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Driggs, Idaho
Words by Micheal Woodruff
Photos by Tim Dipple
The sign reads, “The best of both states” as you come down Teton Pass from Jackson Hole into Victor, Idaho. Commonly referenced as, “Wydaho”, it truly is the best of both states! Teton Valley, Idaho straddles the Idaho / Wyoming border with the Big Hole Mountains to the west, the Teton Range to the east and the Snake River range closing off the south. Needless to say, these all of these attributes found close to Driggs, Idaho make the mountain biking spectacular.
Grand Targhee Ski Resort is nestled in the Teton Range on the east side of the valley in Wyoming. In the last couple of years, the resort has attempted to establish itself as a lift-served, downhill mountain biking destination. With an uncooperative Forest Service, constant changes in management and an extremely short summer season, the cards are definitely stacked against them. Only time will tell. Head of Trail crew, Andy Williams and his staff have managed to put in some pretty epic trails and it just keeps getting better. The Targhee lift tickets are only twenty dollars so bring your DH rig, but when the lifts close in the afternoon, break out the all-mountain steed and do the happy hour ride. This ride offers up a little bit of everything — with cocktails! Happy Hour is our favorite after work ride throughout the summer. It is best served with a shuttle so leave a car at the bottom of Mill Creek in Teton Canyon. You can bike ride back up to the resort, adding another six or seven miles and an additional two thousand feet of elevation to the ride, but after this ride, I definitely prefer the shuttle.
After leaving your car in the canyon, head on up to the resort and get ready to ride! When they are open for the season, the resort has all services except gas. Your ride begins right off of the deck of the Trap Bar, so stop for a cocktail if you have a predisposition to alcohol like me.
Begin on the Sidewinder trail which is exactly what this trail does. Sidewinder is the resort’s beginner DH trail, but when the lifts are done for the day, you’ll have the trail all to yourself. For five miles and two thousand feet, this trail winds in and out of aspen stands, old growth pines, and wide open meadows filled with wildflowers and meanders on up into a beautiful alpine bowl called Fourth of July. The bowl got its name because it holds snow past the Fourth of July! At mile four, you will come to an intersection of trails; take the service road to the top. It is a much easier climb than the connector trail which you will ride back down to this intersection.
The views of Grand Teton National Park and the Jedadiah Smith Wilderness are jaw dropping, so make sure you stop to take it all in, as the connector trail itself is very rocky and technical. After topping out on Freds Mountain at ten thousand feet, catch your breath and take in the views. A four thousand foot descent into Teton canyon awaits you. Now is a good time to put on any armor you brought with you. Take the connector trail back down to the intersection that you rode through earlier. The connector flows really well and is usually enough to put a smile on anyone’s face. At the intersection, you have three options. I recommend either Buffalo Drop or Upper Sticks and Stones which are the resort’s more advanced trails. The next mile or so is filled with various features, so hold on and have fun. When you come to the next intersection, take the lower Sticks and Stones trail to the left for more features and techie rock gardens; be sure to keep your eyes peeled for optional lines.
When you come off the trail onto the next road, you can turn left and cut over to Lightning Ridge for the rest of your descent into the canyon. However, this fall the trail crew has been very hard at work, and I strongly suggest examining their new work. Cross the road onto the new singletrack and more features await you. At the end of this section, you are almost back at the resort, but you can catch more new trail for an incredibly easy pedal back up to Lightning Ridge, if you choose. On the ridge, there are viewpoint options worth investigating before continuing. From the ridge, take the service road screaming down to the Cat ski operations hut, where the road turns to singletrack. From there, it is a three mile fast and flowy ride to your waiting vehicle. There are a lot of options on the Happy Hour ride, so the mileage varies — fifteen to Twenty miles is the norm.
Teton Valley is an exceptional mountain bike destination, and just keeps getting better every year. In 2010, we held our first annual Mountain Bike Festival. It was a huge success and it will be back next July — rides, parties, live music, mountain bike movies, demos, Jeff Lenosky showing off his incredible skills and much more. So whether you come for the festival or just pass through, stop into the shop and say, ‘hey’. We’ll show you where the goods are — from the Freedom Riders work on Teton Pass, lift-served riding at Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and all the trails and dirt jumps in between, including the ones found at Victor bike park and Secret Squirrel Ranch. It truly is the best of both states!
For more information on the area and local trails contact;
Teton Valley trails and Pathways: www.TVTAP.org Peaked Sports: www.peakedsports.com
