Be aware: Hunting season is underway! Try Snowbank Mountain for a colorful escape

Snowbank Mountain in the spring (courtesy John Platt)

You'll see the trailhead for Blue Lake on the way up to Snowbank. Nice spot! (from Boise Trail Guide)

Hi all,

Well it's that time of year when deer and elk hunters are roaming the woods in search of game. That increases the level of danger for non-hunters who may be out hiking, trail-running or biking on  Idaho's public lands, so be sure to wear bright colors and put bright colors on your pets.

Just so you know, general deer season started on Wednesday, Oct. 10, statewide, and in some areas, elk season started on the same day or will follow soon thereafter. There are multiple big game seasons throughout October and November depending on location, so be safe out there.

In the meantime, the fall colors are really popping in the higher elevations right now. I had to drive from Boise up to Whitebird earlier this week, and I saw the tamarack trees beginning to turn in Long Valley, while the aspens are turning yellow, orange and red, and the shrubs are doing the same.

So I have four recommendations for outdoor outings this week:

1.  Go visit Snowbank Mountain in Valley County to enjoy fall colors and maybe go for a walk at the top of the mountain or over to Blue Lake. It's hard to say how much snow is on top of Snowbank, but as things warm up in the next day or so, I don't think that will be an impediment to reach the mountain top if you have a solid 4WD vehicle. If snow is an issue, you could always stop earlier and go for a walk on the road in your snow boots.

Snowbank Mountain is accessible via Cabarton Road, past the put-in for the Cabarton reach of the Payette River. The turnoff is on your left. A well-maintained dirt road winds its way to the top of the mountain, where a FAA site is maintained and there are many cell towers, etc. Elevation is over 8,000 feet, so the views are spectacular.

Wendy on the Crown Point Trail 

2. Crown Point Trail - This is another spot in the Cascasde area where you could enjoy fall colors on a wide dirt road. The 3-mile old RR grade non-motorized trail goes along Cascade Reservoir, providing fetching views of West Mountain across the lake. You can hike it, run it or bike it. Three miles out, three miles back. Rated easy. There are choice areas with lots of sandy beachfront below the trail where you could stop, eat lunch and enjoy the scenery. The trailhead is by the Crown Point Campground in Cascade, near Cascade Dam.

Taking your kids up to the Intermountain Bird Observatory
offers a chance for them to release a banded hawk ... 

3. Go visit the Intermountain Bird Observatory at Lucky Peak - Professionals will be up there netting songbirds and birds of prey as they migrate to the south and get drawn to the top of Lucky Peak mountain by crafty quail traps that the bird-handlers provide. You can combine a trip to Lucky Peak by hiking to the top or mountain biking to the top, or you can drive to the top in a solid 4WD high-clearance vehicle. See more details about the bird observatory here.

4. Stay close to home and visit Boise Foothills trails. You're not likely to encounter any deer hunters in the Boise foothills except for maybe off of Rocky Canyon Road. The colors are beginning to change in Military Reserve, Hulls Gulch, Dry Creek, Five Mile Trail, Watchman Trail and Peggy's Trail. But the colors will not be as impressive as they are at higher elevations in Valley County.

Have fun!
- SS

Five fabulous kid- and family-friendly bike rides in Cascade and McCall

Kids do amazingly well on the Bear Basin Trails in McCall 

Barb and Paul ride a boardwalk on the Shoreline Trail at Jug Mountain Ranch 

Dropping into Upper Drain in Bear Basin 

Cindy and Steve Jones on the North Valley Trail, south of McCall 

Hi all,

The weather is warming up and many people from the Treasure Valley will be heading up to Cascade or McCall to stay cool, maybe take a swim and hang out at the cabin or go camping.

Audio from 94.9 FM The River for this segment. 

My own family has a wedding in McCall this weekend, so we're gearing up for that. In the spirit of enjoying the green and forested setting in Valley County, I'm offering up five fabulous kid- and family-friendly bike rides to consider when you're in the neighborhood. I've blogged about many other more expert trails in the area, but this week, it's about kids and families. These trails are just fine for adults, too, especially those who like a relatively low-key experience.  

I'll start with the easiest trails and work up from there. All of the trails except the Strand are featured in my guide, Mountain Biking in McCall.

1. The Strand in Cascade -  Kid-friendly rating ***** The Strand runs parallel to the North Fork of the Payette River from the south Hwy 55 bridge trailhead in Cascade to a point just short of Water's Edge RV Park. It's 2.2 miles one-way. At the north end trailhead, you just turn-around and ride back to the south bridge trailhead. This ride is cool because it runs along the river, where you might see wildlife, and then it also runs by Kelly's Whitewater Park, where you can see kayakers and surfers play in the waves. Plus, there's a nice lawn there and places where you can walk down to the river's edge and watch as close as you want. 

The Strand along the North Fork of the Payette River 

2. Crown Point Trail in Cascade - Kid-friendly rating ***** This trails runs alongside Lake Cascade from the Crown Point camping area 3 miles to the north trailhead at Vista Point Road. It's an out-and-back ride on a mostly flat surface with pine trees bordering the trail on both sides, or really nice lake views off to the west, plus West Mountain towers above on the opposite shore. There are some sweet beaches directly adjacent to the trail, where you could hang out and have a picnic, go swimming or just relax. Getting there: Take Lake Way from ID 55 to a point where it ends by the campground. There's a small parking area by the trailhead for Crown Point Trail. 

