Free xc ski, snowshoe day a fantastic opportunity to learn outdoor winter sports

This all happens on Saturday at Ponderosa Park, Lake Cascade State Park,
and the Idaho City Park n' Ski areas in SW Idaho! Just do it! 

Wendy skate skiing at Ponderosa State Park. Did you notice that she's smiling!  

Free xc ski day at Lake Cascade State Park in Cascade 

Fetching views of Payette Lake from the trail leading to Osprey Point

My autistic son Drew loves to snowshoe. He's been doing it since he was 10.
Here, we're doing the Meadow Loop in Ponderosa Park.  

Hi all,

After many snow storms in December and early January, the mountains are chock-full of snow and just about any winter activity that you'd like to do is now in prime-time mode for snow play!

On Saturday, all of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation Nordic cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snow-biking destinations are open free of charge in hopes of luring folks to the mountains to try xc skiing and snowshoeing and playing in the snow.

I highly recommend that you go for it. It's great exercise after the holiday season, and the weather looks favorable on Saturday with temperatures in the mid-20s and maybe a little light snow. Anyone who can walk, can snowshoe. Cross-country skiing is a little more challenging, but once you learn how to balance and glide, it's a real joy.

If you go to Lake Cascade State Park in Cascade or Ponderosa State Park in McCall, they've got free gear for people to use along with free lessons (xc skiing or skate skiing). And the trail fees are waived, too! How can you beat that! Free food and hot drinks, too! Try to get there between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. for the best shot at the free food and instruction. See more below about the trail systems at both parks.

At the Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas, parking fees are waived on Saturday at all of the Park n' Ski areas. But you'll need to bring your own xc skis or snowshoes. Free hot chocolate and snacks are being served at the Rocky Ridge yurt, accessed from the Whoop-Um-Up parking lot, and at the Whispering Pines yurt, accessed from the Gold Fork parking lot and trail system. These areas are located northeast of Idaho City via Idaho State Highway 21. Travel time is about 1.5 hours from Boise.

XC skiing and snowshoeing should be stellar at all three of these locations. All of the trails are freshly groomed, and there's a huge amount of snow off-trail for adventure-seekers. Make sure you bring a pair of ski poles for the best experience if you plan to do off-trail snowshoeing. In addition, be sure to dress for cold weather (long underwear required) and wear some type of snow pants to stay comfortable. Wear a winter hat and warm gloves/mittens.

Ponderosa State Park has over 12 miles of ultrawide, groomed xc trails and 3.5 miles of marked, super-cool snowshoe trails in a meadow and ridgeline setting.

Lake Cascade State Park has about eight miles of groomed xc trails, starting from the Van Wyck Boat Ramp area in the city of Cascade. You can ski  from Van Wyck to the Ridgeview trail and cross Lake Cascade by the dam to ski or snowshoe on the Crown Point Trail. Parks staff at this location are serving hot dogs and burgers for lunch on Saturday, that's a bonus!

The Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas feature multiple trailheads and an integrated trail system that connects between the Gold Fork/Skyline trailhead and the Banner Ridge trailhead. There's about 40 miles of trail total. Saturday would be a great day to check it out and try one of the trails to see if xc skiing or snowshoeing are your cup of tea.

If you need some inexpensive gear, try to pick up some xc skis, boots and poles or a pair of snowshoes at Backcountry Pursuit in Boise or Eagle.

The new goomer stuck in the ravine

Leo goes to work on a tree with a chainsaw ... 

Realize that it's a small miracle that the Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas are open this weekend, considering the major snow storms in December created a huge amount of wind, and blowing and drifting snow, dropping more than 100 trees across the trails, many of them green trees (harder to cut). And a new groomer slid off the trail into a ravine, forcing Leo Hennessy of IDPR to summon multiple crews of volunteers on multiple days to dig out the groomer and cut trees out of the groomed trails. Happily, all of that has occurred. Thanks to everyone!

"Pretty much the whole trail system is groomed," he said. "The trails are a little soft in the middle for skate skiing and fat biking, but the conditions are excellent for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing."

Don't miss out on this opportunity get into snowshoeing or xc skiing! Thanks to IDPR for putting it on!
----------------------------
- Also, this weekend is the Western Idaho Fly Fishing Expo in Garden City. If you're into fly fishing, this is a great event to attend. Good for newbies, too! There's a casting pond, instruction, videos, fly tying, banquet and more.

