[ Plan Your Play: Swan Valley ]
Swan Valley FROM BONE TO ALPINE, SCENIC TERRAIN AND GREAT RIDING
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WHERE TO RENT Action Motor Sports www.actionmotor.com WHERE TO EAT Snake River Roadhouse www.srroadhouse.com WHERE TO STAY Visit www.yellowstoneteton.org for lodging
East of Swan Valley there are countless county, BLM and Forest Service roads that access the Palisades area. Although there are hundreds of miles of farming/ ranching access roads in this area, our main focus is routes that fall east of Idaho Falls in the Bone area (Bone Road to Long Valley Road and up to Grays Lake) and south of Highway 26 to Alpine, WY. The Palisades area takes in the Palisades Ranger District of the Targhee/Caribou National Forests. Although most of the region has routes available to all wheeled vehicles, there are a few routes accessible for jeep/ORVs, 50-inch restrictions, single-tracks or hiking trails. The major access points are at Bone, Fall Creek or points on both ends of Palisades Reservoir.
HIGHLIGHTS At first look as you travel east out of Idaho Falls, all you see is sagebrush, lava-crested ridges and groves of quaking aspen trees. The farther east you go, the higher the elevation, tighter the trails and thicker the pine trees. The most scenic route is along Skyline Ridge. This takes you back to a series of ridges that offer some great trails and spectacular scenery.
TRAIL TIP Since there is a lot of livestock throughout the area, you will occasionally come across closed gates along designated routes. Rule of thumb is that if the gate is closed, close it behind you when you pass through. If it is open, leave it open. Some routes will dead-end at private property lines. Please respect posted areas and No Trespassing signs.
MORE TO KNOW In the late 1800s Caribou Jack discovered gold on Caribou Mountain in Eastern Idaho. Soon, about 1,500 residents occupied Caribou City, many were Chinese miners, climbing all over the mountains in search of instant riches. Now, over a century later, the gold is gone, the remnants of the city is a ghost town, and the terrain looks much like it did when Caribou Jack first wandered up McCoy Creek to seek his fortune. 24 | EASTERN IDAHO OFF-ROAD GUIDE
Elevation 5,500-8,000 Full-Service Town Swan Valley Nearest Airport Idaho Falls Information Yellowstone/ Teton Territory 800-634-3246 Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce 208-523-1010