Kelly Canyon to launch first summer season
Kelly Canyon will celebrate its inaugural summer season sometime this June. The Kelly Canyon Bike Park will open Thursdays through Saturdays and continue into October.
Most of the terrain has a dirt surface rather than extensive rock surfaces. Co-owner Dave Stoddard said half the trails are bi-directional and the rest are single-track. Around 80 percent are rated “easier” to “more difficult”, but additional “most difficult” trails are being planned.
“The trails flow nicely underneath canopies and across varied terrain, and we constructed them to take advantage of the spectacular views at many points on the mountain,” Stoddard says. “We’ve also installed about 30 features, including rollers, jumps, and banked corners.”
Lift 4 will haul bikes and riders up the mountains 1,000 vertical feet and provide access to all 20 miles of trails. Alpine Bike Parks provided initial design consulting.
Stoddard said the trails cross varied terrain and should appeal to all levels of riders. “We constructed them to take advantage of the spectacular views at many points on the mountain,” Stoddard says. “We’ve also installed about 30 features, including rollers, jumps, and banked corners.”
Ski Idaho board president Bob Looper said more than half of Ski Idaho resorts (10 of 18) offer mountain biking.
Grand Targhee will begin its daily summer operations June 14. It offers 2,200 vertical feet of lift-serviced downhill trails and more than 60 miles of multi-use trails.