Take advantage of FREE cross-country ski day Saturday at Idaho Parks, BCRD trails

Skate skiing works great on well-groomed trails. Glide wax is critical. 

Snowshoers hike through fresh snow to Stargaze Yurt, located 1.5 miles
from the trailhead. It takes about an hour to get there. 

Ah, the spellbinding view from Stargaze Yurt, near Idaho City

If you can walk, you can snowshoe. Ski poles help with balance. 

Classic xc ski technique - kick and glide. It feels really sweet when you get the knack for it. 

Hi all,

Saturday is a great opportunity to try cross-country skiing or snowshoeing at participating Idaho State Parks and the Blaine County Recreation District xc trails in the Wood River Valley.

Have you ever thought about trying xc skiing or snowshoeing? Now is the time to seize the day and give it a whirl -- it's great for exercise, getting outside and enjoying the beauty of the Idaho mountains, and it's an excellent excuse to get out of the yucky inversion in the Treasure Valley and enjoy cobalt-blue sky and warmer weather! Snow conditions are excellent!

There will be free lessons and equipment demo's at Ponderosa State Park and Lake Cascade State Park, close to home, or you can rent/grab your own equipment and try out the Idaho City Park n' Ski Trails and yurts near Idaho City. The Park n' Ski parking lots will be open for free (normally a Park n' Ski parking pass is required), and IDPR staff will serve hot cocoa at Stargaze Yurt and Rocky Ridge Yurt.

All of BCRD's xc ski and snowshoe trails will be open free of charge on Saturday in the Wood River Valley. A day pass costs $17, so that's a great value. The BCRD xc ski trail system is world-class, with more than 160 kilometers of trails available, including the trails at the Galena Lodge, north of Ketchum. See more details on Saturday's event below.

Free xc ski day is a national initiative that's been going on for many years to encourage newbies to try cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on local trails. My motto is: Give it a try! Anyone who can walk can snowshoe. A pair of ski poles helps with balance when snowshoeing. Cross-country skiing is a little more challenging, but it's not that difficult. Plus, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are relatively cheap ways to recreate outdoors in the winter, compared to downhill skiing, which can blow a hole in your wallet in one day.

I've been cross-country skiing since I was a kid growing up in Minnesota. The age-old traditional or classic technique involves a little kick and glide, a really sweet motion once you get the knack. In the mid-1980s, the skate-skiing technique came into vogue. Skate skiing is more physically demanding than the classic/traditional technique, but when you get the knack of skate skiing, and you're properly waxed, you can really sail down the trail -- at least on the flats.

On Saturday, at the parks where demo equipment is available, you could try the old kick-and-glide technique and try a pair of skate skis, and see what you like. Instructors will be on hand to help you with technique.

Here are the details:

• Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas -  Take Idaho 21 past Idaho City to the signed Park n' Ski areas. It's 17-23 miles past Idaho City to the different trailheads. The Rocky Ridge Yurt is 1.5 miles from the Whoop-Um-Up parking lot. This trail is best for snowshoeing. Yurt rental manager Judy Ditto will be the host at Rocky Ridge from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stargaze Yurt is located 1.5 miles from the parking area at Beaver Creek Summit on Idaho 21. This trail is good for either xc skiing or snowshoeing, but not skate skiing. It's my favorite of the six yurts in the area because it sits on top of a mountain, affording great views of the surrounding area, and it has great skiable terrain directly below the yurt. Leo Hennessy will be hosting visitors at Stargaze Yurt from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dogs are allowed on the trails, so bring your pups if you wish. No equipment will be available at the Park n' Ski areas. Rent some before you go at Idaho Mountain Touring, Greenwoods or Boise REI. 
• Lake Cascade State Park - Free xc ski day activities will be hosted by IDPR staff at the Hasbrouck Ranch Nordic Trails on 981 Cabarton Road (this is the road to the Cabarton put-in on the Payette River, 15 miles north of Smith's Ferry). Equipment demos will be available and lessons from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sign up when you get there. Hot cocoa will be served at the trailhead. 
• Ponderosa State Park, McCall - Go to the park in the east side of McCall and park by the Activity Center. Equipment demos and lessons will be available from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Equipment will be provided by Gravity Sports and Hometown Sports in McCall, and instructors will be on hand from Bear Basin Nordic Center to teach the classic and skate ski technique. Volunteers from McCall Parks & Recreation and the McCall Outdoor Science School will lead snowshoe tours. Hot drinks will be served at the trailhead.
• Blaine County Rec District -  Free lessons and rentals will be available at the Croy trailhead in Hailey from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Folks can try either skate skiing or classic. The Croy trailhead is located off of Bullion Street west of Hailey. Call Sturtevants in Hailey to reserve your rental equipment, 788-7847.       

