This is our first time in Pocatello, ID and so far so good. There are a plethora of trails in and around town which is what drew us to the area. After spending some time in the morning scraping tree sap off the windshield of the truck with a razor blade, we hit the City Creek town trails. Our ride was 14 miles with 2315′ of climbing.
The City Creek Trails are wonderfully laid out with a couple different access points. We started from the Lower City Creek Trailhead and first rode up along the creek on a nice shady singeltrack. There are somewhere around 10 bridge crossings as you wind back and forth across the creek. This trail starts right in town so expect some company…more if you’re here on a weekend. On a weekday we only passed a few people on the first mile. From here we rode a series of trails to get us to the crown jewel trail called Over the Top.
Over the Top is a very well planned trail that dives in and out of the water drainages. One minute you’ll be riding across a dry hillside and the next you’ll be in a jungle of green. We rode clockwise so the switchbacks up were further spaced out and the traverses were longer. Views of town below, and all the surrounding mountains continue the whole way when you aren’t buried in trees. At the very top we were delighted by the series of downhill switchbacks…very fun stuff.
Not done yet, we rode back up Over the Top and this time descended Green Dragon, Black Turtle, and Mushroom. This descent off the top is definitely more difficult than Over the Top. These trails were pretty steep and rugged and the singletrack through the trees is very tight. Definitely one way trails as nobody would enjoy climbing up them.
Jim Dandy Brewery
After our ride we ventured downtown to check out Jim Dandy Brewery. We sat on the back patio and enjoyed some VERY good beers. Cocomo is a double IPA brewed with Sabro & Australian Galaxy hops. Sabro is one of my favorite hops and it’s starting to get more use. Next we had On the Grind, a Cholaca Colombian cold brew coffee stout. Again, solid beer for a newer brewery. Our last beer was their west coast IPA called Jimmy Drinks. It’s big at 7.7% ABV and had hints of papaya, melon and peach. Just hints though, this thing was a true IPA. I HIGHLY recommend coming here if you’re in town.
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