Free cross-country ski day on Saturday is a great opportunity to learn how to xc ski or snowshoe

If she can do it, you can too! Snowshoeing is easy! Poles help with balance. 

Cross-country skiing is fun!

Wendy skis the dog loop at Ponderosa State Park 

Cross-country skiers get some pointers

(Note: The IDPR web site is down Thursday, Jan. 3 all day. It is supposed to be back online by 7 p.m. tonight. Sorry about that.) 

Hi all,

Happy New Year! This week's tip focuses on free cross-country ski/snowshoe day Saturday, Jan. 5, at participating Nordic facilities in Idaho.

The whole purpose of the annual event is to provide an incentive for newbies to get into cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. Let me give you some reasons to go:

• It's free! In some cases, equipment rentals and lessons are free! Can't beat that! See below.
• Get out of the freezing temperatures and inversion in the Boise Valley, enjoy some sunshine and get some exercise cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. 
• The basic cross-country skiing technique is pretty easy to learn. Snowshoeing is even easier. Skate skiing is harder to learn but a lot like ice skating if you already know how to do that. Anyone who can walk can learn to snowshoe. Just strap on the skis or snowshoes and go! 
• Snowshoeing is very similar to going for a hike. If you like to hike, you should get into snowshoeing, so you can go hiking in the snow in the winter.
• Southwest Idaho has a number of great places to go cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Participating Nordic facilities on Saturday are the Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas, north of Idaho City, Cabarton Trails near Cascade, and Ponderosa State Park.  

"We're looking forward to it," says Theresa Perry, Lake Cascade State Park manager. "Learn to Ski Day is always a festive event and lots of fun."

Lake Cascade State Park is teaming up with the South Valley County Recreation District, Trinity Pines and Tamarack Resort to offer free equipment and cross-country skiing and snowshoe lessons on the Cabarton Trails at the Hasbrouck Ranch. The fun begins at 11 a.m. and runs to 2:30 p.m. To get there, take Idaho 55 about 75 miles north of Boise, past Round Valley, and turn left on Cabarton Road across from the Clear Creek Lodge. There is a beginner loop for folks who are just starting out, plus 5 miles of groomed trails, and other self-guided trails (no grooming), that you can check out.

In McCall, Ponderosa State Park also is providing free equipment and lessons from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m . Gravity Sports and Hometown Sports are providing cross-country ski equipment and lessons, and the McCall Outdoor Science School is providing guided snowshoe tours and lessons. So if you're in the 'hood, be sure to take advantage of this great opportunity to learn. All parking fees and trail fees will be waived for the day.


On Saturday, the trail fees are waived in the Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas, north of Idaho City, meaning you can explore 56 miles of trails in the Park n' Ski system; 26 of them are groomed for skiing. The easiest place to start is Gold Fork, located on the left side of Idaho State Highway 21 about 1.5 hours from Boise.

If you go to the Park n' Ski areas, be sure to rent some cross-country or snowshoe equipment at Idaho Mountain Touring or Boise REI.

Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation officials will be at the Gold Fork parking lot ready to answer any questions and provide information about ski and snowshoe trails in the vicinity. Here's a map of the trail system and yurts. IDPR folks also will be manning the Rocky Ridge and Skyline yurts and serving free hot chocolate for people who stop by. Free hot chocolate also will be available at the Banner Ridge trailhead.

The Rocky Ridge yurt is located 1.4 miles from the Whoop-Um-Up parking lot. There is a marked snowshoe trail leading to the yurt. Skyline yurt is 2 miles from the Gold Fork parking lot. The trail to Skyline is suitable for skate skiing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. It's rated "more difficult" because it's a continuous uphill grade Skyline. Dogs are allowed on the trails in the Gold Fork area but they're not allowed on the Banner Ridge trails.


Have fun!
- SS

Steve shares his weekly outdoor tips with Ken and Tim on 94.9 FM The River each Friday morning in Boise at approximately 7:10 a.m. If you miss the program, you can hear the segments on River Interactive.com. Detailed descriptions and color maps of Steve's hikes, bike rides and paddling trips are available for 99 cents each at www.stevestuebner.com, plus the full ebooks and hard-copy guidebooks.

