Smiley Creek Lodge is a historic outpost at the southern base of Idaho's Sawtooth Valley, serving as a year-round basecamp for backcountry pilots, snowmobilers, and wilderness travelers.
Smiley Creek Lodge stands along State Highway 75 at the southern terminus of the Sawtooth Valley, operating as a vital year-round outpost just north of Galena Summit. The property dates back to the mid-1950s, when it was originally constructed as a sawmill to support the nearby mining settlement of Sawtooth City. After the local mining boom subsided, the timber structure was repurposed into a classic mountain roadhouse and campground. Today, the lodge is owned and operated by former Olympic skier Reggie Crist and his brother Zach, Sun Valley locals who took over the property to preserve its role as a historic gathering place while introducing modern upgrades.
Accommodations at the lodge cater to a wide range of backcountry travelers, featuring seven high-end luxury cabins designed as modern tiny homes with sleek wood finishes and large windows looking out toward the jagged peaks of the Sawtooth Range. For those seeking a more rustic stay, the property offers two glamping yurts, simple tent sites, and full-hookup RV sites. Directly across the highway sits the Smiley Creek Airport (U87), a state-managed, 4,900-foot turf airstrip situated at an elevation of 7,206 feet. Throughout the summer months, recreational pilots navigate the challenging mountain approach to touch down on the grass, tie down their planes, and walk directly across the road to check in or grab lunch.
The heart of the lodge is its restaurant and general store, which serves as a social hub for motorcyclists, hikers, and snowmobilers. The kitchen specializes in hearty mountain fare, including grass-fed beef burgers, giant cinnamon rolls, and house-made beer-battered fish and chips. However, the lodge is most famous throughout Central Idaho for its legendary, hand-dipped milkshakes. Visitors regularly travel from Ketchum and Stanley specifically for a thick huckleberry shake, which can be enjoyed on the outdoor patio or inside the rustic dining room, where guests often play checkers on upturned whiskey barrels. During the winter season, the lodge transitions into a premier snowmobiling hub, providing on-site snow machine rentals and guided tours that head straight into the vast trail systems of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.
If you are visiting during the summer, order a legendary fresh huckleberry milkshake at the ice cream parlor, and walk across the highway to watch backcountry pilots land on the turf runway of Smiley Creek Airport.