IDAHO TRAILS: Where’s that ‘stinking spring?’
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Below the hills east of Ririe is an unforgettable sight: the South Fork of the Snake River winding among the cottonwood forest.
“We basically have two trails, the Stinking Springs trail that is used by motorized recreational vehicles, and then the Sidewinder trail used by hikers, mountain bikers and people on horseback,” said Joe Hill, the owner of Sled Shed in Rexburg. “The Sidewinder trail is a great one for mountain bikers and I have not used the old Stinking Springs one since the Sidewinder was finished a few years ago.”
The Sidewinder trail does not have an official name on any of the maps, but someone put a roughly painted “Sidewinder” sign near the trailhead, and the name stuck. The 2.7-mile trail was built in cooperation between the Bureau of Land Management and the International Mountain Biking Association and was finished about seven years ago.
“I guess we really haven’t officially named the trail, but we call it the Sidewinder because that is what the public has called it,” said Amy Forsgren, a recreational technician for the BLM. “The IMBA had a lot of impact on how the trail was built, and they wanted a lot of switchbacks, and that is where the name came from.”
On the other hand, the lower 2.2 miles of the Stinking Springs trail can be rough in places.
“We have put a lot of effort into this trail the last few years,” said Forsgren. “There is a large gully and steep sides that wash out each spring, and it is difficult to repair anymore.”
Cloudy, rainy summer days and cool early mornings and evenings will find hikers, bikers and runners on the Stinking Springs trail. Spring, early summer and fall are when most of the 3,000 to 4,000 visitors per year use it, as the wide-open hillsides get too hot during the summer, and the trail is closed from Dec. 1 to May 1 for wintering big-game animals.
“I didn’t come here to sit in the truck,” Braxton Marlor of Rexburg said as he began to hike during a recent rain. “I haven’t hiked it since last spring and felt it was about time to get going again.”
And young hikers like 7-year-old Jack Barrus enjoy hiking the Sidewinder trail for the beauty of the landscape and the wild flowers.
“It is one of my favorite hikes because it is short, but mostly because it is open and I can see a lot of beautiful things,” said Jack in June as he hiked with his family. “It is just a lot of fun and pretty.”
Rumor has it that the name of the area, Stinking Springs, was named by a thirsty hiker looking for water. Not finding any spring, he asked, “Where is the stinkin’ spring?”
“I don’t know where the name came from, but there are no springs there,” Forsgren said. “Maybe there were some in the past, but I have never seen them.”
No matter the names of the trails, this is an area enjoyed by people of all ages and positions in life, close to populated areas and short enough for an evening run, hike or ride. Just be courteous to the other users as you climb to enjoy the natural beauty of the area.