Be careful when hiking, biking on public lands during hunting season; wear bright colors

Hunting season is upon us. 

Hi all,

General deer season opened on Wednesday, and that means a lot of hunters will be out in the woods with high-powered rifles pursuing mule deer and white-tailed deer throughout the state.

Deer season will run from Oct. 10-24 in many parts of Idaho, and in some units, it'll run from Oct. 10-31. General elk season opens Oct. 15 in McCall and the Sawtooths, and it opens Nov. 1 in Unit 39, in the Boise River drainage. Elk season continues for several weeks, depending on location. In Unit 39, it's over on Nov. 9.

And then special weapon seasons continue, including seasons for hunters using muzzle-loader rifles and seasons for cow elk, antelope, moose, mountain lions, black bears, etc. If you'd like all the details go to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game web site and check out the big game regulations. The hunting seasons are set up according to big game unit. It'll take a few minutes to figure out the regulations ... they are very complicated to say the least.

Blaze orange vest for your dog. 

My point in bringing this up is that non-hunters who want to continue hiking and mountain biking activities in our national forests or BLM lands at this time of year should be aware that hunting seasons are going on. Watch out for hunters in the woods and wear bright colors on your person (think blaze orange) to avoid getting shot. Sad but true, hunters have killed or wounded people by mistake, thinking they're a game animal. Hunters also might shoot a dog by mistake. So be sure to put some blaze orange on your dog(s) to protect them.

So, you may wonder, where can I go hiking or biking in the next several weeks and not worry about co-mingling with hunters?

• Ridge to Rivers trails in the Boise Foothills will be a good bet. The roads and trails in the Boise River Wildlife Management Area, including Trail E heading up to Lucky Peak, will have deer-hunting activity going on. Ditto with the Boise Ridge Road. You'll see road hunters up there and hunters on ATVs.
• State Parks. Ponderosa State Park in McCall will be a safe haven (no hunting is allowed in the park), and so will places like Bruneau Dunes State Park and Three Island Crossing State Park. 
• Owyhee Front, BLM land. Trails on the front side of the Owyhees should be safer than the trails in the Owyhee backcountry, where there will be many deer and antelope hunters scattered about. Try the Wilson-Reynolds Creek Loop in my book, the Boise Trail Guide. 
• The Sawtooth Wilderness has some hunting activity going on, but not so much compared to the White Clouds and other parts of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. Day hikes in the Sawtooths should be a safe bet, but dress warm! 
• Popular trails close to McCall and trails near Ketchum-Sun Valley also should be a good bet. 
• As the fall colors begin to kick in, it's a good time to take a scenic drive. The Statesman recommended a number of scenic drives in their outdoor tips this week, and VisitIdaho, Idaho's tourism office, offers a great listing of scenic drives in Idaho. 

Coming up on Saturday, Oct. 20, is an opportunity to help work on the Harrison Hollow Nature Trail, next to Bogus Basin Road and Healthwise. Volunteers will be working on the trail from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sign up online through REI. They need a total of 40 volunteers, and there are only 10 spots left! 

Because of the hunting seasons going on, I'm going to take a break from my weekly tips between now and when the snow flies. I'll be back with winter tips after we get some snow.  Let's hope we get some precipitation soon! Is it going to be an El Nino or La Nina winter?

Have fun!
-SS

New ID online trail map a great trip-planning tool, plus Barking Spider & Hungry Miles

Wild Rockies' Barking Spider race is coming up Saturday

100 hungry miles (see below)

Image from the new Idaho interactive trail map - trails.idaho.gov

Hi all,

This week's post focuses on a new Idaho interactive trail map created by the Idaho Department of Recreation. It's a super-cool Google-based mapping resource that will help you plan your next recreation outing. The web address is:http://trails.idaho.gov.

