Lower Boise Foothills trails finally open for hiking and biking! 3 hikes/rides to explore!

A bearded Steve at the summit of Shane's Trail on an April mountain bike ride.

Hi all, 

With the dramatic turn from winter to spring weather for a couple of choice days last weekend - featuring high temperatures in the mid-70s - the trails in the lower Boise Foothills dried up and now they're ready for hiking, biking and trail-running. Finally! 

In many years, the trails in the Boise Foothills have dried up in late February to early March, but because of the long, cold snowy and icy winter we had in 2022-23, spring is coming late! 

And that's OK! 

Boy, it felt great to get out and ride my mountain bike on Saturday morning! It was still on the cool side, but when I saw that Ridge to Rivers had given the lower trails the green light, I was ready! I rode from Camelsback Park to Crestline and Sidewinder and took Red Cliffs back. The trails were bone-dry the whole way. 

I saw hikers, mountain bikers and runners everywhere. As the day got warmer, I have a feeling that the trails got even more busy! 

Central Ridge trail in Military Reserve

Man, it felt good to climb, get my lungs and heart pumping in the red zone, and enjoy another one of my favorite gravity sports on the way down!  

Remember that it's only mid-April, and we'll be subject to more rain and even some snow.  Pay attention to the Ridge to Rivers trail reports on Facebook if you're in doubt. 

For my outdoor tip of the week, I'm recommending three hiking and biking loops in the foothills. After a snowy surprise Thursday morning, it's supposed to be a really nice weekend Friday-Sunday with High Pressure aloft, mostly clear skies and warmer temps each day through Sunday. High temps are 56 degrees on Friday, 65 Saturday and 75 on Sunday. Now we're talking! 

And then the weather goes to hell on Monday-Tuesday of next week. So get out and enjoy it this weekend when you can!

Sharing the trails respectfully with others is important in the foothills. Thank you! 

Before we get into the rides/hikes, a couple of reminders: 

1. Be a good trail ambassador! "Be Kind" when you're out using the trails, share the trails respectfully with others, and smile and say "hi" when you pass by people. A little bit of courtesy goes a long way! 

2. If you're mountain biking, remember that all uphill traffic has the right of way. If you're coming down and you see people coming up, stop, step off the trail and let them pass by, no matter if they're walking, running or biking.

3. If you come up behind someone and need to pass, say something like "coming up" and let them know you're coming so they can step off the trail for you to pass.  

4. Polecat Gulch is changing back to counter-clockwise direction this year. You'll see the signage out there. I preferred riding it clockwise, but oh well. I do like how the one-way direction on Polecat has reduced conflicts and, no doubt, collisions. It's a tight, narrow singletrack in places on steep side-hills without much in the way of sight lines. The one-way trails are safer. 

5. Stay off muddy trails. I already covered that above, but I'm saying it again. If things are wet, go for a road ride or ride the Greenbelt. 

Now for the recommended hikes/rides: 

1. Best for hiking: Kestrel-Red Cliffs Loop -  Camelsback - Kestrel-Crestline-Red Cliffs Loop - Distance: 5 miles. Rated moderate for hikers and runners. Rated intermediate for biking. Hiking time, 2-2.5 hours; Running time: 55 minutes; Biking time: 45 minutes. This is a popular loop with hikers, runners and bikers. Start at Camelsback Park off of Heron and 13th Street in North Boise. Head over to the trailhead in the east side of the park, and follow Owl's Roost Trail on the right by the ponds. Follow Owl's Roost to the Foothills Learning Center area. Turn right at the junction with Kestrel, and climb Kestrel to Crestline, it's about .6 miles of continuous climbing. Turn left onto Crestline, climb a short abrupt hill, and then watch for a left-hand junction with Red Cliffs in less than a half mile. Turn left onto Red Cliffs and enjoy a fun descent for over a mile back to Hulls Gulch. Follow Hulls back toward the Foothills Learning Center, cross 8th Street, and take Chickadee Ridge back to Camelsback Park.

