Warm River Rails to Trails Bike Ride

Railroad Right-of-Way Trail

Ashton Idaho

Locals (Ashton Idaho) call it the Warm River Trail due to the fact that it follows the Warm River for the first 7 miles.  In the Ashton the trail head in located in the Warm River Campground located off Scenic Hwy 47 about 10 miles north of Ashton.

The Railroad Right-of-Way Trail winds through the pristine wilderness of Idaho's Targhee National Forest. The sprawling forest is a unit of the even larger Caribou-Targhee National Forest, which borders famous Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

Built on a former railroad corridor that once provided tourist access from Idaho Falls, Idaho, to West Yellowstone, Montana, the trail parallels Warm River for a few miles from its south trailhead at Warm Springs Campground. About 3 miles north of the campground, a short tunnel—original to the railroad—leads through a steep piece of terrain. Unfortunately, the tunnel suffered a cave-in in 2008, so access is prohibited. The trail has been rerouted just to the east, providing closer views of the Warm River.

The overall trail length is 34 miles that runs from Ashton to the Montana State line near West Yellowstone Idaho.  The trail surface is gravel/ballast.  Parts of this trail is open to ATV traffic. 

My ride was the first 7 miles starting at the Warm River Campground.  I rode out 7 miles and returned for a total of 14 miles.  I did not encounter any other people on the trial I had it to myself…except the moose and bear I saw along the way. 

Being new to the Gravel Bike Riding and Rails to Trails my description of the trail my not be completely accurate or even a fair description.  That said I will give my best description and condition of the trail….The trail for the most part was pretty well packed gravel/ballast with a few larger rocks thrown in to keep you alert and focused on the trail.  There were a few small pot holes but they were few and far between.  Several area did have some loose gravel that required a little more attention to the path of the bike.  The section of trial I rode was dry and it made an enjoyable ride.  Even if it had been raining and the trail had been wet it would have been no real challenge to ride.  In the 7 miles out I had an elevation gain of just over 600 feet.  The 600 feet in 7 miles was a very gradual incline that was hardly noticed on the incline but made the return to the tail head a pretty much downhill coast very little peddling on the return.

The scenery along the trail in the fall was breath taking.  Riding this trail in early fall was one of the best bike rides I had made.  The leaves were in full color and the weather was near perfect.  The ride along the river was at an elevation above the river to give spectacular views of the river and surrounding landscape.  I stopped often along the ride to take in the views and was fortunate enough to have seen a moose feeding along the bank on the opposite side of the river on the way out.  On the return trip I also spotted a bear on the opposite side of the river in the edge of the woods.  The one question I asked myself was if the bear is on the other side are bears on this side that I did not see…

I pointed out earlier that I have just started with the gravel bike riding switching from the road bike.  I enjoyed my time on the road but it was more about distance and average speed and hill climbing.  With my gravel bike riding I am still focusing on distance and hill climbing with average speed not having the same value for me.  I enjoyed the scenery when riding on the road/paved trails but with the gravel bike I have found that I am riding in areas that have more and different views with plenty of places to stop and enjoy the views.  The next step in my gravel riding is bring along my camera and take some better pictures.  In the past I have only used my cell phone for ride pictures and in the future I plan to take a better camera and get more and better photos of the trails.  

Locals (Ashton Idaho) call it the Warm River Trail due to the fact that it follows the Warm River for the first 7 miles.  In the Ashton the trail head in located in the Warm River Campground located off Scenic Hwy 47 about 10 miles north of Ashton.

The Railroad Right-of-Way Trail winds through the pristine wilderness of Idaho's Targhee National Forest. The sprawling forest is a unit of the even larger Caribou-Targhee National Forest, which borders famous Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

Built on a former railroad corridor that once provided tourist access from Idaho Falls, Idaho, to West Yellowstone, Montana, the trail parallels Warm River for a few miles from its south trailhead at Warm Springs Campground. About 3 miles north of the campground, a short tunnel—original to the railroad—leads through a steep piece of terrain. Unfortunately, the tunnel suffered a cave-in in 2008, so access is prohibited. The trail has been rerouted just to the east, providing closer views of the Warm River.

The overall trail length is 34 miles that runs from Ashton to the Montana State line near West Yellowstone Idaho.  The trail surface is gravel/ballast.  Parts of this trail is open to ATV traffic. 

My ride was the first 7 miles starting at the Warm River Campground.  I rode out 7 miles and returned for a total of 14 miles.  I did not encounter any other people on the trial I had it to myself…except the moose and bear I saw along the way. 

Being new to the Gravel Bike Riding and Rails to Trails my description of the trail my not be completely accurate or even a fair description.  That said I will give my best description and condition of the trail….The trail for the most part was pretty well packed gravel/ballast with a few larger rocks thrown in to keep you alert and focused on the trail.  There were a few small pot holes but they were few and far between.  Several area did have some loose gravel that required a little more attention to the path of the bike.  The section of trial I rode was dry and it made an enjoyable ride.  Even if it had been raining and the trail had been wet it would have been no real challenge to ride.  In the 7 miles out I had an elevation gain of just over 600 feet.  The 600 feet in 7 miles was a very gradual incline that was hardly noticed on the incline but made the return to the tail head a pretty much downhill coast very little peddling on the return.

The scenery along the trail in the fall was breath taking.  Riding this trail in early fall was one of the best bike rides I had made.  The leaves were in full color and the weather was near perfect.  The ride along the river was at an elevation above the river to give spectacular views of the river and surrounding landscape.  I stopped often along the ride to take in the views and was fortunate enough to have seen a moose feeding along the bank on the opposite side of the river on the way out.  On the return trip I also spotted a bear on the opposite side of the river in the edge of the woods.  The one question I asked myself was if the bear is on the other side are bears on this side that I did not see…

I pointed out earlier that I have just started with the gravel bike riding switching from the road bike.  I enjoyed my time on the road but it was more about distance and average speed and hill climbing.  With my gravel bike riding I am still focusing on distance and hill climbing with average speed not having the same value for me.  I enjoyed the scenery when riding on the road/paved trails but with the gravel bike I have found that I am riding in areas that have more and different views with plenty of places to stop and enjoy the views.  The next step in my gravel riding is bring along my camera and take some better pictures.  In the past I have only used my cell phone for ride pictures and in the future I plan to take a better camera and get more and better photos of the trails.