The point of all of this is to introduce folks to the sport on Saturday. For the newbies that participate, they'll know a great deal more than about xc skiing and snowshoeing than they did before. Then they can decide what they like best, what equipment to buy or rent, and go do it on their own. What a great community service! Thanks to IDPR staff, equipment vendors and volunteers for putting on such a worthwhile event!

Have fun and enjoy the sunshine!
-- 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

Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival coming up, plus some ideas on how to escape 100-degree blast furnace

Ride Sun Valley! 

Cool off at Lake Cascade State Park! 

Trinity Lakes 

Harriman State Park ... Mesa Falls is nearby! 

Loon Lake would be refreshing this time of year ... 

Hi all,

Well, the 4th of July is coming up next week, and extreme heat is descending on the Boise Valley after a nice respite of cool weather. Five days of 100-plus heat are forecast in the Boise area, beginning Friday. Geez! This week, I'll share some thoughts about where you could go to beat the heat, but first, I'll tout some events coming up.

The Ride Sun Valley Bike Fest kicks off on Friday with an enduro event and opening party at Sawtooth Brewery on Friday night, and then there is a full slate of events going on through next week that promise to please cyclists of all kinds.

The Ketchum-Sun Valley area will be a nice place to cool off as well. One event that looks fun is the SRAM Gold Rusch Tour, a series of mountain bike rides for women led by Sun Valley's own Rebecca Rusch, known as "the queen of pain." She's a three-time world-champion in mountain bike endurance events and four-time winner of the Leadville 100 mountain bike race. Reba's Ride Camp runs from July 2-7. There is no charge. Seems like an awesome opportunity.

On July 1-2, demo bikes are available from Cannondale, GT, Mongoose, Ellsworth and Scott, among others. The bikes are available at no charge to ride on Sun Valley's 400+ miles of singletrack from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Another great opportunity.

On Wednesday, July 3rd, there's a criterium race in Ketchum starting at 3 p.m. in the afternoon. That would be fun to watch! And from Monday, July 1 through Friday, July 5th, there are a bunch of "local stoker" rides on the creme de la creme of Sun Valley's singletrack trails. For folks who want to ride the best singletrack that Ketchum-Sun Valley has to offer, here's a chance to explore those rides with local ride leaders.

Next Saturday, July 6th, the USA Cycling Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships will be held at Bald Mountain ... good chance to watch the strongest riders in the nation compete on the 45-mile course featuring over 5,000 feet of climbing and descending. Plus, there's the MASSV Music Fest on July 5 and 6 at the base of Bald Mountain.

I've got to tip my hat to the folks in the Ketchum-Sun Valley area for packing an incredible amount of fun, food and music into a week's worth of quality activities. If you're looking for lodging, check out the Visit Sun Valley web site for the best deals that fit your budget. You also could camp in the Sawooth National Recreation Area nearby.

Cool off in the Payette River and learn about river safety ... On Saturday, June 29, the Idaho Whitewater Association is hosting a safety clinic on the Main Payette River from Banks to Beehive Bend. Put-on the Main Payette between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Participate in clinics on boat-flipping (and flipping back over), first-aid and throw bag safety.

