Kelly Canyon Ski Area

Since 1957, locals around Idaho Falls have enjoyed access to alpine, cross-country, and snowshoeing at the Kelly Canyon Ski Area. It is a year-round facility founded by E. Bud Johnson, offering winter fun in the Targhee National Forest in eastern Idaho.

The resort area is close to Interstate 15, which motorists will use to drive into Idaho Falls. From there, US Route 26 takes visitors east out of town and to the ski area. The closest place to fly into would be the Idaho Falls Regional Airport, with the nearest International facilities in Bozeman, Montana, or Salt Lake City, Utah.

Skiing and Riding in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

The Kelly Canyon Ski Area sits within the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (one of the last intact ecosystems in the northern temperate zones on earth). That provides plenty of fauna and wildlife as a backdrop for visitors to enjoy while skiing or riding. It also creates a climate that produces an average annual snowfall of 200 inches. The best chances to carve fresh tracks after a dump are usually November and December, but storms drop from the north all season long.

Guests at Kelly Canyon Ski Area will find drinks and food at the main lodge, where they can also take a break after a few runs down the slope. Overnight accommodations are not available slopeside, but plenty of options are available in the surrounding area. Skiers and riders can enjoy the slopes six days a week (the facility is closed on Sunday), with access to a full-day pass covering night skiing as well. Equipment rentals are available at the Kelly Canyon Ski Area in the building closest to the parking area.

Three Ways to Enjoy the Pow

The Kelly Canyon Ski Area has a base elevation of 5,600 feet and a summit reaching 6,600 feet. A 1,000 vertical rise creates plenty of opportunities from casual groomers to steep slopes that visitors can bomb down. Typical ski seasons run from December through March here, with snowmaking equipment in crucial places to extend the enjoyment as long as possible.

Guests at the Kelly Canyon Ski Area have 51 winter runs to pick from, with roughly 45-percent of the trails rating blue for skiers and riders with some experience. Nearly 35-percent of the mountain is rated green, allowing newbies and casuals alike to enjoy themselves. The remaining 20-percent of the runs have a black diamond rating and should create challenges and fun for advanced ski bums to carve.

There is a terrain park at the Kelly Canyon Ski Area for guests to enjoy terrain features, and the venue has several areas where freestyling is possible. Nordic skiing and snowshoeing trails are also available beyond the alpine lifts, providing more ways for folks to enjoy the snow. The Kelly Canyon Ski Area maintains several chairs and a couple of surface lifts to keep everyone moving from the bottom of runs back to the top without having to wait.