2024 City of Rocks
City of Rocks - Idaho Parks & Rec
City of Rocks National Reserve
Images by Merri Melde
Merri Melde's Smugmug photos
2025 CITY OF ROCKS PIONEER ENDURANCE RIDE
May 30, 31 and June 1
Directions:
From Boise take I-84 to exit 216 (Declo); go south on Idaho 77 to Conner Creek Junction, then southwest on the Elba-Almo Road. One mile south of the visitor center in Almo, PASS BY the intrance to City of Rocks/Equestrian Campground. Instead, continue straight south onto dirt road, and you'll shortly see Ridecamp on your right - Castle View RV Park. Follow the pink ribbons & Ridecamp signs! From Pocatello and Idaho Falls, take I-86 and I-84 to exit 216 and proceed as above. From Salt Lake City take I-84 to exit 245 (Sublett/Malta) then head west toward Malta. Turn left (south) onto highway 81 for .2 miles to Highway 77, then turn right (west). At Connor Creek Junction, follow directions above toward Almo.Weather:
Basecamp is at 5400 ft and weather in early June should make for comfortable riding. The sun is very strong at this altitude, so make sure you stay hydrated. But be prepared for anything since it is springtime in the mountains!
Trails and footing
Footing in this area is good, with a few rocky sections, but it is NOT a rocky ride! There are beautiful single track trails through the City of Rocks National Reserve, and 2-track roads and cow trails through BLM land. USFS trails will be a combination of dirt road and 2-track, some single track trail through the aspen groves.The course will be rolling - with climbs on days 1 and 3 into the aspen groves, 6500 ft Day 1, 7500 ft Day 3. The climbs are well graded and the footing is good. Day 2 will be more a more moderate elevation trail, but still some climbing.
Hillbillie Willie and the Magic Bubble at City of Rocks 2023
June 9 2023
by Merri Melde
Best! Ride! Ever! (Again!) on Hillbillie Willie the Standardbred!
I spent two hours in the middle of the night before Day 1’s 25-miler at City of Rocks*, when I should have been sleeping, worrying about the start. We’d be starting on a single track for a hundred yards - not ideal with a crowded field of 20 or 30 horses. Was Willie going to be a firecracker or would he be calm? I want calm starts. Would other riders be running up his butt? I don’t like that and it’s not safe. Would he be trying to run up the butt of the horse in front of him? I don’t allow him to do that because it’s not safe, but sometimes it takes a lot of conversation and effort with Willie to give the horse in front of him space, and sometimes miles for him to calm down.
And what about that gnarly awkward 4-strand barbed wire gate right by a nasty cattle guard, which was just another hundred yards up the single track trail? I could see all kinds of pileups and accidents there if nobody was manning the gate. (Every other year at City of Rocks, we could leave that gate open. This year, some renegade cows on the wrong side of the fence deemed the gate had to stay shut.)
And, Willie’s bestest bud DWA Barack would also be doing the 25-mile ride*, and Willie can get a little squirrely when he knows Barack is on the trail and not right with him. And so I worried, while my prime sleeping hours ticked away.
Really. I just wanted a good safe fun ride. That’s it.
Read more here:
https://theequestrianvagabond.blogspot.com/2023/06/hillbillie-willie-and-magic-bubble-at.html