8.3 miles
Distance
2,775 ft
Climb
-355 ft
Descent
01:13:49
Avg time
Supporters, Builders, Maintainers & Land Managers of Greenhorn Trail

Greenhorn Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • E-Bike
    • Horse
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
    • Dirtbike/Moto
  • Riding Area
    Greenhorn
    Hailey, Idaho
  • Ref Number
    #156
  • AKA
    7156, Mars Ridge
  • Difficulty Rating
  • Hiking SAC Scale
    T1 Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    AM
  • Direction
    Both Directions
  • Climb Difficulty
    Double Black Diamond
  • Physical Rating
    Hard
  • Trail Visibility
    Always easy to follow
  • Season
    01/01-12/31
  • Alpine Trail
    Yes
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • eBike Allowed
    Yes up to Class 1
  • Global Ranking
    #54336 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #5342 in E-Biking
    • #41147 in Hiking
  • Local Popularity
    75 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 85 in E-Biking
    • 70 in Trail Running
    • 80 in Hiking
    • 80 in Dirtbiking
    • 5 in Horseback
  • Land Owner
    USFS-Ketchum Ranger District

*New section at beginning! In April of 2024 the new section was built to take the trail out of the riparian area. It now starts on the North side near Cow Creek Connector.

Greenhorn Trail #156: Great for an out-and-back or to use as part of one or more loops that branch off of the trail. The trail departs the trailhead to the south and crosses Greenhorn Creek over a series of footbridges as it meanders up the drainage. A very long trail that gets very demanding and can be taken for about 9 miles to the head of the canyon at Mars Ridge.

Much of the Greenhorn Gulch drainage burned in recent fires, but the trails in the area are on the rebound. Repair and restoration efforts by the Forest Service, Wood River Bike Coalition, Wood River Land Trust, and other partners and volunteers for the Ketchum Ranger District were carried out during the summer of 2014. The trails were reopened after an intensive season of rebuilding.

The trail crosses through a pleasant patchwork of riparian vegetation and aspen trees before climbing through dense pine and fir forest to a high ridge. The views of the Pioneer Mountains from the top are outstanding.

Loops are possible via the Imperial and Mahoney trails, or by using this trail as part of deeper explorations to places like the rather distant Mars Ridge region.

The Greenhorn Gulch drainage, which includes Cow Creek, Lodgepole Gulch, Mahoney Gulch, Greenhorn Creek, and Imperial Gulch has the highest concentration of multi-use trails in the valley. Much of the northern half of the drainage was burned quite severely during the Castle Rock Fire in 2007. A lot more of the area burned intensely during the 2013 Beaver Creek Fire.

Use extra caution when planning outings in areas impacted by the recent fires. Storms can create flash floods, debris flows, and falling timber. Check the weather and keep your eye on the skies when you are headed out for a hike or ride. Travel is not recommended in burned areas when threatening weather conditions exist. Burned, standing trees can come down in any weather, but when windy conditions develop the situation becomes especially dangerous. When in doubt stay out.

The trails in the drainage pass through a wide variety of terrain. They pass through dense forest, open grasslands, flower-covered slopes, meandering ridgelines and, more recently, burned and limbless forests recovering from the fire. The interconnected nature of the Greenhorn trails allows for a wide variety of loops as all of the drainages are linked along the western divide.

For hikers, some of the available loops may be longer than they might wish to cover in a day. However, there are several shorter options between the Cow Creek and Mahoney Gulch trails. Out-and-back hikes are also a great option on both the Greenhorn and Imperial Gulch trails.

Please keep in mind that all of the trails in Greenhorn Gulch are multi-use and open to motorcycles, and the motorcycle community stays involved in the maintenance of the trails. They help make possible the prompt opening of the trails by cutting out the vast majority of the downed trees that litter the trails each spring. Its also good to keep in mind that through the purchase of the State of Idaho's Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Use sticker fees, the motorized community is instrumental in the funding for many of the trail improvements on our shared-use motorized trails. In the late '70s and early '80s funds for the development of many of the trails in Greenhorn came from such fees.

source: BCRD
Local Trail Association
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
More Stats for Greenhorn multi-use trail trail
  • Altitude change
    2,420 ft
  • Altitude min
    5,899 ft
  • Altitude max
    8,510 ft
  • Altitude start
    5,913 ft
  • Altitude end
    8,333 ft
  • Grade
    5.5%
  • Grade max
    -26.1%
  • Grade min
    86.2%
  • Distance climb
    6 miles
  • Distance down
    1 mile
  • Distance flat
    2,425 ft
  • Avg time
    01:13:49
  • Avg reverse time
    01:28:37
  • view trail stats
Status:
on Jun 10, 2024
Ideal
Avg: 3.89 (4 votes)
Your vote: 0

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Trail Conditions
  • Unknown
  • Snow Groomed
  • Snow Packed
  • Snow Covered
  • Snow Cover Partial
  • Freeze/thaw Cycle
  • Icy
  • Prevalent Mud
  • Wet
  • Variable
  • Ideal
  • Dry
  • Very Dry
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      Greenhorn Trail Reports

      statusdatedescription
      Jun 10, 2024 @ 7:01pm
      Jun 10, 2024
      Jun 1, 2024 @ 6:45pm
      Jun 1, 2024
      Dry all the way to Mahoney. Snow patches above that need a couple weeks towards the top
      May 21, 2024 @ 7:11pm
      May 21, 2024
      Good all the way to the intersection with Mahoney. Climbing up to Mars ridge still holding snow.
      May 7, 2024 @ 6:43am
      May 7, 2024
      Rode up Greenhorn to try to get to Imperial. About 4.5 miles in the hike/bike begins as trail becomes very muddy and snow after that which is...
      Apr 25, 2024 @ 12:41pm
      Apr 25, 2024
      reporter First mile or so is dry. Probably snow farther up in the trees.
      view all reports »

      Recent Ridelog Activity on Trail

      Past Week
      • 0 rides
      •  
      6 Months
      • 53 rides
      • 15 miles avg distance
      All
      • 320 rides
      • Last: Oct 13, 2024

      Photos

      more »
      17 |
      Jun 24, 2024 @ 11:09am
      Jun 24, 2024
      13 |
      Jun 24, 2024 @ 11:10am
      Jun 24, 2024
      23 |
      Apr 21, 2024 @ 11:07am
      Apr 21, 2024
      38 |
      Apr 20, 2024 @ 10:46am
      Apr 20, 2024

      Routes with this trail

      more »
      titledistance
      Idaho Gem257 miles
      Triple Sacrifice37 miles
      Condo-Mars Ridge Loop44 miles
      CoreyMTB Imperial Gulch Jaunt16 miles

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      Videos

      more »
      youtuber Pure Unadulterated FUN!!! Mountain Biking...
      9:35 | 449 | May 27, 2020 , Hailey
      youtuber Greenhorn Gulch and Imperial Trail
      10:29 | 202 | Aug 26, 2022 , Hailey
      Greenhorn-Imperial Gulch | Ketchum, ID
      9:30 | 198 | Nov 10, 2021 , Hailey
      Greenhorn to Imperial Gulch 10-16-20
      5:36 | 234 | Nov 7, 2020 , Hailey
      • By jandashetler & contributors
      • #53520 - 2,415 views

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