Winter is here, and along with the snow comes a flurry of houseguests. If your house is like ours, the first few days are filled with frenzied activity as guests are introduced to favorite local spots. Then comes the slump, the day when you’re just plain out of ideas for keeping them entertained. Don’t worry: Help is on the way.
If your friends are skiers, suggest they spend an hour on Baldy with a U.S. Forest Service ranger. Starting in January, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m, they’ll have a chance to ski down easy runs, with stops along the way. At various points of interest, rangers will talk about area history, geology and geography, plus current topics like avalanche control and land-use issues. The tour, which has been conducted for ten winters, is free to ticket holders. The group meets in front of Sun Valley’s Lookout Restaurant on top of Bald Mountain. Call the Ketchum Ranger Station for more information at 208.622.5371.
If your guests aren’t skiers or would like a chance to simply traipse around in the snow, suggest they head to Galena to snowshoe with a ranger. Every Thursday at 1 p.m., starting in January, participants can enjoy an hour of exercise while learning a few things from a Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) ranger. History, geology, and biology are covered, with special emphasis on Galena’s former days as the first mining town in the Wood River Valley. Galena rents equipment, and the program itself is free. Call the SNRA for more information at 208.727.5013.