Idaho Hot Springs route and parking help

[ChasA]

Hello:

I'll be riding 160-180 miles of this route in about 2 weeks, with a friend who will be riding the whole loop. I'm working on which segment will be good in regard to length, where we could leave a car at each end. The Galena (or maybe Sun Valley) to McCall segment looks to me like the most attractive part of the route, but there is not a direct, paved road between the two to make car arrangements easy. Then there is the question of where we could park 2 cars.

Thanks,
Charlie

[CMajernik]

If your endpoints are near, or in a town, look up and call some of the services listed on the map to see if they would allow you to leave a car. Or maybe someone has a suggestion. You would need to assure them that they wouldn't be liable if your car was broken into.

[ChasA]

Thanks Carla. I'll try that. I've left some messages w/ USFS offices about parking options, too, and am waiting to hear back. It would be nice to have a plan before driving 6 or 7 hours and trying to sort it out then.

[Jeebs]

We left a car in Ketchum at the YMCA for 8 days following another rider's recommendation. The lot is owned by the city if you want to obtain permission, but we just left it without talking with anyone.

[ChasA]

Thanks Jeebs

[LouMelini]

I've toured in the area twice. Once we left a car at the ski resort in Ketchum for the 2 weeks on the Hot Spring ride but that was in 2014 (talk to security). The second time the car was left at a campground about 5 miles west of Stanley (2017), $5/day fee. 

[ChasA]

Thanks Lou; I believe I've read several of your articles in Cycling West.

I just got back from riding some of the route. Finding parking wasn't particularly easy but I did find it.

[LouMelini]

I assume, like I did, you had a great ride on the hot springs route. Yes, I am a volunteer writer for Cycling West. Thank you for acknowledging that you read the articles.

[ChasA]

Hi Lou; I greatly enjoy your articles. I rode just the Stanley to Featherville part of the ride, which was very nice indeed. Ihope to get back to do the rest. My riding partner is still on the southern loop. I just put some pics on FB.

[LouMelini]

Where did you leave your car if it was not easy?  I should, but I have chosen to not do social media. Perhaps someday. I also hope to get back on that route.

[dlw]

Last summer — Aug 2020 — i left my vehicle in Cascade, ID. The Chamber of Commerce directed me to designated "adventure bike" parking near Kelly's Whitewater Park just on the edge of town. It was free and there were several other cars parked for the same thing. It's a great spot to stage and pack your stuff too - public restrooms, water, garbage, etc.

[ChasA]

We needed to leave 2 cars - one at each of 2 different parts of the route - 3 to 4 days of riding apart.

I called several establishments in Featherville with no luck, and the Forest Service said they had no particular parking in that area, but lI eft my car on the side of the main drag, after asking the proprietor of the Feather River Resort store if it was ok to do so, in person. I was happy to find it still there when I got back. 

Stanley has a nice Chamber of Commerce website, but the people there did not know of any public parking, nor did someone at the local bike shop, when I called. Asking when I got to town, I was told there wasn't any (a little hard to believe!), but the Forest Service said we could leave a car at the ranger station there for 10 days. No word on whether it would be towed if my riding partner couldn't get back to it in that time frame!

[Bolomo]

In 2018 we stayed at the Idaho City Hotel, left 2 cars there, with the plan to stay there at the end of the trip (the whole loop.) We went clockwise from Idaho City.

When we finished the trip they didn't have availability for that night so we just got the cars and drove to Boise.

My understanding is that the ownership of the hotel is changed but I would expect they would still allow it.

Bobbie