I don't know about you, but it always seems that when I'm planning a trip outside of the sphere of SW Idaho, I can't find the hard-copy map I need. (And my map library fills 5 drawers in a large filing cabinet!) With the new Idaho interactive trail map, you can plan your adventure from any computer hooked up to the Internet. Once you've decided on a loop route, you can export the map to a GPS unit, Google Earth, a printer or send a link to a friend.

How cool is that? Same goes for BLM maps. IDPR took trail map information from the Forest Service and the BLM and built the trail data base from there.

Here's a video showing folks how to use the trail map web site:

Idaho is the first state to provide an interactive online mapping resource of this kind, says Troy Elmore of IDPR. "This is a first. We are the first state to produce an interactive Google-based statewide online trail map. It's been a lot of work putting it together. We've had some bugs to work out, but we're pretty excited about it now."

Click on any part of Idaho, and the online map zooms into the trail networks that exist in the area. People can zoom into a particular trail, learn the name of the trail, the trail number, and the online map tells you what kind of trail it is through color coding (motorcycle, ATV, jeep trail, non-motorized trail, road, etc.). It tells you how long the trail segment is, what season of use is allowed, and more.

The online maps provide a diversity of viewing opportunities for checking out Idaho's trails and roads. People can choose from an aerial photography view, topographic map view, terrain map view, or a hybrid view.

It'll even give you point-by-point directions to the trailhead from your home!

Just think if you're trying to plan a cross-Idaho hike from Hells Canyon to Montana ... what route are you going to take? The online map will be fabulous for stuff like that. Or how about a trip across the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness? Same deal. Zoom in and pick your route.

The Google-based map resource was funded with Idaho off-highway vehicle sticker funds. Thanks to IDPR for putting together such an awesome resource!

Two other things coming up are worthy of note:

1. The Wild Rockies Barking Spider running and mountain bike race on the front side of the Owyhees near Walter's Ferry will be held on Saturday. It's the first Wild Rockies race of the year. Pre-registration will be open through tomorrow on the Wild Rockies web site. Registration fees range from $20 for beginners to $40 for pros. Darren Lightfield of Wild Rockies said 180 people are registered so far, and that number usually doubles by race day. But he really encourages folks to pre-register so they have enough food and beer. The Barking Spider 9-mile course is a blast ... there's one section toward the end where the trail funnels down through a gulley that feels like a tunnel. No matter what kind of shape you're in, you'll enjoy the race.

2. Next Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at the MK Nature Center at Idaho Fish and Game on Walnut Street, the Idaho Mountain Recreation Club is hosting a presentation by Kerry McClay called "The Hungry Hundred: Backpacking and Foraging from Boise to Redfish Lake." McClay and a small group of friends backpacked to Redfish Lake and ate only edible plants along the way for sustenance. Holy smokes! It should be quite interesting to learn how they did, what they ate, and whether they recommend it to others. The presentation is free and open to the public. I'll be there -- I gotta hear about that trip!

Have fun!
--SS

Try renting a yurt in the Idaho City Park n' Ski Area, relax and go hiking and biking

Brenda Adams and Leo Hennessy on the deck at Stargaze Yurt.

Brenda approaches Stargaze on a new singletrack.

Leo grinds up the two-track to Stargaze Yurt on Forest Road 394B.

The fire pit and picnic table by Whispering Pines Yurt.

Park n' Ski Area overview trail map.

Hi all,

Everyone knows about renting the Idaho City Park n' Ski Area yurts in the winter, but not so much in the summer. To give folks an incentive, the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation has dropped the price of yurt rentals by $30 for weekends and week days, meaning that rents are $60/night for weekends and $45 for week nights. The yurts sleep six.

In my view, the IDPR yurts provide a great venue for a family friendly weekend in the woods. You have six to choose from. All of them are close to hiking and biking trails, and in the summer, you can actually drive to within 100-300 yards from the yurts, making it easy to pack in your camping gear and super easy for parents to take young children.

