Last-minute ideas for Memorial Day weekend - Campers: dress warm and bring firewood!

Dress warm for camping this weekend ... and you'll be fine. 

Middle Fork Boise River 

The Morel picking has been hit and miss so far ... 

Wind River pack bridge, trailhead for the Wind River Trail on the Salmon River 

Rapid River Trail in Riggins is a dandy hiking and backpacking destination 

Hi all,

It's expected to be fairly chilly this weekend, particularly in the mountains. But at least there isn't much rain in the forecast. Last year, Memorial Day was pretty soggy in the mountains, and that definitely puts a damper on things. But this year, it should be dry, with temperatures in the low 60s by the afternoon in the mountains, which is nice weather for hiking and biking. Just bring a few extra layers.

[Here is the audio from Steve's outdoor tips re: Memorial Day weekend on the the River Mornings show]

Roger Phillips from the Idaho Statesman Outdoors pulled together a nice summary of the camping, road and trail conditions in the Boise, Payette and Sawtooth national forests in today's paper. The upshot seems to be that trails, roads and campgrounds below 6,000-foot elevation are open for Memorial Day weekend activities, and sites above that elevation are more iffy or closed by snow. Bull Trout Lake is closed by snow, for example, and so are Deadwood Reservoir and the Trinity Mountains.

Here are some ideas for Memorial Day camping and outings:

• With these cool temperatures, camping in the Owyhees will be warmer than heading into the national forest. See my spring camping blog post from March ... places like Bruneau Dunes State Park, Leslie Gulch, Succor Creek State Park or the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area would all be good bets. 
• Camping near Idaho City should be great. Take the Rabbit Creek Road into the North Fork of the Boise River or the Middle Fork of the Boise River. There are tons of places to camp along both river corridors.
• Camping near Stanley should be fine, too, just a little colder. Highs are forecast in the 60s in the afternoons but in the 20s at night. Campgrounds are open at the ever-popular Redfish Lake and vicinity. Can't beat the view!   
• The Edna Creek road is clear of snow and freshly graded, according to the Forest Service, if you'd like to head up to Atlanta and do some camping or hiking.
• Morel mushrooms appear to be sprouting (I'm seeing pics of morels on my Facebook friends' pages ... people who live in Valley County), so it might be a good time to check areas that got burned last summer for morels. The Trinity Ridge fire area near Pine and Featherville comes to mind, so would the forest north of Stanley. Some forest roads are closed because of fire rehabilitation, but hopefully you can get into some of the burn areas on foot or bike to pick morels. David Olson from the Boise National Forest reports that as of June 1, no permits will be needed for commercial or private morel picking in the Trinity Ridge fire zone. Apparently so far, the morel crop is a dud. Hopefully, that'll change? Be aware that certain forest roads are closed in the vicinity to work on post-fire rehab.
• The trails and roads in the Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas are snow-free and open to the public. The yurts are all rented for the weekend, according to the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, but you can find other spots for car-camping in the vicinity and go hiking and biking on Park n Ski trails. 
• Another cool spring camping location is along the Salmon River, upstream of Riggins. There are numerous HUGE white sandy beaches up there where you can set up a great camp, hang out by the river, do some floating on the Salmon and/or go hiking. The hike on the Wind River Trail via the Wind River Pack Bridge about 25 miles upstream of Riggins has a number of switchbacks as you climb higher and higher up the Salmon River canyon. The trail eventually leads into the Gospel Hump Wilderness, but you probably won't get that far. That'd be a great hike right now.
• If you're in the Riggins area, the hike up Rapid River is a sweet one, too. The trailhead is about two miles south of Riggins. I just saw some beautiful photos from some folks who went backpacking in the Rapid River last weekend. 
• Camping in Lake Cascade State Park should be dandy as well. If you go to Cascade, the Crown Point Trail is a great family friendly hike or bike ride for all abilities and ages. It's about 3 miles one-way to a temporary dead-end, and 3 miles back. You also can go biking or hiking on the The Strand, a two-mile trail along the North Fork of the Payette River in Cascade. Very pretty spot, and it's next to Kelly's Whitewater Park. 

There are a few ideas to chew on ... Have fun!
- SS  

Gonna have to be creative for Memorial Day weekend

Morel mushrooms - Yum!

Find a hot springs pool to keep you warm ...

Hi all,

It's pretty depressing looking at the weather forecast for Memorial Day weekend in Idaho ... it's supposed to be either raining or snowing pretty much everywhere. Dang!

So, here are a few ideas to make your weekend more enjoyable:

• Hot Springs - If it's going to be wet, you might as well hunker down in one of Idaho's many non-commercial hot springs or visit a commercial hot springs establishment such as Givens Hot Springs near Marsing, Silver Creek Plunge near Crouch, or Gold Fork Hot Springs near Donnelly.
• Raft in the Rain - If you're going to go river rafting, you're going to get wet anyway, so you might as well go rafting in the rain. One of the best sections for that is the Upper Payette River from Bonneville Hot Springs to Kirkham Hot Springs. Warm up before you go in Bonneville, and warm up after the trip is over in Kirkham. Rain is forecast for the big Memorial Day gathering on the mighty Lochsa River, where the river is running at 7.5+ feet, so that's another place you can raft in the rain. Warm up in Jerry Johnson Hot Springs or Weir Creek Hot Springs after the float trip. (There might be a few hundred people with the same idea).
• Party under the Tarp - I have a feeling that lots of people will be doing some variation of this, this weekend. Make sure your tarp doesn't leak, bring plenty of beverages to keep the gang occupied, and dress warm. Look for camping areas in lower elevation areas in the Boise National Forest. The Rabbit Creek Road from Idaho City to numerous car-camping areas along the North Fork of the Boise River is open. The Edna Creek road to Atlanta is closed.
• Go Road Biking in the Rain - As long as you dress for it, road biking in the rain can be tolerable, especially if you have fenders to keep the water from spraying into your face from the front wheel. Check out my Boise Road Cycling Guide for tips on where to go. One ride that'd be fun would be to tackle the Snake River Canyon Scenic Loop between Marsing and Walter's Ferry.
• Go Mushroom Hunting - I've heard that morel mushrooms are sprouting in the Idaho City area. I checked with the Idaho City Ranger District, and the people in the office had no idea where mushrooms are being found. But I had one report from a friend that he picked 3 pounds of morels earlier this week.
• Head South to Warmer Weather - In looking for good weather, I noticed that the forecast for St. George, Utah, is 88 degrees this weekend, and 80 degrees in Moab, Utah. It's a long drive, but maybe it's worth it!
• Rent a Cabin and Stay Cozy - It's probably too late to reserve a Forest Service cabin or a Parks and Recreation yurt this weekend, but you might be able to find a good last-minute deal on a cabin in Garden Valley, McCall or Ketchum on www.vrbo.com. That's where we list our McCall cabin (sorry, it's taken this weekend), and lots of people find cool and affordable places to stay on vrbo.com.
• Look for last-minute deals on hotel rooms - Inidaho.com has a great selection in the McCall and Ketchum/Sun Valley areas.

BTW, here is a roundup of national forest and BLM trail, road and camping conditions that you may find useful.

Hope you find a way to have some fun despite the crappy weather!

- SS