If you haven’t been yet, you’ve got to head to Grand Targhee bike park in Alta, Wyoming. It has a more relaxed atmosphere than other bike parks and makes for a great weekend getaway.
The park has a lot to offer – fun, flowy, challenging terrain, and incredible views. If you want more than just lift-served downhill riding, Targhee also has over 70 miles of multi-use trails that include cross-country riding, hiking, and horseback riding.
In this guide, we offer up info on which trails to ride, lessons, rentals, where to stay, and when to visit.
Downhill Trails: What To Ride
Grand Targhee has two bike-friendly chairlifts that provide access to 2,000 vertical feet of downhill trails. These are one-way trails, so you can hit the jumps and rail the berms without worrying about encountering uphill traffic.
Targhee has downhill trails for everyone – from the first-timer to the seasoned vet. The Shoshone lift provides access to beginner-friendly terrain. Even for the more advanced rider, these trails are a fun way to warm up!
The Dreamcatcher lift is the main lift for the downhill-only trails. These trails are longer, steeper, and more technical than the trails off the Shoshone lift. There are plenty of intersections with enough room to pull out of the way and rest.
Top to bottom runs at Targhee can be brutal on your hands. Take some beaks to grab some water, catch your breath, and take in the views!
Flow Trails
I always like warming up on flow trails. They are a great way to make sure your bike is dialed before venturing out on the more technical trails. The trails off the Shoshone lift are smooth, short, flowy and fun trails.
Otter Slide is my favorite trail to start off with. This trail has nicely built berms and fun optional features like wall rides and tabletop jumps.
The Dreamcatcher lift takes you up higher on the mountain, up to 9,862 feet. There are a couple of machine-built, flowy trails off this lift as well.
Bullwinkle is a fun jump line with large berms and small to medium table top jumps, ranging from about 4-6 feet wide. This trail is a great way to get your upper body warmed up for the longer, technical trails. You can link the Grand Traverse trail, to Sidewinder, to Bullwinkle for almost four miles of flowy fun.
Technical Trails
Targhee does not disappoint when it comes to technical trails. The trails get pretty dry here, which creates an additional challenge on these trails. You do not get the best traction, so be sure to run some knobbier tires to cut through the dust.
Sticks and Stones is one of rockier trails on the mountain. There are fewer man-made features on this trail, and the technicality lies in the rocky, rooty, steep terrain that Targhee has to offer naturally.
Rock Garden is a unique trail. It is very rocky, yet flowy, and is a fun, fast way to get comfortable with rock gardens. This is one of my favorite trails up there, but it is tough on the hands. This is a good trail to try out before you get too tired.
Blondie is another fun technical trail. Blondie is steep and incredibly loose. This trail is relatively new to the park and was cut two years ago to be used in the Montana Enduro Series race at Targhee. It’s dustier than the other trails at the park, and the loose dirt makes it tough to slow down on this steep and rooty trail. Probably the toughest trail on the mountain, Blondie isn’t for the faint of heart.
Try A Lesson at “Bike School”
Targhee has a bike school that offers both cross-country and gravity classes. This is a great way to learn or brush up on your skills, and have a local show you all the best trails.
Targhee bike school has 1.5-hour and 3-hour lessons that are tailored to the skill of the group. There are different levels, so each rider can get what they want from their lesson.
Visit During Wydaho!
Every Labor Day weekend, Targhee bike park hosts the Teton Bike Fest, commonly known as Wydaho.
This festival is a great way to demo a lot of nice bikes if you are in the market. Wydaho hosts over ten different bike brand demos, so you can try before you buy. There are also many outdoor vendors with tents and great deals on their products.
The festival runs Friday through Monday and has a packed schedule of activities daily. Each day starts out with morning yoga to get you ready to shred.
During the day, there are shuttles to local trails outside of the resort and clinics covering a wide range of topics, from bikepacking to technical maneuvers. The evenings are filled with various bike-related shenanigans, daily raffles, and live music.
You do need to purchase a pass to participate in the Wydaho demos and organized events. The passes start at $89 per person (not including lift tickets) and go up to $180 for the Wheelie Good Pass.
The passes get you entry into the festival, access to demo bikes and group rides, professional ride clinics, swag bags, mountain bike film night, live music, and raffles. The Wheelie Good pass gets you all of the above, plus a 1:50 chance to win grand prizes, and a wheelie good swag bag.
Other Activities at Grand Targhee
Got family or friends that aren’t into downhill riding? No worries! There are plenty of things to keep them entertained at Targhee
The resort also has a large number of cross-country mountain biking and hiking trails for those not looking for the adrenaline-fueled downhill adventure. Be sure to check the map to see which trails are open to each activity – you do not want to accidentally hike up a trail designated for downhill riding; this can be very dangerous for all parties involved.
For kids, Buddy Pegs runs a bicycle scavenger hunt that little ones love! There’s also a climbing wall, kids summer camps, and a bungee trampoline.
Adults can engage in 18-holes of golf or yoga on the summit. And the Trap Bar & Grill is a great place to end the day whatever the day’s activities were.
Mountain Bike Rentals
You can rent mountain bikes at the Grand Targhee village from Habitat. They offer a variety of high-end bikes including Santa Cruz, Juliana, Yeti, Rocky Mountain, and Kona. Need a full-face helmet and armor? They rent those too.
We’ve also had good luck with Peaked Sports in Driggs, ID. They offer both daily and weekly rates, if you are staying a while.
Lodging and Camping
If you plan on riding several days in a row, the best place to stay is right at Grand Targhee. There are several hotel-style lodge rooms right one the mountain. We also love the outdoor saltwater pool and hot tub with its views of the mountain.
If you want to be within walking distance of restaurants and bars, stay in nearby Driggs, ID. There are plenty of rental homes, condos, cabins, and motels to choose from.
If RV camping is more your style, you’re in luck. You can park overnight in the parking lot for $22. It’s nothing glamorous, but the views are beautiful.
Tent camping isn’t normally allowed but is during select events like Wydaho and Pierre’s Hole 50/100 MTB Bike Race.
How to Get To Grand Targhee Bike Park
For many of us in the west, the easiest way to get to Grand Targhee is taking a road-trip. Bonus points for being able to take your own bike.
If you’re coming from further away, you can fly into either Jackson Hole, WY (1.5 hours away) or Idaho Falls, ID (2 hours away). From either airport, Grand Targhee offers a shuttle or you can rent a car.