Bird's Eye View
Once we got to Emery Canyon, we headed north through Indian Grove up Logger Springs Road towards the Graham Peak (elevation 8,867 feet) ridgeline. Juniper trees and sagebrush at the lower elevations gradually gave way to pines and Quaking Aspens as we climbed. We left the Reserve boundaries for a bit as we made our way to Graham Peak, which sits inside the Reserve on the northern end. Not only is the snow deeper on Graham Peak but you also get a bird's eye view of the City of Rocks. This by far was the best view of the Reserve's rock formations we had during our trip.
One of the hot riding spots just north of the City of Rocks is Almo Park, a vast area of open meadows and hills to climb. Once you break out of the trees and get on some of the ridges north of the City of Rocks you can see forever in all directions. To the west is the small Idaho community of Oakley, to the north Cache Peak (10,339 feet), to the east smaller mountain ranges (including the Jim Sage Mountains) and to the south the Cedar Hills.
The Almo Park area is a popular spot among locals because of the varied terrain and snow depth. Whereas snow depth in the City of Rocks (elevation 5,500 feet) might seem a bit minuscule, once you head north out of the Reserve into the national forest where the riding goes up to 9,500 feet, you'll find plenty to track up. We did.
Popular might be a relative term, though, because this area doesn't see a lot of traffic. Most of the Reserve's 85,000 annual visitors visit during the summer months. We did see a handful of riders in the Almo Park area, but only briefly.
Riding snowmobiles is plenty of fun.but when you can combine it with something unique like seeing the City of Rocks National Reserve, it just makes it that much more exciting.
That's why we consider the City of Rocks to be a gateway to fun.