Photo credit – Carol Waller River Valley at the time. By the 1890s Galena was a ghost town. The rich mining history throughout the subarea created a legacy road network that now North Valley/ provides popular trail access. Galena The three primary travel corridors generally follow important waterways: State Highway 75 Scenic Byway which crosses the Location and Context Big Wood River multiple times and passes its The scenic North Valley/Galena subarea encompasses headwaters. The subarea extends north to Galena over a quarter million acres of land in the northern Summit. This travel corridor is the primary spine Big Wood River drainage. The vast majority of this connecting Blaine County to the north. forested alpine land is managed by the US Forest West Warm Springs Road along Warm Springs Service, and includes the Boulder and Smoky Creek, one of the primary tributaries of the Big Mountain Ranges. Only a fraction of a percent of the Wood River to the west. The subarea extends to land area is developed. Open space, tourism and Dollarhide Summit and the boundary of Camas recreation are highly prized in this portion of Blaine County. County. North Valley/Galena is home to the Sawtooth Trail Creek Road along Trail Creek, another main NRA Headquarters, the iconic Galena Lodge, and the Big Wood tributary to the east. Trail Creek road is (now closed) historic North Fork Store. considered one of the most spectacular travel corridors in the County. The subarea extends east The name “Galena” refers to an amalgam of silver, to Trail Creek Summit and the boundary with lead and zinc, found in the mines of the Boulder Custer County. Mountains. In 1879, prospectors established Galena as a town. With a peak population of about 800 residents, it was the largest community in the Wood 1 | C h a p t e r 8 – L a n d U s e – North Valley/Galena Land Use Characteristics There are approximately 500 privately held parcels, Ownership/Management comprising 2,565 acres. Nearly half of this private land Approximately 99% of the land in this subarea is is within 24 mining claims (1,175 acres). Most of the federally managed. Of the 251,863 acres that are private developed parcels are between Ketchum and under the jurisdiction of the US Forest Service the Sawtooth NRA Headquarters, with some found (USFS), 61,954 acres are within the Sawtooth along Warm Springs Road. There are no privately held National Recreation Area (NRA). There are 26,100 parcels along Trail Creek Road within this subarea. acres within the Hemingway-Boulders Wilderness, of which 19,811 acres are within the Sawtooth NRA and 6,289 acres are outside the NRA in the Ketchum Ranger District. The Bureau of Land Land Ownership/ Management (BLM) manages 2,000 acres. Management C h a p t e r 8 – L a n d U s e - North Valley/Galena | 2 shown on this Land Cover map, the majority of the Land Cover subarea is alpine forested land, accompanied by This subarea spans the Smoky and Boulder mountain sagebrush hills and grasslands – nearly all of which ranges, with elevations ranging from 5,844 to 11,664 are under federal management. Less than one percent at the top of Kent Peak. The headwaters of the Big is developed or in agriculture. Wood River commence just below Galena Summit. As Land Cover 3 | C h a p t e r 8 – L a n d U s e – North Valley/Galena Existing Land Uses Creek Lakes and the Boulder Mountains. The road turns to gravel where it enters USFS land Residential near the eastern end of the platted lots. Residential uses are the primary land use on the Board’s Upper Ranch and Warfield Hot Springs small amount of private land in the North (Warm Springs area): Two remote neighbor- Valley/Galena subarea. With the exception of Board’s hoods are located out Warm Springs Road with Upper Ranch, all of the neighborhoods described 17 lots in Board’s Upper Ranch and 22 in the below are accessed off of Highway 75 south of Warfield Hot Springs area. The steep canyon and Sawtooth NRA Headquarters and are either dead- Warm Springs Creek define these areas. end canyons or short loops on the valley floor. Several dispersed homes and vacant residential A “lost” neighborhood is the North Fork Mobile parcels also exist along the highway and side roads, Home Park, at the site of the iconic North Fork Store. including the area of large, mostly unplatted lots just This site was put on the map in 1956 when Marilyn west of Highway 75 referred to for many years as Monroe starred in “Bus Stop,” filmed in part at this “Millionaires’ Row.” The more established location. The store operated intermittently until the neighborhoods include (from north to south): mid-2010s. The majority of the 3½-acre property operated as a mobile home park until late 2018. Barlow Subdivision: This 1955 subdivision