Map of Kestrel-Red Cliffs loop from Steve's book, "Boise Trail Guide" 

2. Best for hiking or biking: Jumpin' Jeepers Figure-8 Loop - 6.75 miles. Rated moderate with strenuous sections. Rated intermediate for biking. Hiking time, 2.5-3 hours; running time, 1:20; riding time, 1:10. This is one of my favorite rides in Military Reserve that connects to Shane's Trail. It's an equally nice run or hike. The name comes from the Boise Police Dept. shooting range at the end of Mountain Cove Road. The unexpected blast from a gun might cause you to jump out of your skin! (It's an archery range now, thank goodness!). 

To start, go to the main trailhead on Mountain Cove Road, after the sharp right-hand corner. Take the Toll Road Trail #27A to #20 Ridge Crest and climb to the top of the hill. Turn right on Central Ridge Trail and climb at a moderate pace to Shane's Junction. Take Shane's #26A to the left, and climb to the top of Shane's. You've climbed 1,000 feet over 3+ miles. Give your puppy a drink and a snack. Descend Shane's for less than a mile, turn right on the Shane's Loop and return to the Central Ridge-Bucktail-Shane's jct. Take Bucktail downhill and enjoy the big GS turns as you wind across a big downhill on a large flat. Bucktail drops into the Central Ridge alternative trail. Go right and then left on that and it'll take you back to the trailhead. It's a great view of Idaho's Capital City as you cruise downhill on that sagebrush slope to the trailhead.

Map of Jumpin' Jeepers Figure 8 Loop from Steve's book, "Boise Trail Guide"

3. Best for hiking or biking: Polecat Gulch Loop - NW Foothills. This area was a key new 834-acre open space reserve purchased by the City of Boise in 2002 with funds from the 2001 Foothills Levy. It opened up a great system of trails in an area that had been previously unaccessible because its private land status. The trails in Polecat are more moderate than many in the foothills, so that's another draw. This area also is home to albino mule deer. I've seen them myself!

How to get there: Take Hill Road to N. Collister in NW Boise. Turn north on N. Collister and proceed to the Polecat Trailhead at the end of the road. There is a restroom in the parking lot.

The Polecat Gulch "finger" loop as I call it in my guidebooks, Boise Trail Guide and Mountain Biking in Boise, is approximately 6 miles long. It circumnavigates the whole gulch. I call it a finger loop because the trail snakes around little ridges that extend like a finger from the top of the gulch. It takes about an hour to do the loop on a bike, 1.25 hours for trail-runners, and several hours if you're hiking.

Huck's about to take flight on a windy spring day in the Boise Foothills.

There you have it! 

A couple of other things going on this weekend: 

• Spring skiing at Bogus Basin. Lift tickets are available online if you don't have a season pass. 
• Rivers are rising, if you haven't noticed! Experienced kayakers and surfers are enjoying the play waves at the Boise Whitewater Park and the Payette River would be fun, too. The South Fork and Main Payette are definitely running at boatable levels and rising! 

- SS 

My outdoor tip: 5 mountain bike rides sure to please, plus fresh powder this weekend

Central Ridge trail, Military Reserve

Bitterbrush in full bloom, Military Reserve Park, Boise Foothills

 

Entering Reynolds Creek canyon, courtesy MTB project

Hi all,

I'm sharing my outdoor article in the Idaho Press on five rock-solid mountain bike rides in the Boise area as my tip of the week.

The weather shows it's going to be mostly rainy this weekend and beyond, however, so please save the mountain biking ideas until the trails dry out after the storms.

In the meantime, you might want to go powder skiing this weekend. There's a good chance of up to 6 inches of new snow at Bogus Basin, Brundage Mountain, and Sun Valley. Pomerelle might really get belted with more than a foot ... you can see the latest snow forecasts at Idaho Daily Snow.

