Schoolhouse Gulch Loop

Dogs Off-leash

E-Bikes Unknown

The Schoolhouse Gulch Trail is a newly developed trail on a parcel of BLM land right in the heart of Garden Valley. The initial loop is just the start of what we hope will become a whole system of non-motorized trails! This makes a great early or late-season ride in the pines, or a quick warm-up ride on your way to Stanley.

There's a convenience store and Subway restaurant just up the highway from the trailhead, as well as lots more shopping in Crouch that's worth checking out.

Driving east on Banks-Lowman Hwy, look for a wooden sign on the left side of the road marking Schoolhouse Gulch. Pull off and park near the wooden shed and metal corral. A welcome sign and trail map are posted by the corral.

The loop can be ridden in either direction, but clockwise gets the toughest climbing out of the way first, so that's how it's described here. Start riding up the dirt road Schoolhouse Connector Trail that climbs steeply away from the parking area. Don't get discouraged, the first 0.25 miles are the steepest. Continue around a steel gate and up this road for about 0.5 miles, watching for a brown signpost on your right that marks the beginning of the Schoolhouse Gulch Trail singletrack.

Turn right at this sign, zig-zagging up the hill and onto an old abandoned roadbed. The trail follows this roadbed, traversing several gullies for nearly a mile. Watch for another brown sign at a fork, then bear right (downhill). This section descends toward the creek bottom— watch your speed as some of the water bars are pretty sharp.

When you reach the bottom, another sign will point you to make a hard right onto some beautiful creekside singletrack. This is arguably the best part of the trail, so enjoy it all the way back to the parking area.

If one lap is too short, turn around and ride it again in the opposite direction!

This trail was developed by Garden Valley Wolverines on Wheels Youth MTB Club in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management. Please observe all signs and don't venture off the BLM land onto surrounding private lands. As more folks use this trail, we hope to add more loop options and build more trails on this parcel in the coming years.