"The Nordic trails will look a little different for the 26/27 season." That's how the Blaine County Recreation District put it on its trail pass page this fall. It's an understated way to describe the biggest change at Quigley in years.
Two changes are happening at once. Part of the stadium area at Quigley Trails Park is closed "until further notice" so that new multi-use sports fields can take root. The dog trails are being rerouted because of the Quigley Farms development. BCRD says updated trail maps will come out closer to the start of the season. Hailey's in-town ski area is turning into a year-round park, and over the next two winters skiers will share Quigley Canyon with a summer turf project in the middle and new homes along the edge.
A Fence Where the Stadium Used to Be
BCRD's construction notice for Quigley Trails Park runs on a longer clock than a single ski season. Work is scheduled from August 2026 to spring 2028. The project includes perimeter fencing on the north side of the stadium, grading, seeding and turf establishment for BCRD sports programs, and an updated pump track with a shaded viewing area.
The field area itself is marked "No access for at least 18 months." The notice says the stadium "remains off-limits to people and their pets for the duration of this project," and that access to other parts of the park will be restricted while the fields are built and established. Turf needs time to root without being walked on, and in this case that covers two winters and the summer between them.
BCRD calls the fields a response to "community demand" and is raising money for the project. Morgan Buckert at BCRD is the contact for anyone who wants to give.
How Quigley Got Here
The fields are the latest step in a pattern. The same notice describes Quigley Trails Park as BCRD's "most-popular year-round trailhead." It lists what the district has built there since 2018: Nordic skiing, the Quigley Loop Trail, flow trails, jump lines, pump tracks and skills features. Most of that list is summer use, and sports fields push it further in that direction.
Quigley still has a lot of ski terrain. BCRD's Quigley Trails Park page lists more than 20 kilometers of groomed trails in Quigley Canyon, a few minutes from downtown Hailey. Those trails exist because of partnerships with Quigley Farms, the Wood River Land Trust and the City of Hailey, and they run across both a conservation easement and BCRD property. The park sits next to Wood River High School and is home base for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation's Hailey Devo Team.
The Dog Loop Has Been Moving for Two Years
The dog trail reroute traces back to a county vote in November 2024. The Idaho Mountain Express reported that Blaine County commissioners approved the 24-lot Quigley Ranch subdivision on 35 acres just east of Quigley Farms. In the same article, Eric Rector, BCRD's director of trails and facilities, told the paper he was looking at ways to reconfigure the Waggin Wheel Nordic trail. That trail "currently snakes through the 35 acres where the subdivision will be built," and he said its length would likely be shorter.
The approval also kept a few things in place. According to the Express, the developer will dedicate a 100-foot recreation easement between Quigley Farms and Quigley Ranch for nonmotorized travel between the Toe of the Hill Trail and Quigley Road. A 1,200-acre conservation easement northeast of the subdivision stays intact. That easement protects land around Quigley Creek and Quigley Pond and was set up in 2018 by the developer, the Wood River Land Trust, BCRD and the City of Hailey when Quigley Farms was annexed into the city.
Lot-by-lot work on the Quigley Farms side is still going on. In 2026, Hailey's Planning and Zoning Commission has taken up a nine-unit detached townhouse project and nine-lot subdivision at 1600 Appaloosa Road in March and a plat dividing a lot at 1421 RedTail Lane into two sublots in October. The trail map changes as the neighborhood fills in around it.
Whatever route the new dog trail takes, BCRD's dog etiquette rules still apply:
- Pick up and pack out waste. Don't leave full bags beside the trail.
- Keep dogs under voice and sight control or on a leash. "Voice and sight control" means the dog obeys a verbal command right away and stays in view the whole time.
- No charging, chasing or aggression toward skiers, other dogs or wildlife.
- Two dogs per skier at most.
- Leave a dog at home if it isn't trail ready.
Last Winter Set a Low Bar
The construction would matter less if snow were a sure thing in Quigley Canyon, and last winter it wasn't. The trails report in BCRD's April 1, 2026 board packet says the Quigley system was groomed three times that winter, enough for SVSEF to train on each of those days. The same report says grooming at Lake Creek, north of Ketchum, ended early "because of a lack of snow."
Three grooming days in a whole season meant last winter's Quigley was mostly a few chances to ski when a storm came through. This year those chances will play out on a smaller course, with fencing on the north side of the stadium and a dog trail on a new route.
What It Costs to Ski Quigley This Season
Pass prices give Quigley-only skiers a real decision to make. Here are the published 2026–27 rates from BCRD's pass page:
| Pass | Season | One day |
|---|---|---|
| Adult, 18 and over | $285 plus tax preseason, $340 plus tax regular | $25, tax included |
| Youth, 17 and under | Free, pass required | Free, pass required |
| Dog | $62 plus tax | $8 |
| Quigley Nordic only | Included with season pass | $10 |
| BCRD/Sun Valley combo | $615 plus tax preseason, $740 plus tax regular | Not offered |
The preseason price is $55 less than the regular adult rate. The preseason window is October 12 through November 22. If you only ski Quigley, the $10 Quigley day pass changes the math. At last winter's three grooming days, three Quigley day passes would have cost $30. A full season pass makes sense if you'll also ski Galena, the Harriman Trail or the North Valley trails, all of which the adult pass includes. Season passes are mailed by USPS, and BCRD asks Ketchum and Sun Valley residents to use a post office box address.
The Free Option Down the Hill
The Wood River Trail doesn't depend on the Quigley stadium or the dog trail map. BCRD describes it as a 32-kilometer groomed path connecting Bellevue, Hailey, Ketchum and Sun Valley. It's community supported, needs no pass, and is usually groomed every other day for skiers, walkers, dogs and fat bikes. In a winter when part of Quigley is fenced and the dog loop is new, the bike path is the closest free groomed track for Hailey skiers who bring dogs.
Wednesday, November 18, at the Trailhead
The first chance to see the park in its new layout is BCRD's Pray for Snow Party at Quigley Trails Park, set for Wednesday, November 18, from 5 to 7 p.m. at 1 Huckleberry Lane. BCRD's listing describes a family-friendly evening with a campfire, s'mores, hot chocolate and beer. The party falls four days before the preseason pass price ends on November 22.
Quigley Canyon has always been part of what a home on Hailey's east side gives you, and the details are shifting this winter and next. If you're thinking about how close to the trailhead you want to live, or how the canyon's changes might affect a home you already own nearby, Stevenson Real Estate Group is glad to go through it with you. We can talk it over at the kitchen table, or out at Quigley once the new maps are posted.