Here are a few recommendations for cool-off trips during the 4th of July week:

• Head up to Bogus Basin, where it's always 10-15 degrees cooler than it is in the valley, and go hiking or biking on tons of trails at the ski area or nearby in the Eastside, Stack Rock area. 
• Go camping in the Trinity Mountains near Prairie in the Boise National Forest. It's a high-elevation area with a number of high mountain lakes near the end of the road. 
• Head for Lake Cascade State Park in Cascade. Ponderosa State Park is likely booked for the whole holiday week, but Lake Cascade State Park will have some openings. The north unit of the park along Lake Cascade west of Donnelly has a number of nice campgrounds right on the shores of Lake Cascade. You can go canoeing or lake kayaking on the lake, bike the Crown Point Trail (great for kids and families), go tubing or kayaking at Kelly's Whitewater Park, or hike/ride the Eagle's Nest Trail (click on free download). 
• Go camping, hiking and biking in the Payette National Forest, north of McCall. Areas like Upper Payette Lake, Squaw Meadows, Burgdorf Hot Springs, Loon Lake and others will be much cooler than the Treasure Valley. Be sure to bring your bug juice as the mosquitoes will be out in force in the evening.  
• Go camping in Eastern Idaho, visit Harriman State Park and Mesa Falls or go fishing on the Henrys Fork or the South Fork of the Snake River. 
• Rent a cabin in the Boise or Payette national forest and dip your toes into a nearby creek. Go to recreation.gov to check on availability. The cabins are inexpensive and make a great base camp, especially with kids. 
• Go kayaking, rafting or canoeing on the Payette River. 
• Float the Boise River. 
• Go backpacking to a high mountain lake in the Sawtooths, White Clouds, Boise National Forest, Payette National Forest, Sawtooth NRA or Frank Church-River of Return Wilderness. Go swimming in the high mountain lake ... it'll be refreshing, I guarantee it. 
• Escape to the Oregon Coast. 
• Head up to Priest Lake or Lake Pend Oreille in North Idaho. 
• Go Ice Skating at Idaho Ice World. Ha! That'll keep you cool. 

There you have it!
- SS 

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.

Consider some fun outdoor destinations in Cascade for the 4th of July

Courtesy Kelly's Whitewater Park Facebook page

Crown Point Trailhead

Chinook salmon

Stolle Meadows and S. Fork Salmon River

(Eagle's Nest singletrack)

Hi all,

This might seem counter-intuitive after the big wind storm in Valley County earlier this week, but I'd suggest heading up to the Cascade area for some outdoor fun. I've got a few suggestions for hiking, biking, fishing, skiing, camping, paddling and hot springs.

Cascade is only 90 minutes north of Eagle and Boise on Idaho 55. It's a gateway to the Boise National Forest, Warm Lake and Lake Cascade State Park.

As for camping, I've always found some cool undeveloped (self-support) car-camping areas in Stolle Meadows near the upper South Fork of the Salmon River. I also like to go past Warm Lake on the paved road and drive to Landmark (elevation 7,000 feet), where it's cooler, and there are many places to camp, including Penn Basin Campground. Grab a Boise National Forest map, cruise around and pick your spot.

While you're near the South Fork of the Salmon River, remember that the chinook salmon season is open, and you can catch and keep up to 5 five per day! This is a very good year for salmon fishing, so try to take advantage of that because they are fun to catch and delicious!
Talk to Tackle Tom's in Cascade for tips on what kind of bait or lures to use to catch those ferocious fighters!

The road to Snowbank Mountain is open to the top, and the Forest Service reported that there is still 4 feet of snow there on top! Drive up there with your skis and skins and barbecue and have a party! Skiing on the 4th of July! Hey, how can you beat that!

Some other stuff to do in the Cascade area:

Check out Kelly's Whitewater Park on the North Fork of the Payette River in Cascade. It's got a number of surfing locations that are ideal for hard-shell kayaks and inflatable kayaks. Gear and Grind in Cascade rents equipment. It also has a beautiful visitors center.

Hike, run or bike the Crown Point Trail, a scenic path that runs along the shoreline of Lake Cascade that's great for the whole family. It's three miles out to the end of the trail, and three miles back. You can access the lakeshore and go for a swim or hang out on the beach.

Go mountain biking or hiking on Eagle's Nest Trail. The 13-mile ride is featured in my book Mountain Biking in McCall. Eagle's Nest features over 2,800 vertical feet of climbing on a Forest Service Road, and then you bomb downhill on a smooth singletrack to the start. It's a tough climb but worth the effort. See map above.

Go soaking in one of several natural hot springs in the Warm Lake area. Some of the popular draws are Trail Creek Hot Springs, Molly's Hot Springs, and Vulcan Hot Springs.

These are just a few ideas for the Cascade area. Consult the Boise National Forest map for many other trails and camping destinations. Have fun!
- SS