The 500-Mile Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route

A preview of some bikepacking goodness in Central Idaho:

Bike Touring Special: The 500-Mile Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route

Maps will be available this autumn.

That looks amazing!

I met some guys bikepacking the Colorado Trail last week. I think it is 500 miles and I rode about 20 miles of it…all amazing singletrack. Must go back and do that.

That looks like a great ride. I’ve used the ACAs mapped routes a couple of times and they are very good. I’ve ridden through Idaho on the road an wondered where all the trails that left the Tarmac went. Any ride that ends at a hot spring is blissful. My only experience of natural hot springs was in Oregon. There are a group of pools just east of Oakridge which I found after a long ride. It is one of the most invigorating things I’ve ever experienced.

Adds this loop to my to do list.

Noted for the future trip list.. Thanks. ACA maps were great on my trip this summer, quite into the map + cues approach. Montana / Idaho area is beautiful too.

Yep, no prob. It’s going to be a good one! Maps should be out this fall or winter.

Add to “the list” +1

I emailed the ACA to see when their maps will be published for this route. They said ‘February 2014’.

Read about this route recently and likely to be my next USA trip. Looked at Sun Valley before.
Rode down TD to Hartsel and then Tarryall alternate to Denver this year. Looking for more of the same.

Wow!

http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=d6f01eba2ce4194b9182cbabafc82397&topic=5853.0

A little more on this.

Top news is that there is a thirty mile spur from the loop that connects with the airport in Boise. You can fly to there from NYC or Denver, so flights should be reasonable too. There’s also a train connection from Portland, Oregon.

I got an email from a warmshowers host in Boise who’d be up for riders to stay too.

Feeling the lurve for this.

A little more information on the route here.

http://www.adventurecycling.org/resources/blog/idaho-hot-springs-mountain-bike-route-qa-with-cartographer-casey-greene/

mcm – did you look into flight costs?

That looks fantastic. *looks at flights*

Might consider next autumn or far more likely to be summer 2015 for me. Can’t see a railway station in Boise, though there is probably a rail/bus link. Not sure about bike boxes on them, anybody know?

Fly into SLC and only a couple of days ride to Idaho Falls would be an option, did that some years ago.

Scotroutes, I went over to Trailfinders to check on flights.

If I were going over it would probably be for a month so I could also visit friends in WA, OR and CA.

The flights I got a quote for were from EDI – LHR – Seattle on BA, then Alaskan to Boise. I was going to fly back from SFO. The flights were about £850. Neither BA nor Alaskan charge for bikes. United which fly from Edinburgh to the US charge $200+ each way.

There is a rail link from Boise to Portland.

looks good.

does anybody know how much of the colorado trail is singeltrack?
The great divide is a lot of fireroad.

Looks good.

What bike would you take Mr McM ?

does anybody know how much of the colorado trail is singeltrack?

I believe CynicAl has ridden it.

What bike would you take Mr McM ?

It was going to be an El Mariachi I had found on here, but due to a problem with the supply of the vendors replacement Singular frame that now looks unlikely as he cancelled his order and is hanging on to his El M. So I think it will have to be the Fargo. I’ll either have to try some Woodchipper bars on it rather than the Bell Laps I currently have or switch to flat bars. I feel I could descend much better over longer distances with flat bars.