All about new Bogus Basin summer fun, MTB singletrack around Payette Lake

Photo courtesy Bogus Basin ... take a look at that bermed trail! 

Gem-panning station 

Hi all,

Summer is here and temps are rising into the 90s -- that means it's time to head for higher elevations for hiking and biking, trail-running, backpacking, etc.

As many of you know, Bogus Basin is re-positioning their operations to enhance summer fun and bring more summer visitors to the mountain resort. They are holding a 75th anniversary grand opening this weekend from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., dishing up a ton of activities for everyone to enjoy. The weather will be wonderful up there, and all of the activities are tailor-made for families and kids, including:

• Deer Point Chairlift running for sight-seers, hikers, runners and bikers. Lift tickets cost $10 for kids 11 and under, and $15 for teens and adults. The lifts will be running Thursday-Sunday all summer long! That's awesome in my book! 
• Live Music from 1-7 p.m. with DJ Lizzie and Pimps of Joytime. 
• Summer tubing. People can race side by side down two 300-foot lanes at speeds up to 25 mph.
  
  You take the magic carpet back to the top. Tickets cost $15. 
• Rock climbing wall, 32 feet tall, with four climbing routes. $10. 
• Bungee trampoline. $10 per 15-minute session. 
• Gem-panning station. Purchase pay dirt for $10 and find your fortune in the Shafer Butte Mining Co. sluice box. 
• Bike skills park. Free. 
• New Flow trail. Free.    
• Disc golf. Free. 
• Food and beverages. 
• Coming soon, an Alpine Mountain Coaster, a 3,400-foot track that winds through the woods between the Pioneer Lodge and the Simplot Lodge at the base area. You'll reach speeds of 25 mph and heights of 40 feet in the air. Riders will be able to control their own speed. Can't wait! Projected time of opening for the mountain coaster is late August, according to General Manager Brad Wilson. 

Bogus has package ticket pricing for multiple activities. See their web site for pricing and more information about their opening day and summer season. '

There's also the third annual Boise Front Trail Run scheduled on Saturday starting at 9 a.m. at the Simplot Lodge. It's sponsored by the Treasure Valley YMCA. Distances are 5-6 miles and 12-13 miles. 

While you're visiting Bogus, consider hiking, running or riding the "Around the Mountain" trail, a super-fun 10-mile ride named one of the best mountain biking trails in the state of Idaho. Here's the MTB Project writeup on the ride as well. 

You can also take a counter-clockwise hiking tour of the mountain by riding up the Deer Point chairlift to the top of Deer Point, and then hike north over to Showcase, and take the Elk Meadows Trail around the backside of the mountain under the Pine Creek Chair, bend around the mountain and climb to the top of Shafer Butte (optional) on the service road two-track. From the Superior side of the mountain, Lodge Trail takes you around to the Pioneer Lodge, and then you can descend on the Sunshine Trail or Morning Star Trail. This hike is described in more detail here. 

For those who need a mountain bike, Bogus now has a fleet of 20 Diamondback mountain bikes for rent/demo. 

Have a great time at Bogus!

Fund-raiser for 33-mile Singletrack Trail around Payette Lake 

The second item I wanted to cover this week is a fund-raiser for a new 33-mile singletrack trail around Payette Lake in McCall this Friday night, June 30th, at the Woodlands Neighborhood Commons Building, 634 Brady Drive. The event is being hosted by the Central Idaho Mountain Biking Association (CIMBA), a great organization that does a ton of awesome work in the greater McCall and Long Valley region. CIMBA was responsible for the McCall region of trails being named as a "Silver Ride Center" by IMBA, putting on McCall on an equal footing with places like Sun Valley, Jackson Hole, etc. 

I'm totally stoked about the concept of creating a singletrack trail around Payette Lake. I know a few of the guys who have been scouting it out for several years, flagging potential routes and working on permitting issues. They estimate it will cost $60,000 to pay IMBA Trail Solutions to build the trail. Going with IMBA Trail Solutions is going first class! This summer, CIMBA wants to start Phase 1 by extending the Payette Rim Trail five miles to the north toward North Beach. The project also connects the rim trail to Bear Basin trails and the connector trail from McCall to Bear Basin, so a person could ride from town all the way to North Beach while getting one hell of a workout along the way! 

But imagine how cool it would be to have a singletrack all the way around the lake! No doubt the trail will have lots of cool riding features with banked corners, and berms and such that'll make it even more fun! It'll end up being a go-to ride for mountain bikers everywhere in Idaho and beyond. It'll help with travel and tourism in Valley County and the West Central Mountains region. It's all good! 

I am donating to the project's GoFundMe account today, and I hope you will, too! But if you're in the 'hood, go to the fund-raiser on Friday night! It'd be great way to hear all about the project from the locals in charge! 

Craft beer from Salmon River Brewery  will be served, and there's a silent auction, raffle prizes and a BBQ. Silent auction/raffle items include a cruiser bike donated by Reed Cycle, sunglasses, Dissentlabs compression socks, helmets, biking gloves, messenger bags and more! 

Have fun! 

- SS