STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Wanted: A new concessionaire for Galena Lodge.

Erin Zell and Don Shepler, the current concessionaires, are ready to move on to new pursuits in the spring of 2023 after 15 years at the cross-country and mountain bike lodge/restaurant 24 miles north of Ketchum.

Zell said the couple wants time to travel and visit other ski and mountain bike destinations—and to spend more time enjoying the trails around Galena Lodge.

“The years we’ve spent there are so special,” she added. “It’s one thing to open a restaurant but quite another thing to work at a place like Galena where you see so much of the community and hear their stories of why they love it so much. It’s more than a job.”

The BCRD Board of Directors will solicit Requests for Proposals from Feb. 1 through March 2, 2022. They will select a new concessionaire to begin a contract in May 2023.

The BCRD is grateful for its long partnership with Zell and Shepler, said Mark Davidson, the BCRD’s executive director.

“They have been steadfast in their support for BCRD and our efforts to develop Galena Lodge and the surrounding recreational opportunities, including Nordic skiing and mountain biking,” he said. “Since taking over the concession at Galena Lodge, Don and Erin have played a key role in nurturing Galena Lodge’s reputation as a beloved destination not only in the Wood River Valley but nationally and even internationally.”

Want to know more? Contact Davidson at 208-578-2273 or mdavidson@bcrd.org

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