No muss, no fuss: The yurts are set up with a double-burner stove, cooking utensils, pots, plates and silverware, so you don't have to bring that stuff from home. Just bring sleeping bags, food, water and beverages. Everything you pack in should be packed out. If the bugs are bad outside, you can hang out in the yurt. If it's raining, you can chill in the yurt. Bring lawn chairs, and find shady spots near the yurt or on the yurt deck to enjoy the views.

Summer prices are good from July 1 - Nov. 15. Here's the web link for reservations.

Next, I'll detail some hikes and bike rides that you can explore close to the yurts below:

• Banner Ridge, Elkhorn and Skyline Yurts are all on the east side of Idaho 21. They provide immediate access to a complete system of singletrack and two-track trails adjacent to the yurts.
• If you're staying at Banner or Elkhorn, try the easy singletracks called the Cougar Loop or Lehn's Loop. These were trails that IDPR built with volunteer help. Lehn's Loop is 2.4 miles, and Cougar is 3.3 miles. Both trails follow rolling terrain through shady timbered areas without any long major climbs. Good place to take the kids. See this guide for complete details. The loop also is detailed in my Falcon guide Mountain Biking Idaho.
• A longer and more challenging ride is the Elkhorn-Alpine Loop. This loop is 7.5 miles long, featuring 4WD dirt roads and grassy two-tracks. The Alpine portion of this loop is the most scenic and intimate. I've seen elk and black bear riding my book on this loop. See this guide for complete details. The loop also is detailed in my Falcon guide Mountain Biking Idaho.
• If you're staying at the Skyline Yurt, there are two possibilities immediately adjacent to the yurt. Hike or ride the Skyline Loop, 5.5 miles from Idaho Highway 21. It's a grassy two-track the whole way. Less than 1,000 feet of vertical climbing, but it is a climb to the yurt from the highway, and it's a fun and fast downhill back to the highway.
• Another possibility from Skyline, especially for bikers, is to ride Ralph's Trail and Twister to the north and connect over to trails by the Elkhorn Yurt, such as Lehn's Loop and Cougar Loop. See this guide for complete details.
• If you'd like to stay at Stargaze Yurt, the newest addition to the Idaho City Park n' Ski yurt system, we scouted a new trail in that area last week. It's a 7-mile mountain bike loop (could be hiked) that starts and finishes at Beaver Creek Summit on Idaho Highway 21. The ride starts at the Stargaze Trailhead on Forest Road 394. Bear right on Road #394B and climb a steep two-track dirt road to the yurt junction on a saddle (mile 1.1). Even if you have to walk the steep sections of the climb, it's not very far, and the rest is easy. Take a side trip to Stargaze Yurt and check out the view. Next follow the two-track road from the saddle out to the west to mile 2.3 and go right on a faint two-track. That little trail cuts over to a more major dirt road, which is a snowmobile trail in the winter. Turn right on the dirt road at mile 3.2. Bear right at a signed junction (mile 6.1) to return to Idaho 21 (mile 6.6), turn right and ride the paved road to the trailhead (mile 7). See map above.
• If you're staying at Whispering Pines Yurt in the Gold Fork area, you could ride or hike the road up to Whispering Pines and then take the Moose Trail back to the parking area. There also are a few short trails nearby. See this guide for more details. Whispering Pines, by the way, has excellent shade afforded by large ponderosa pine trees.
• Rocky Ridge Yurt, accessed from the Whoop 'em Up trailhead area, has a couple of trails nearby that lead over to Edna Creek Road and Beaver Creek Cabin areas. The Crooked River Trail can be accessed from Beaver Creek Cabin or Edna Creek Road. It's a sweet hiking or biking singletrack that goes downhill along Crooked River for several miles. Turn around and come back. See this guide for more details.

Be sure to print out the maps from the IDPR web site and bring them with you. A map from the Boise National Forest would be helpful as well. And don't forget your bug juice ... because of the big snows we had last winter and spring rain, it's very wet and moist out there in the forest, and the bugs can be fierce!

