STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

The summer season on Baldy kicks off today as the Roundhouse gondola and Christmas lift crank up for the season.

Sun Valley Resort will provide lift-assisted scenic, hiking and biking access on Bald Mountain this year from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Season passes and lift tickets can be purchased online at https://www.sunvalley.com/tickets-passes/season-passes/?season=summer. Day tickets are also available at the River Run Ticketing Office from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The octagonal-shaped Roundhouse will offer lunch service from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring dishes like Sweet Potato Hummus and Hagerman Smoked Trout Cake with breathtaking views from its 7,700-foot elevation available from its deck and out its 46 windows.

The Roundhouse gondola ferried those attending the Sun Valley Forum to the Roundhouse on Wednesday, even as florists placed petunias in hanging baskets on the River Run Plaza.

For reservations, visit https://www.sunvalley.com/dining/the-roundhouse/.

Mountain biking on Bald Mountain this summer will be limited due to the Bald Mountain Stewardship Project to reduce wildfire risk and remove dead and dying trees.

The project is a multi-year initiative to preserve the long-term health of the mountain’s ecosystems. Past projects have focused on the Frenchman’s and Cold Springs areas. will include glading a hundred acres in the Olympic terrain and removing noxious weeds. Native species will be planted in areas where timber has been thinned, and MCH packets will be placed on trees to deter insect infestations.

All bike trails will be open from July 2nd - July 6th. On July 7th, logging will begin in the Olympic terrain, and the area will be closed to all traffic. Starting July 9, lift-access mountain biking will be available only on the upper part of Bald Mountain; bikers will need to download via the Gondola to return to River Run Base.

The historic Roundhouse Restaurant whose design reflects Sun Valley’s Union Pacific heritage, will begin serving lunches for the summer season today.

Mindbender Trail will be closed starting July 7. In late July, alternate trails will reopen, offering top-to-bottom lift-access mountain biking.

River Run Trail will be accessible by uphill after hours, but access above River Run Trail will not be permitted.

Bald Mountain Trail and French Connection are open to uphill only biking at all times.

Roundhouse will be accessible for hikers via Bald Mountain Trail and the Roundhouse Connector Trail. If hikers want to hike up the middle of the mountain, they must take the trail up the center of River Run; Roundhouse will not be accessible via Olympic and Roundhouse Slope.

YOGA AND ICE SHOWS RETURN

Sun Valley’s free outdoor yoga begins on Saturday, June 28. Yoga enthusiasts are invited to bring their mats and stretch out at 9 a.m. on the River Run Plaza outside the Brass Ranch.

Tickets for the first Sun Valley on Ice show of the season are now on sale at https://www.sunvalley.com/events/sun-valley-on-ice-july-2/

The show on Wednesday, July 2, will feature World Champion and Olympian Alysa Liu and will be followed by a fireworks display.

And the Baldy Bluebird Festival follows with two days of music on July 3 and 4.