Idaho · Hiking · Near Ketchum

The Grinder

21.0 mi
round trip
848 ft
climb
8,409 ft
high point
Out and back
route

Is The Grinder open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 4 alerts for Sawtooth National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Sawtooth National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

The Grinder is a 21-mile out-and-back hike in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area of Idaho, on the Sawtooth National Forest managed by the Forest Service. It gains about 850 feet from its low point of 7,511 feet to its high of 8,409 feet, and the route is rated hard. The trail is natural-surfaced and allows mountain biking, so it works for both hikers and riders. It is open year-round, and the trip can be broken into shorter segments, since the route folds around the nearby Psycho Ridge and Gladiator trails, both about 0.2 miles away. Chemeketan Campground sits about 5 miles off, and the Salmon River, about 6 miles away, offers canoeing. Climbers can head to Billy Goat Buttress, roughly 6 miles out.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Prairie Campground

    Campground

    Campground · 5.1 mi from the trail
  • Eat after

    The Sun Valley Club

    Restaurant

    On your way back · 19 mi
  • If it rains

    Sun Valley Museum of Art

    Museum

    In town

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