along With 22 mobile homes and five cabins, it had the Big Wood River is one of the oldest in Blaine provided rare, north-County affordable housing for County. Most lots are 5 acres in size, and all but numerous households. However, as of January 2019, one access via Barlow Road. all of the mobile homes had been removed from the Chocolate Gulch: Located 4.5 miles north of property. Ketchum on the west side of Highway 75 and along the Big Wood River, Chocolate Gulch is an established neighborhood of 32 lots. The neighborhood contains a popular trailhead access with a limited amount of parking. Eagle Creek Loop: Just south of Chocolate Gulch, Eagle Creek Loop has 28 lots. All of the lots in this (pre-zoning), established family neighborhood are nonconforming in size. Eagle Creek: This scenic dead-end canyon on the east side of Highway 75 has 31 (mostly unplatted) lots. A small parking area for summer and winter use is located at the end of the paved road where it enters public land. Glassford Heights/Stonegate: Also on the east side of Highway 75, these established neighborhoods contain 45 lots and feature many large homes. All are accessed via Glassford Drive. Lake Creek: Approximately 60 lots are located in this neighborhood. Lake Creek Drive provides summer and winter access to Lake Creek, Lake Photo credit - Nils Ribi C h a p t e r 8 – L a n d U s e - North Valley/Galena | 4 Recreation point for many summer and winter activities, and The subarea is an important gateway to Idaho is served by the Mountain Rides bus system. backcountry and a key portal for a variety of summer Restrooms, an RV transfer station, helitac pad and winter activities along State Highway 75, Trail and office, seasonal employee housing trailers Creek Road and Warm Springs Road. The rapid and maintenance buildings are also on the site. transition from resort amenities to undeveloped high Galena Lodge. The current lodge was alpine landscape provides superb access to constructed in the 1960’s using remnants of recreation and retreat for visitors and residents. buildings from the town of Galena. After a succession of ownerships, the Lodge was With vast expanses of the Sawtooth Forest (created purchased by a communitywide fundraising in 1902) and the Sawtooth NRA (created within the effort in 1994 and donated to the Blaine County Sawtooth Forest in 1972), this subarea has a long Recreation District (BCRD). The BCRD also history of recreation. The Sawtooth NRA averages manages yurts and summer camps under their about 1.3 million visitors a year. Hiking and Galena Lodge permit. The day lodge is open mountain biking on hundreds of miles of trails from daily in the winter and summer seasons, offering dozens of trailheads, fishing the streams and a destination Nordic skiing facility, hiking, backcountry lakes, big-game hunting, and mountain biking, guided tours, restaurant, rental snowmobiling are all very popular activities. shop and overnight yurt rentals. With approximately 50 miles of improved trails at The subarea contains the highest concentration of Galena, both winter and summer use and campsites in the County, including six developed demands continue to grow. campgrounds and over 100 dispersed sites. Trail Creek and Warm Springs drainages also provide camping opportunities, with one developed campground, Boundary Creek, out Trail Creek Road. Various special events also bring visitors. In the fall, the highly popular Trailing of the Sheep celebrates the central Idaho sheep heritage by herding over 1,000 sheep from the north valley into Ketchum. In winter, the 45-year old Boulder Mountain Tour brings thousands of Nordic skiers and spectators to the valley for the 32 kilometer ski from Galena Lodge Photo credit – Sara Sheehy to the Sawtooth NRA headquarters. Organizational Camps. The Central Idaho 4-H See the Recreation Chapter for additional details. camp, located 17 miles north of Ketchum, has been in use since 1966. It contains a variety of US Forest Service buildings including 12 cabins and a main Some of the developed land uses found on the lodge/kitchen/dining facility. The camp offers Sawtooth Forest include: traditional 4-H programs, and partners with a Sawtooth NRA Headquarters. Located off variety of other agencies to offer day and Highway 75, approximately seven miles north of overnight camps. The Blaine County Extension Ketchum, the headquarters include the North Office has partnered with the Sawtooth NRA for Fork Visitors Center and administrative staff the last 4 years to offer summer camps for area offices. The 63-car parking lot is a jumping off children. Other organizational camps are: 5 | C h a p t e r 8 – L a n d U s e – North Valley/Galena Cathedral Pines, Camp Manapu and Camp accommodate wheelchair access.