The US Forest Service in cooperation with volunteers from SRTA groom and maintain free cross-country skiing/snow shoeing trails on public lands in the Kelly Canyon area. The trails are located above the Kelly Canyon Ski Resort and are accessed from Forest Road 218 beyond the resort boundary. Weekly grooming occurs on several trails after new snow. Two warming huts area also available. One hut is located at Morgan Summit and the second, named Kelly Mountain, is located out from the Y-Junction and can be booked online for overnight stays. There is a designated parking area below the Kelly Canyon Ski Resort parking lot, compliments of Kelly Canyon Ski Resort. It’s your public land, so cross country skiing and snow shoeing is free. Please note that Forest Service rules prohibit dogs on these groomed trails.
If you visit either of the warming huts, please do us a big favor and clean the snow off the tent roofs. Snow can quickly build up and damage the tents. In 2017, a heavy early season snowfall collapsed the Morgan Summit tent and completely destroyed it. Snow shovels are provided in each tent. Removing the snow is most easily done from within the tent by gently pushing up on the inside of the tent ceiling with the snow shovel HANDLE end. Once the snow level beside the tent has reached the top of the walls, you will need to shovel the snow away from the tent to provide a place for the roof snow to slide off. With everyone’s help we can all enjoy the tents for years to come.
Brief History: The cross country / snowshoe trails on the Forest Service land in the Kelly Canyon area were originally developed by Idaho Falls Ski Club volunteers. They also established the warming huts. Unfortunately, in the summer of 2025, after faithfully serving our local skiing communtiy for 72 years, the Ski Club had to disband. Thankfully the Snake River Trails Alliance (SRTA), another local non-profit, stepped in to continue the Ski Club’s legacy. All of the equipment associated with trail grooming and the huts was transferred to SRTA. With their adoption of all the equipment and with financial support from the Idaho Falls Nordic Ski Patrol, the area lives on for future generations to enjoy.
Area Info
The area has 6.7 miles of trails that are groomed weekly if new snow falls. There are an additional 3.0 miles of skier groomed trails to explore. Besides the cross country ski trails there are also 7.0 miles of marked snow shoe trails to enjoy. Later in the season when the snow firms up, snow bikers even enjoy some of the main trails. There is truly something for everyone. The area is all nestled within a couple of steep drainages, so flat terrain skiing isn’t the norm. Beginners typically travel up Forest Road 218 to the Y junction, which is all uphill. From the Y-Junction you can take Forest 881 Road on out to the Kelly Mountain warming hut without having to do to much additional climbing. If you don’t mind climbing from the Y-Junction, you can continue on up the 218 road to Morgan Summit to visit the hut and explore many enjoyable trails and several amazing vistas.
Morgan Summit Warming Hut
To reach the Morgan Summit warming hut, follow the main Forest Road 218 for 1.2 miles from the Kelly Canyon Ski Area up to the Y-Junction. From there, continue on Forest Road 218 by taking the main left road which heads uphill another 0.9 miles to Morgan Summit. Once you top out at Morgan Summit, follow the trail and signs 100 yards to your right. The warming hut, is a 10ft x 10ft wall tent providing a place to thaw out while enjoying this area’s trails such has Hidden Vista, Hawley Gulch Overlook and Pine Loop. The hut offers chairs, a lunch table, a wood stove with supplied firewood, kindling and fire starter as well as a snow melt pan for making water. The hut is open to all, stop in, build a fire and warm your toes. This hut is for daytime use only and is not available for overnight stays.
Kelly Mountain Warming Hut
To get to the Kelly Mountain warming hut, follow the main Forest Road 218 for 1.2 miles from the ski area up to the Y-Junction. From there, take the road to the right that heads uphill from behind the outhouse, Forest Road 881. Take the first left about 100 yards above the outhouse the old logging road and groomed trail will make a sharp left and traverse across the mountain for another 1.4 miles. At the end of the road, the track takes a sharp right up the hill for 100 yds to the hut. The hut is a 10ft x 20ft wall tent. From 10 am to 4 pm, the hut operates as a warming hut for day skiers. From 4 pm to 10 am, the hut operates as an overnight rental.
You can make a loop by returning to the Y-Junction by taking the MaCarthy trail that starts from behind the warming hut. From the warming hut you can also access the “skier groomed” River View trail that traverses another 0.8 miles beyond the hut ending with a view of the beautiful south fork of the Snake River. From here you will need to return the way you came. See the pdf map for all the details.
Please use the link below to make an overnight reservation. You can also see more details about what amenities the hut has thru the “Warming Hut Details” link below.