( May 13, 2019 / Author: Tim Bondy) This May 11, 2019 mountain bike trip up Ryegrass Canyon in the Mount Bennett Hills of Idaho was strenuous, rugged and very scenic. However, the first half (low-levels) of the trip is less scenic and less physically demanding but well worth the effort. The second portion heading up into Ryegrass Canyon is demanding and makes this an awesome trail ride.
Featured Image Info: 43.150398, -115.400185 / The trail ends just west and below Peak 5150 / https://photos.app.goo.gl/g969JDBPgVneY4nu7
Solitude in the Hills
If solitude and interesting landscapes are what you are craving, this ride is one to consider. I was on trail for about four hours and did not encounter a single vehicle or person. Off in the distance, I saw a rancher checking his free-range cattle grazing on the plains, but that was all.
This ride, compared to my recent Boise Foothills ride highlighted in “Three Bears Trail” trip report at https://bondyweb.com/2019/05/07/mtb-ride-on-three-bears-trail-in-boise-military-reserve-1-may-2019/ was quite different and contrasting. The Boise area trails are groomed and relatively crowded in certain places, whereas the Ryegrass Canyon #MTB ride is rustic and isolated.
Environmental Factors
This ride could be split up into two sections. 1) The low-level area. 2) Ryegrass Canyon area.
The low-level portion mainly follows a straight doubletrack along high tension power lines roughly to the southeast. The July 2012 “Stout Wildfire” burned through this area and heavy cattle grazing have combined to turn the low-level portion of this ride into a field of annual & unhealthy ground cover. There are a number of small creek crossings and marshy areas to contend with (during the spring and early summer?) and they keep the ride interesting and a little more technical.
The environment in the Ryegrass Canyon portion of the ride looks to be quite healthy despite the grazing that occurs there. The bitterbrush and silver sagebrush look about as healthy as any part of the sagebrush steppe I’ve ever seen in southwestern Idaho.
Ryegrass Canyon Mountain Bike Ride Stats for the May 11, 2019 Trip
- Adventure Date: May 11, 2019
- Consider Doing it Again?: Yes
- Trailhead: 43.124916, -115.450101
- Turn-Around Point or Furthest Out Point: 43.161062, -115.404475
- 7.5 Topo Maps: Bennett Mountain
- Trail/Road #: Trailhead is near the intersection of Ryegrass Road and Hot Creek Road. The rest of the ride is on BLM unnumbered doubletracks/trails.
- Mountain Range(s) Involved: Mount Bennett Hills
- Health of Local Environment – [Excellent / Good / Fair / Bad / Horrible]: Good, with very little trash. The portion within Ryegrass Canyon, while likely moderately grazed, looks amazingly healthy.
- Land Ownership: 98% BLM public lands and 2% Idaho State lands
- Wildlife: Many raptor-type birds.
- Mileage: 12.9 miles
- +Vertical Feet: 1,615 feet
- Time from Trailhead to Trailhead: 4:10 hours
- Trailhead Temperature: 72°F – 81°F
- Rockhounding Potential: Zero
- Avg Slope from Google Earth Vertical Profile of the GPX File: 4.3%
- Google Photo Album Link: 40 photos from this trip at … https://photos.app.goo.gl/BMXRhpyWG5pDoHQa7
- Google Earth KMZ: BENNETT – Bike – Ryegrass Canyon spurs (local file only)
- GPX File Name: 20190511-130615.gpx (local file only)
- Driving Time to Trailhead: 30 minutes
- Elevations: 3,503 – 4,437 feet
Grazing Resumption Study Area Part 2
The first time I rode this trail was in 2018. During that ride, (https://bondyweb.com/2019/03/09/ryegrass-canyon-mountain-bike-ride-in-the-mount-bennett-hills-trip-report/) I came upon some instruments in a smallish fenced in area that just didn’t seem to belong out there. The instruments/equipment looked very much like weather recording instruments and I reached out to the BLM and the USGS to see what they knew about it. I was told it was a Grazing Resumption Study Area.
During this May 2019 trip, I again stopped by the special study area and found some new stuff inside the fenced-in plot of land. If you know what the things are, let me know.
This story was originally published on May 13, 2019.
Thanks,
~ signed ~
Tim Bondy
Freelance Writer & Citizen Journalist