Other useful resources would be a birding book and wildflower guide.

Have fun!

-SS

Lots of fun stuff planned for free cross-country ski day in Idaho on Saturday, Jan. 8

Climbing to Stargaze Yurt. All photos by Cindee Goes

Views from the new Stargaze Yurt near Idaho City

Ditto

Breaking trail can be tough!

Hi all,

Every year, I have to promote free cross-country ski day because it's FREE!

Alpine and Nordic skiing have gotten so darn expensive in so many ways, so you have to capitalize on the times when trail and parking fees have been waived, and it's FREE! OK, you might need to rent some equipment, if you don't have your own, but otherwise, it's FREE! In McCall, they're even providing FREE rental equipment at Ponderosa State Park (see below).

The Idaho Department of Parks & Recreation is offering all kinds of goodies on Saturday at its state parks and Park n' Ski Areas. At the Idaho City Park n' Ski area, you can sign up for an intermediate or advanced snowshoe tour, or ski or snowshoe into the new Stargaze Yurt (1.3 miles one-way) near the Beaver Creek Summit parking area, or walk into the Whispering Pines Yurt (2 miles one-way) near the Gold Fork parking area and attend an "open house." The yurts will be warm, and you can see how the yurts are set up, how many bunks they have, etc., and what you'll need to bring when you rent one. You might need to bring your own Schnapps :).

If you like to snowshoe, consider signing up for an intermediate snowshoe clinic/tour with Owen Jones, or an advanced snowshoe clinic/tour with Leo Hennessy. Both of those guys are experienced off-trail snowshoers, so they have the skills, and they'll put you through some fun paces ... like creek-crossings, jumping off rocks, 360's or something silly like that.

Leo told me that he's going to lead a 5-mile tour from Beaver Creek Summit parking area, hike over to the Stargaze Yurt to show folks the newest yurt in the fleet, and then hike over the mountains to the Gold Fork trail system, stop in the Whispering Pines Yurt to get warm, and drop out at the Gold Fork parking lot. Sounds like a fun tour!

To sign up for either the intermediate or advanced clinic, contact Judy Ditto at IDPR at jditto@idpr.idaho.gov or call 208-334-4199. Participants will meet at Discovery Park near Lucky Peak at 9 a.m. to car pool to the ski trails. The beginner clinics are already full. Sorry about that!

Note that all of the Idaho City Park n' Ski trails are open to dogs this year except for the groomed trails leading to Banner Ridge. So if like to take your puppy snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, this is a great opportunity. Please pick up after your pets on the trail. If you are signing up for a clinic, however, no dogs are allowed.

At Ponderosa State Park in McCall, one of the most beautiful places to ski or snowshoe anywhere in the Rockies (see my video), IDPR is partnering with local sporting goods stores and others to provide FREE demo equipment and FREE lessons! This is the place to be for people who don't have their own gear. Gravity Sports and Home Town Sports are providing the gear, and the McCall Nordic Ski Team and McCall Parks & Recreation officials are teaching the lessons. Both skate skiing lessons and traditional cross-country skiing techniques will be offered. Great chance to learn!

If you're in the 'hood near Cascade, IDPR is going to provide hot chili, corn bread and hot drinks at the Van Wyck park unit over by the boat ramp in Cascade (turn left at Howdy's). There is a short cross-country ski trail (one-half mile) that you can sample by the lakeshore, and the Crown Point Trail is nearby (5.5 miles round-trip). The Crown Point Trail is a gorgeous and easy (it's essential tabletop flat) trail that tours the eastern shore of Lake Cascade. You might see some bald eagles flying around and other wildlife.

I'm going to be in Idaho Falls this weekend at my son's hockey tournament, so I'm hoping to get enough time to head up to Harriman State Park to do some skate skiing. IDPR is offering free lessons at Harriman for those of you who might be in the 'hood. Harriman is similar to Ponderosa in offering world-class scenery and first-rate ski and snowshoe trails. On a clear day, the Tetons are easily in view, always a beautiful sight to behold, and the steam rises from the Henrys Fork, where you might see swans in the river. Moose often are wandering around as well.

