By Matt Leidecker. Photos by Karl Weatherly.
Three simple hikes that offer easy access, great views and a guaranteed fun-filled family day out.
White Clouds Trails
Length: 1.1 miles. Difficulty: Beginner
The White Clouds trail system surrounding Sun Valley's nine-hole White Clouds golf course offers five miles of easy hiking and biking in the immediate vicinity of town. Several scenic overlooks (equipped with benches) provide excellent perspectives of Ketchum, the Big Wood River and the surrounding landscape, making it a great hike for newcomers. Four different sections—Sellgren's, Valley View, Sunrise Loop and Elk Trail—are accessed by two primary trailheads—Earl's and Carol's. Parking is available at the Sun Valley Clubhouse or in the Sun Valley Village parking lot, both off Trail Creek Road.
Lane's Trail
Length: 2.2 miles. Difficulty: intermediate
Named after local skier Lane Parrish, who died in a plane accident in 1990, this trail weaves in and out of sage-covered gullies to a memorial picnic bench before descending to the Citizen's Trail junction. The main access is at the Adams Gulch trailhead, but it can also be reached from Lake Creek, Hulen Way and Sego Lane in the Hulen Meadows subdivision, and Wanderer's Way off Warm Springs Road. Adams Gulch is a great place to explore and have fun in a relatively benign environment as all trails, except for Adams Gulch Road and Eve Gulch, are closed to motorized use.
Corral & Trail Creek Trails
Length: 2.7 miles. Difficulty: Beginner
The out-and-back Corral Creek trail winds through open sage benches, crosses the 2007 Trail Creek wildfire burn and traverses dense trees to Uncle John's Gulch. It is a fun and fast bike ride or easy hike. The Corral and Trail Creek trails (handicapped-accessible) use the flat benches alongside and above the creek for a variety of hiking and mountain biking options. There are three primary trailheads, two along Trail Creek Road (at the Ernest Hemingway Memorial and just beyond Boundary Campground) and a third at the end of residential Fairway Road.
