Treat yourself to a high alpine mountain bike experience. The maps around the Galena area said, "Not recommended for bikes," so naturally I had to check it out. While the Titus Lake Trail is technical, it's definitely a sweet mountain-bike-worthy ride. The warnings are more likely due to some horse traffic and high hiker traffic at times. You may want to time your ride to avoid this, especially the horses coming up the trail from the bottom where the horseback riding outfitter keeps their operation. Most of the hiker traffic is from the upper trailhead over to the lake.
The Titus Lake Trail has some fun technical challenges as it traverses over to the lake. After the lake it provides some loose switchbacks and technical riding before opening to twisty ride along (and in and out of) the creek. It eventually spits you out on an old road that takes you through the horse camp and to the highway near Galena Lodge. This is also the terminus and parking for a the Harriman Trail which is a recreation trail that is an old road now closed to traffic that follows the Big Wood River to near Ketchum.
The climb on the old toll road won't see much traffic at all and offers a consistent gradient on an old road bed that has a singletrack burnt into it. It is tricky finding the entrance to this trail, so see the trial notes below. Midway up you actually cross the highway and scramble up a section of trail that is falling away to get back on the road and finish off the climb.
Getting There
Park at the Galena Lodge or Harriman Trail Parking beside the road.
Trail Notes
- 0.0mi. From Galena Lodge you can ride some singletrack for a starter or head up the gravel road and come out the Horse Creek Road. The map here shows that approach with a climb of the Outhouse Loop and then Horse Creek Rd. out to the highway. Alternately you can save a couple miles and just ride up to the paved highway, but what fun is that.
- 3.4 (or 1.2 if you take highway) Find a pullout on the west side of the highway. There is a cross country ski trail sign at the pullout that indicates "North Wood". You cross the log bridge over the creek and pick up the Old Toll Road trail right away and start climbing. If you come out on Horse Creek Rd., you'll be taking a left and then the turnout is on the right a few hundred feet down the road.
- 6.4 Cross the highway. The trail is immediately on the other side.
- 8.0 Arrive at Galena Pass just above the paved road. Continue around and down the other side where the trail drops down to the highway. Ride back on the paved highway the oppisite direction.
- 8.6 Arrive at the Titus Creek Trailhead and begin singletrack.
- 10.3 Arrive at Titus Lake. Look to continue the trail immediately to the left when you arrive at the lake. There is also a confusing side trail on the left for hitching horses.
- 13.0 Singletrack becomes dirt road.
- 14.2 Arrive at highway. Cross it to the Galena Lodge.
