Try the Boise "Grand Slam Peaks" - Climb Four Mountain Peaks Close to Home

Mt. Heinen (courtesy Tom Lopez) Grand Slam Peak #4

It's a long ridge walk from Three Point Mountain to Kepros Peak (courtesy Tom Lopez)
Kepros is Grand Slam Peak #2

Boise State students band birds of prey and songbirds on the top of Lucky Peak
in the fall during the migration season. Good time to visit!
Lucky Peak is Grand Slam Peak #3

Top of Cervidae Peak - Grand Slam Peak #1

Hi all,

A friend of mine casually mentioned the "Grand Slam" to me recently about bagging four mountain peaks close to Boise. It's an intriguing idea, and I thought I should pass it on! The Grand Slam is the brainchild of Tom Lopez, author of the excellent book, Idaho: A Climbing Guide. He calls them the "Grand Slam Peaks" in a great blog post detailing the routes on his web site.

If you have been thinking about climbing some mountains this year or backpacking in the high country, these local mountains are a great starting point for getting your legs and lungs in shape. As Lopez points out, these mountains melt off early and provide plenty of challenge to prepare you for tackling taller mountains in Central Idaho this summer.

Plus, it just so happens that the Idaho Hiking Club (Facebook Meetup group) is leading hikes to all four Grand Slam Peaks in the next week or so. The hikes are being led by Chad Rohr. When I spoke to Chad today, he had 12 openings for climbing Cervidae on Friday afternoon, three for the Lucky Peak hike next weekend, and five openings on the Mount Heinen hike on Sunday, May 10. Sign up via the Idaho Hiking Club web site.

Two of the four mountains in the Grand Slam -- Cervidae Peak and Shaw Mountain/Lucky Peak -- are featured in my new book, Boise Trail Guide: 90 Hiking & Running Routes Close to Home. Cervidae is a steep, 2.2-mile hike one-way with 2,000 feet of vertical gain, starting from the trailhead near Spring Shores Marina next to Lucky Peak Reservoir. The hike is rated strenuous!

There are multiple ways to climb to the top of Shaw Mountain/Lucky Peak ... either from the Homestead Trail near Harris Ranch or from Highland Valley Road off of Idaho 21. It's a 13-mile loop with 3,158 feet of vertical gain, to climb to the top of Lucky Peak via Homestead Trail and Trail #8, and then descend on Trail #E and Trail #11 to end up at the Crow Inn for a beer. Lopez says he likes to mountain bike to the top so he can enjoy the fast descent. I'd recommend that too for hikers who also mountain bike.

The other two peaks involved in the Grand Slam are Kepros Peak (5,428 feet) and Mount Heinen (6,336 feet). Hiking to Kepros involves 1,700 vertical feet of gain as you walk a total of 10 miles out and back from the trailhead at the summit of Black's Creek Road (take I-84 exit and head toward Prairie). You hike up to a saddle above the road near Three Point Mountain (5,324 feet) and then do a giant ridge walk to Kepros Peak. This hike is rated strenuous because of the distance.

Mount Heinen is the tallest of the four Grand Slam peaks at elevation 6,336 feet. The trailhead is along the Middle Fork Boise River Road, which goes by Lucky Peak Reservoir and Arrowrock Dam. The trail starts up the mountain just past the Irish Creek Boat Ramp. The trail goes directly up the mountain, reaches the first ridgetop and then you do a long ridge walk to the top of Mount Heinen. The hike is 4.5 miles one-way. Lopez rates it strenuous. Allow about 7-8 hours for the hike. Carry plenty of water and food.

"My favorite is Heinen because it s straight up for the first 1.8 miles, then you discover that you're not even halfway to the peak," says Chad Rohr, who's leading a series of hikes to the Grand Slam Peaks for the Idaho Hiking Club. "If and when you make it to the top, the accomplishment is felt deeply in your body."

Lopez likes to hike the Grand Slam Peaks in this order:
1. Cervidae (usually melts out first)
2. Kepros
3. Lucky Peak
4. Mt. Heinen.

This year, snow is not a limiting factor on any of these mountains, so I'd say go for it! Many thanks to Tom Lopez for the inspiration, and to Chad Rohr of the Idaho Hiking Club for leading the hikes! But none of these routes are hard to follow in my opinion, so feel free to pick them off when you have time. Take your kids!

BTW - Two of these peaks are located in the Boise River Wildlife Management Area, owned by Idaho Fish and Game, and two of them are in the Boise National Forest.
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Alpenglow mountainsport is having their used boat swap on Saturday, May 2nd, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Great place to find discounted flatwater kayaks, whitewater kayaks, inflatable kayaks, whitewater rafts, paddles, life jackets, wet suits, dry suits, etc.!

Pam Conley is leading a family birding walk on Sunday, May 3rd, starting at 9 a.m. from the Jim Hall Foothills Learning Center, on N. 8th Street after the road turns to dirt. Email Pam at pam_conley@q.com.

-SS

Nice weekend to head to Lucky Peak summit, see hawks, song birds at ID Bird Observatory

A juvenile red-tailed hawk poses for a photo before being released  atop Lucky Peak. (Courtesy IBO)

The weather looks fabulous this weekend, and it'd be a perfect time to hike or bike to the top of Lucky Peak (aka Shaw Mountain), and take in all of the exciting activities going on at the Idaho Bird Observatory. This is where IBO staff and volunteers count between 6,000 to 8,000 raptors, band 1,000-1,500 raptors, and band 5,000-6,000 songbirds in the fall each year.

