Galena Lodge

In the heart of central Idaho’s Boulder Mountains, Galena Lodge helps guests from near and far embrace the area’s natural wonders.

As a community lodge, it is owned by the Blaine County Recreation District (BCRD) and operates under a permit with the Sawtooth Natural Forest. This unique setup started with the Help Save Galena Campaign, a 1994 community-wide effort which raised over $500,000 to purchase the then-abandoned historic property and donate it to the BCRD. 

Galena itself has a varied history, beginning as a silver mining town in 1879, with its 800 residents making it that era's largest community in the Wood River Valley. But as that ore rush ended, it became a virtual ghost town, while attracting wildlife and fishing enthusiasts to what was sometimes called the "Switzerland of America." 

Today, the lodge uses donations and trail fees to cover its expenses, relying on the generosity and engagement of the local community. The lodge’s hosts help inspire visitors to explore the great outdoors, providing maps of surrounding snowshoeing, hiking, biking, and crosscountry skiing trails; equipment rentals; and clinics for skiers of all levels. The property also includes four different yurts visitors can stay in, from the Senate View Yurt, which overlooks the nearby Senate Meadows, to the cozier Honeymoon Yurt, tucked into the trees for privacy.

Galena Lodge also has an onsite restaurant that’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner during the peak tourist season (typically closing from May to June and October to November). In the winter, the lodge holds monthly Full Moon Dinners, where guests enjoy a fireside gourmet feast before venturing off for a moonlight adventure on the surrounding trails. The cold weather also marks the start of the restaurant’s food and wine evenings and multi-course holiday dinner spectacular. (Just make sure to get your reservation booked early!) 

In the summer, the lodge comes alive in a completely different way, with the annual Galena Grinder mountain bike race and an outdoor discovery camp for kids. Thursday nights are filled with live music and long conversations as visitors enjoy a barbeque buffet and brews on the sprawling deck (think smoked chicken, beef tri-tip, Idaho ruby trout, veggie burgers, and all the fixins while soaking in the beauty and tranquility of the Boulder Mountains.