Don't miss this chance to have a great day on Saturday for almost no cost!

Remember to dress in layers, bring plenty of food and water with you in your pack, and carry an avalanche beacon, probe poles and shovel if you're planning on traveling into avalanche zones.

Have fun!

-SS

For more outdoor tips, go to www.stevestuebner.com. Steve talks about his outdoor tips each week on 94.9 FM The River at approximately 7:10 a.m. on Fridays.

IDPR adds Stargaze Yurt to its quiver of six yurts in the Idaho City Park n' Ski Area

Stargaze Yurt, courtesy IDPR

Map of trail to Stargaze Yurt (click to enlarge), courtesy IDPR

Hi all,

Now that hunting season is pretty much over and winter is upon us, it's time to crank up Stueby's weekly outdoor tips for the winter season.

And I have fresh news to share! The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation has added a sixth yurt to the hut system in the Idaho City Park n' Ski Area -- it's called the Stargaze Yurt.

The 20-foot diameter yurt is accessed from a new Park n' Ski parking area at Beaver Creek Summit, just a mile or so farther than the Banner Ridge parking lot, located about 25 miles east of Idaho City toward Lowman.

Leo Hennessy, IDPR non-motorized trail coordinator, picked a perfect mountain knob at 6,600 feet elevation for the new yurt. "It's a cool spot with excellent slopes for telemark skiing on the north, east and west slopes," Hennessy says. "You can see 360-degree views of all of the surrounding mountains. It's a beautiful location."

The best part of all: IDPR isn't taking reservations for the Stargaze Yurt until Jan. 4 because the early dates in December were reserved for 60+ volunteers who donated approximately 2,500 hours of labor to build the yurt, set up trail signs and cut six cords of firewood, among other things.

So ... for people who like to stay at yurts that means you should stay tuned on the IDPR web site for yurt reservations and be ready to reserve the Stargaze Yurt as soon as IDPR starts taking reservations on the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 4. The other five yurts in the Idaho City area already are booked 95 percent of the time for this winter, so Stargaze may be your best chance to get a yurt reserved for you and your friends.

Judy Ditto oversees the yurt program for IDPR if you have questions, but she does NOT take reservations. Her phone number is 514-2418, and her email is jditto@idpr.idaho.gov. Reservations can be made on the IDPR web site or by calling Reserve America at 1-888-922-6743.

A couple of friends of mine were part of the volunteer force that worked on the Stargaze Yurt. They've already been up there enjoying the snow and the view.

"We highly recommend it for first-time yurters," says Barb Cochran. "It's not too far or steep, and it's brand spanking new!"

All of the Idaho City Park n' Ski Trails have been rolled, and they're in the process of being groomed as we speak. More snow is expected Friday. Snow depths are in the 3-feet range or more, depending on elevation. "We've got a good base, and we're expecting 6-10 inches of more snow in the next week," Hennessy says.

I highly recommend the Park n' Ski system for snowshoeing, traditional cross-country skiing (kick and glide) and backcountry skiing (telemarking or alpine touring/randonee). The access points are located directly adjacent to the ski/snowshoe trails, so the fun begins as soon as you're booted up and ready to go. There are 50 miles of trails to explore in the whole Idaho City ski/snowshoe trail system, so there's no excuses!

Be sure to purchase a $25 Park n' Ski Pass for your vehicle, which is required for parking at the Park n' Ski lots. If you don't expect to get out much, a three-day $7.50 parking pass is available as well. Most of the outdoor shops in Boise carry the Park n' Ski passes. Remember, buying a parking pass is a great investment in the future of the Idaho City Park n' Ski System. These dollars are what pays for the trail-grooming up there.

BTW: There is a snow line for information on grooming and snow conditions: 208-514-2423.

Enjoy!

-SS

Steve's outdoor tips can be heard each Friday at approximately 7:10 a.m. on 94.9 FM The River in Boise.