Spacious beaches next to the Crown Point Trail look inviting 

3. North Valley Trail - Kid-friendly rating **** The North Valley Trail is a little more challenging than Crown Point Trail because it has some singletrack sections, which might be difficult for young riders. Ideally, I recommend starting on the greenbelt path next to the City of McCall offices on Park Street in downtown McCall, and ride the paved pathway out south to where the path ends by the McCall Smokejumper Base on Mission Street. Go left (south) along Mission Street, pick up the paved pathway in River Ranch, keep riding south, and then follow signs to the North Valley Trail. It's about 1.5 miles or so from downtown to this point, and then it's another 3.5 miles on the North Valley Trail to Heinrich Lane. The trail ends here, so it's five miles back to the start; 10 miles total. The North Valley Trail is very scenic -- it runs by a large wetland pond, where you can see water birds, and it's bordered by pine trees for most of its course. It's a mix of two-track and singletrack on the old RR ROW. 

North Valley Trail is bordered by pines 

4. Bear Basin - Kid-friendly rating **** For kids 8 and up, the Bear Basin Trails are a perfect place to take the family for a low-key ride. The trail map shows green, blue and black trails by difficulty, which is helpful for those riding the area for the first time. I led a big group of my family on an intermediate ride last summer, starting on Baby Bear, dropping into the shadows of big trees on Sleepy Hollow, then climbing Blue Ridge to Upper Drain, a challenging switchback trail with big bermed corners. Even people who have never ridden banked corners do amazingly well when they try it for the first time. If it's too scary for some folks, have them walk down the trail. Upper Drain runs into Grand Traverse (not signed), the first singletrack trail you come to. Go left and return to Baby Bear junction. Try different routes and have fun in Bear Basin! 

5. Jug Mountain Ranch - Kid-friendly rating **** Jug Mountain Ranch continues to add more trails and knock it out of the park in terms of trail design and big fun factor. They've got a shuttle service to make it easy to reach the top of their trail system, or you can climb to Jug Mountain Reservoir and enjoy a super fun gravity ride downhill. The trail everyone is raving about lately is Berm N Ernie. Check out of the video and see what you think! Download their trail map here. One possible short loop is to ride the South Elk Loop, return to the trailhead area and take Basic Training to Mid-Mountain doubletrack, then take the lower part of Berm N Ernie back to the start. Or, take South Elk to the South Boundary Road, climb to the reservoir, ride Shoreline around the lake, descend on Vandelay, Harper's Hollow and finish on North Elk. JMR has a cool overnight shelter at Jug Mountain Reservoir that you can rent. Call (208) 634-5072 for more information. 

Have fun! - SS

Cool events happening this weekend - Payette River Games, Pedal 4 the People

Courtesy Payette River Games 

Courtesy Payette River Games 

Courtesy Payette River Games 

"Bare as you Dare" event is Saturday night ... 

Belle of the Ball Crawl cross-dressing event 

Hi all,

There are a couple of great events going on this weekend -- the three-day Payette River Games extravaganza kicks off Friday morning in Cascade with SUP sprint races, men's and women's kayak xcross time trials and more; and Boise Bicycle Project's Pedal 4 the People starts Thursday night with a kickoff party at 10 Barrel Brewing, and continues for 9 more days of cycling, partying, wacky costumes, cross-dressing and more. How can you go wrong?

The Payette River Games offer a dizzying array of recreation competitions -- from SUP sprint and xcross events, to kayak xcross and freestyle events, music and entertainment, raft cross, disc golf, beach volleyball, lumberjack competition, bocce ball, horseshoes, yoga, dog fetch and more. Some of the lower-key activities like bocce ball are low-key bring-your-own bocce ball set, and have fun with your buddies in a bocce ball court provided by Kelly's Whitewater Park.

The purse for the SUP Elite race is $10,000 for the men's and women's winners. Wow! There are $3,000 purses for the winners of the kayak events. The list goes on. The prize money should up the ante for competition. Should be really fun to watch, if you're not competing. Here's an event schedule.

Last year, there were 350 athletes entered in the Payette River Games; this year, there are 500 athletes entered so far. It promises to be a highly entertaining weekend at Kelly's Whitewater Park in Cascade, plus live music on Friday and Saturday nights in the amphitheater. Should be a blast.

The lineup of events for Pedal 4 the People is too lengthy to detail here, but some of my favorites include:

• Pedal for the Pint, Friday evening, a costumed bike parade and party at Wise Guy Pizza. Starts at 6 p.m. at Julia Davis Park and the ride goes to Wise Guy Pizza. All riders get a free beer. There are raffles and prizes. 
• Bare as you Dare Saturday evening, starts at 9:30 p.m. at Camel's Back Park. Ride to the State Capitol in your "barely there" costume and party down at Bitter Creek Ale House afterwards. Should be fun to see how far people go to bare almost everything without breaking the law. 
• Belle of the Ball Crawl next Thursday starting at the Lift Bar & Grill on West State. This is a costume party, and cross-dressing is encouraged. Last year's photos look hilarious!
• Check out their events calendar and plan accordingly! Thanks to BBP for their energy and creativity! 

If you're going to be in Cascade for the Payette River Games, and you're looking for some hiking and biking opportunities nearby, I'd recommend Eagle's Nest mountain bike loop (download the free ride description and map from my Mountain Biking in McCall web page) for strong intermediate to advanced riders, the Crown Point Trail for kids and families, the Strand, a 2-mile trail along the Payette River next to Kelly's Whitewater Park for all abilities, or hiking/biking to Rice Lake, near Stolle Meadows and Warm Lake. This is a moderate hike of about 5 miles round-trip.

There you have it! Have fun!
- SS