A hodge-podge of outdoorsy notes for Halloween weekend; Vote Yes on Nov. 3rd!

Vote yes on Nov. 3! 

Volunteers are needed for a trail re-route project in Harrison Hollow, near Healthwise.  

Five Mile Creek Trail in the East Foothills would be a good bet this weekend
if the trails aren't too wet after the expected rain storms. 

Near the Watchman Trail, one of my favorites, with Huck. 

Bucktail in Military Reserve has been riding great! This is a levy special!
Trail access made possible by open space funds! Everyone loves Bucktail!

Hi all,

It's looking like a pretty soggy Friday, but Saturday looks much better, weather-wise, at least in the Boise-area, and then more rain on Sunday.

I'd recommend getting out on Saturday to do some hiking or biking in the Boise Foothills, Boise or Eagle Greenbelt, Stack Rock or Bogus Basin. I recommended several "levy specials" plus a super-cool ride in the Owyhees in a blog post in mid-September, including Sweet Connie from the top, Watchman Loop, Hard Guy-Dry Creek Loop and Polecat Loop. Check on the Boise Foothills Trail Conditions Facebook page to check on trail conditions.

These local trails are levy-specials because city leaders used funds from the original $10 million levy to create long-term public access to those trails. Remember to vote for the Boise Clean Water and Open Space levy on Tuesday, Nov. 3rd to preserve more open space, public access and wildlife habitat in the future. I will be working the phones on Sunday for the Conservation Voters for Idaho to help the campaign. Tell your friends and family!

Wondering where to vote on Tuesday? Use the Ada County elections polling locator to find out.

Also on Saturday, the Land Trust for the Treasure Valley will be doing a trail-reroute project at the top of Harrison Hollow in Boise. Sign up to help if you'd like. The trail project runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Some other notes of interest:

• Due to a large amount of rainfall, the BLM road to Leslie Gulch is CLOSED for the time being until repairs are made. Stay in touch with the Vale District of the BLM to find out when it reopens. 
• The Idaho City District of the Boise National Forest is planning a big timber-management project in the same area where the Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas are located. It's called the Becker Integrated Resource Project. This project will affect road and trail access to the Park n' Ski yurts, so I recommend that you read up on the project and recommend that they keep the two-track roads open in the summer to Skyline and Stargaze yurts. 

The Forest Service is recommending a springtime seasonal closure of these roads to benefit Rocky Mountain elk during the calving season. Alternative C would close the roads year-round. See Leo Hennessy's take on this project in  Idaho Outdoors. I think it's important to keep the two-tracks open to Stargaze and Skyline so people can pack water into the yurts for summer use, and young children and the elderly can enjoy the yurts by reaching them by a vehicle. Comments are due by Nov. 9th.

Have a great Halloween weekend! 

- SS