Dollarhide Summit Overnighter

• When to ride: The route is best ridden in the late spring, summer, and fall. High-elevation snowpack can be an issue in the spring, daytime temperatures can get unbearably hot in the summer, and the fall is cooler at night and possibly best suited for hot spring dips. Late June and July are fantastic times to ride the route. August is also good, but daytime temperatures can get incredibly hot. September, when the fall colors are going off, is an amazing time to ride the route, but it can get chilly at night and may even get a dusting of snow up high. Although each year is different, it’s safe to assume the route is impassable by mid-October due to snowfall up high. Early October can often still be great, depending on weather.
• Ideal Bike: The route is best ridden on a gravel bike with ~50mm tires for those comfortable navigating a few short sections of chunky doubletrack and fast descents. Experienced riders could ride it without issues on narrower tires, but you won’t feel out of place riding a hardtail mountain bike or whatever you’ve got.
• Route Direction: The route is designed to be ridden counterclockwise, starting and ending in Ketchum, but there’s no reason why it couldn’t be ridden clockwise.
• Wildlife: The Sun Valley/Wood River Valley is home to black bears, bobcats, coyotes, elk, mountain lions, and moose. Make noise while riding, hang your food at night, and follow the #LeaveNoTrace principles.
• Parking: There are a number of on and off-street parking areas just outside of downtown Ketchum with no restrictions. We left our vehicle on 7th St W for two days and had no problems. Any longer and you may consider asking a local business for permission to use their lot.
• Dollarhide Summit pass reaches over 8,700 feet, and the majority of the route sits higher than 5,000 feet. Riders coming from sea level might find the high-elevation riding and camping challenging.
• Be prepared for sudden weather changes as you’re traveling at elevation in the mountains. The spring and fall can bring rain, high winds, and even snow at a moment’s notice. In September, we experienced temperatures from the mid-80s during the day right down to the low 40s at night.
• You can skip the last 13-miles on the Wood River bike path and take the free Mountain Rides Valley Bus from Hailey to Idaho. The bus is equipped with a three-bike bike rack. Learn more here.

• The only campsites on the route are free, unserviced National Forest sites.
• There are several designated sites just past Frenchman’s Bend Hot Springs on Warm Springs Road.
• There are lots of campsites west of Dollarhide Summit, near the Worswick Hot Springs.
• There are limited options after Worswick Hot Springs, heading east back to Hailey. This area is mostly used for cattle and some private ranch land.

• The city of Ketchum has everything you need to stock up before your ride.
• The city of Hailey is also well-stocked and has everything you need for the final push north or for a post-ride meal.
• The route follows natural creeks the vast majority of the time, but cattle graze in the area, so properly purifying the water is crucial.
• There aren’t as many natural/accessible water sources south of Worswick Hot Springs on the way to Croy Creek. Plan ahead and carry more water through this section.

Traveling counterclockwise, you can either begin in Hailey, on the Wood River Trail to Warm Springs Road bike path in Ketchum or begin in Ketchum by riding out Warm Springs Road bike path. The bike path terminates two miles out with another two miles of paved road before you hit gravel all the way to Dollarhide Summit. You will be following Warm Springs Creek all the way to the final three-mile climb up to the summit. There’s no reason to rush because you can stop and fish every inch of this creek for rainbows and soak in Frenchman’s Hot Springs at mile 10. There are an abundance of designated creekside campsites for folks who find fishing and soaking irresistible.

After descending Dollarhide Summit, you will turn left at mile 32 onto Rd 510 for five miles before turning right onto Rd 890. You will immediately be forging Little Smokey Creek (great snack stop) and riding a more challenging doubletrack for five miles before turning right onto Willow Creek Road. Once on Willow Creek Road, you will spin down nine miles, taking a left on Baseline Road. After two miles, turn left onto Camp Creek Rd for the last climb of the day to Richardson Summit. From the summit, it is a fast ride all the way to Hailey and the bike path to Ketchum if you are returning to Ketchum.