Mike Birch with the USFS:
Parity trail has been worked over by our fuels crew, using a piece of equipment that chews up the brush. Then I took a tractor mounted mower and trimmed it again. This trail is in excellent shape. Trail has line of sight markers throughout. The Porcelain Pot, Beaver Pond trails had the same type of work, and they are in great shape. I hope to have all trailheads with maps and a brochure box. If we get some snow all our Nordic trails will be the best they have ever been (knock on wood).
Here are the Park N’ Ski lots around Pocatello. Inman (outside of Inkom, Corral Creek, Crystal Summit (3 lots) and South Fork are used by skiers and snowmobilers. Trailheads at Cherry Springs, Valvehouse, West Mink, Porcelain Pot and Beaver Pond are for skiers only. Last year we purchased a snowmachine and we groomed most of the Mink Creek trails. Grooming will continue this year.
Harriman State Park
There are no changes at Harriman. Please note that Harriman is a Premium Nordic area and special fees apply, $4.00 per car and $2.00 per skier. The fees are to cover the more frequent grooming and skate ski grooming. The $4.00 car fee is waived if you have an Annual State Parks Passport.
East Mink Creek Nordic Center
The Nordic Center run by the Pocatello Parks and Recreation Department will be up and running again this year grooming about 20 km of challenging terrain for skate and classic skiing. The fee is $6.00 per skier per day.
Teton Valley (from their winter On the Trail newsletter)
“The grooming schedules for our three venues are going to remain the same as last year: Monday and Friday for Alta; Monday, Wednesday and Friday for Teton Springs; and Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for Teton Canyon. We’re talking about adding some additional grooming days for holidays and powder weekends, but the details are still to be worked out. As always, stay tuned to the website for the latest information: www.tvtap.org .”
To join a group for a cross-country ski outing, see the offerings of the Idaho Falls Ski Club (www.ifskiclub.com) and the Idaho Alpine Club (www.idahoalpineclub.com).
If you like cross-country skiing or snowshoeing and have Tuesdays free, consider joining an informal group that skis or snowshoes every Tuesday, all winter long. No club, no membership, no real leader, just folks that are connected via an email list and get together to recreate. To receive trip announcements, send your email address to abcrock.fu73573@msn.com . Many of the same people ride bikes every Tuesday, spring, summer and fall, weather permitting.