This is a great educational activity for kids, families, seniors and adults. Pairing the trip to the top of Lucky Peak with a hike or bike ride just adds to the overall experience. You can drive to the top with a 4WD vehicle, if need be. I'll provide directions and a map for doing either below.



I've always been fascinated by birds of prey since I was in college, when I first saw bald eagles swoop down and catch kokanee at West Glacier in Montana. I took hundreds of photographs with a long lens, and sent framed photos to all of my family for Christmas that year.

Morley Nelson with a golden eagle and his first wife, Betty Ann, with a prairie falcon on her fist 

When I had the privilege of writing a biography, Cool North Wind (Caxton Press 2002), on the great national champion for birds of prey, Morley Nelson, I learned much more about raptors and raptor conservation. Morley was a guy who always understood the need for environmental education, and he took tons of people under his wing over the years to show them all of the cool falcons and eagles at his hawk house in the Boise Foothills.

"You've got to show people how they can feel being a part of the environment," he always would say. "That's a beautiful thing.

Looking for raptors in the sky ... (courtesy IBO)

When you see raptors flying toward the top of Lucky Peak, watch them get lured into a trap by live quail, and see them up close and personal after being measured, banded, etc., it's an unforgettable experience.

"It's hugely important that kids get outside as much as possible because we're losing that with our culture," says Greg Kaltenecker, executive director of the Idaho Bird Observatory.

A young girl gets ready to release a sharp-shinned hawk.  

Kaltenecker launched the hawk-trapping operation on the top of Lucky Peak in 1993 with Boise State University professor Marc Bechard. They tried several different locations and quickly discovered that Lucky Peak was the best place to catch hawks and other birds of prey. It's become one of the most active raptor- and songbird-monitoring locations in the nation.

A friend of mine, Paul Hilding, volunteered at the bird observatory last week. He had a great time.
"For raptor fans, last week was a very good one, and this week should be great as well," Hilding says. "If you like to see raptors up close, IBO in September is the place to be!

Northern pygmy owl (courtesy IBO) 

"While the IBO “Hawk Watch” crew goes on duty at 10 a.m., we seemed to see the most birds in early to mid-afternoon," Hilding continues. "My favorites were two local golden eagles that did a south-to-north fly-by almost every day, early afternoon, flying low into a ravine just behind the hawk traps. So much bigger than anything else, one of the HW crew calls them the "semis" of the avian world.

"Also fun to watch were a peregrine falcon, a couple northern harriers, and numerous kestrels that dove and swooped on the bait birds, mostly avoiding the nets and tormenting the trappers in the blind. The Cooper’s and sharp-shinned hawks did not share their skill, and seemed to be, by far, the most common catch. We saw at least half a dozen migrating broad-winged hawks, some ospreys and Swainson’s hawks, and a few large kettles of turkey vultures and red-tails, soaring high on the afternoon thermals."

If you drive to the site, Hilding recommends bring binoculars, a lawn chair, sun block, and some treats for Josh and Teague, the two skinny HW staffers who are out there counting birds 7 hours a day, rain or shine. "They seem to be particularly fond of cookies, sun flower seeds, chicken chili and bacon," he says. 

Typical scene on top of Lucky Peak, looking for raptors in the sky ... 

No matter what, definitely bring a good pair of binoculars, a hat and sun block. There's not much shade on top of Lucky Peak. 

Nowadays there are two ways to get to Lucky Peak on foot or by bike:
1. Easiest way - Take Idaho 21 east of Boise to Highland Valley Road, a left-hand turn before you get to Hilltop Summit. Drive 1.3 miles to the intersection with Trail E. Park your rig and either hike or bike to the top of Lucky Peak from here. It's another 4 miles to the top and more than 2,000 vertical feet of climbing to the top. Good workout.

Easy way to the IBO

2. Hard way - Take Warm Springs Ave. east to Harris Ranch. Go past Lucky 13. Turn left on Council Springs and follow that road a quarter-mile to a gate. Hike or bike on the Homestead Trail #12 for 2.2 miles to an initial summit. This is an advanced-level hiking/biking trail because it's so steep. Go left at the Y-junction on Trail #8 and climb another 4 miles more than 2,000 vertical feet on the very steep dirt and rocky road. This route is rated "epic gonzo" in my Boise Trail Guide for hikers and trail-runners. If you're in good shape, though, you'll enjoy the challenge. Hilding's wife, Stephani, trains on Trail #8 to prepare for climbing Mount Rainier. Trail #8 intersects with Shaw Mountain Road just below Lucky Peak. Climb another 300 vertical to the top. Make a loop and take Trail E on the way down, and then peel right on Trail #11 to take a singletrack trail down to the Crow Inn. Total route is 12.7 miles and 3,158 vertical feet of climbing. You should allow at least 3 hours to make the climb. 

Hard way to the IBO (from Boise Trail Guide) 

The Hawk Watch activities on top of Lucky Peak go through mid-October. "The owls are great this year," Kaltenecker says. "We're banding LOTS each night and we're not even to the peak of the migration yet."     

If you're interested in volunteering at the Idaho Bird Observatory, Kaltenecker suggests that you visit the site and see what goes on. Volunteers working at the site can help you get signed up.

Have fun! I hope to take my kids up there on Sunday.
- SS

Sledding at Hilltop Summit

In snow sledding season, sometimes it's great to head out to your own favorite local sledding hill and go for it.

I've often taken my kids to a nice sledding hill near Hilltop Summit, near Lucky Peak Reservoir, about 12 miles east of Boise on Idaho 21. There's a turnout to the left, and you can climb the hill as many times as your legs will allow.

Here's some video of my 11-year-old son, Quinn, on the hill, and a few other characters.

-SS