Have fun!
- SS  

R2R gives green light to lower foothills trails, spring skiing and Snake River canyon

Two adorable children playing in the sand by Red Cliffs Trail on Thursday.

Walkers and bikers sharing the trails on Red Cliffs Trail ...

Love this view looking down into lower Hulls Gulch from Red Cliffs ...

Bikers: Remember to slow down as you enter congested areas ...

Hi all,

Many peeps who love the Boise foothills trails have been out in force, enjoying this latest string of uncommonly warm weather, with highs in the 60s in the afternoons and close to 70 (?) on Friday. Wow! 

I rode my mountain bike to Sidewinder summit on Tuesday night, and it felt like June out there with the trail being bone-dry, and Huck was overheating. Today, I went for a stroll on lower Hulls and Red Cliffs to take pictures, and I was blown away how warm it felt! Sure feels good after a great ski season to hit the trails! My climbing legs feel pretty good considering it's early in the season. 

Checking on the Ridge to Rivers Facebook page, we have as close to a "green light" to use the lower foothills trails below mid-elevation as we're going to get this time of year. There's a good chance of rain in the valley on Saturday afternoon, so keep an eye on the R2R reports and abide by them, please!!!

Quoting from their post on Thursday, March 6:

"Overall, it appears that trails below the mid and upper elevations in the foothills are mostly good to go right now. Conditions above are still the ones in question. It is a good time to work on doing more traversing in the lower foothills from one trail to another or using 8th St. or Rocky Canyon Rd. if you are going to be doing some significant climbing. ...

As the trail crew has been working on both Crestline and Sidewinder for the past few days, both of these trails and also Red Cliffs, Kestrel, and Lower Hulls all remain good to go right now. If you are getting up higher into the foothills over the next couple of days, please think about posting some reports of your own to help others get a better idea of what is going on out there. With rain in the forecast this Saturday, it's a great time to get out and enjoy these next couple of days. Just do it in the right locations! Happy Trails!"

Huck is Mr. Airplane ears on a windy day at Corral's Summit

Other lower Boise foothills trails worth visiting right now would include:

• Military Reserve Trails 
• Camelsback Trails 
• Table Rock trail itself
• Highlands to the Hollow
• Corrals Trail 
• Highlands Trail 
• Polecat Gulch
• Seaman's Gulch

Here are some spring skiers getting into the party mode! (Courtesy Arapahoe Basin)

 Two other suggestions for Friday and this weekend:

• Spring Skiing! Bogus Basin, Tamarack, Brundage and Sun Valley all have lots of snow. Spring skiing on Friday should be amazing everywhere in SW Idaho because of the warm temps approaching 50 degrees at Bogus tomorrow and mid-40s elsewhere! Wow! Break out the spring skiing garb and have fun with it! 
• Also could go backcountry skiing at Pilot Peak/Sunset Mountain/Freeman Peak or up toward Stanley on Copper Mountain. 
• Xc skiing and snowshoeing is another possibility at the Idaho City Park n Ski Areas or in McCall or Sun Valley. 
• Hiking/biking in the Snake River Canyon - Head south of Kuna or Nampa to visit the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. A friend told me that the birds of prey are doing courtship flight down there, so you can hang out and watch the cliffs for birds with your binoculars or do some hiking or biking at Celebration Park or by Swan Falls Dam. The ride to Wees Bar is one of my favorites. 

  

  Golden eagle on the cliffs in the Morley Nelson Snake River BOPA 

Have a great weekend!
- SS

New trail to Sweet Connie, Stack Rock provides plenty of entertainment

L-R, Doug Lawrence, Steve, Jim Young and Mack Lyons on Stack Rock. 

The new trail to Stack Rock has a number of open vistas on the sunny side of the ridge. Nice for cold-weather conditions.

Hi all,

Several of my mountain bike buddies and I rode the new trail over to Stack Rock last week, and we thought it was a blast!

The new trail provides long-term public access over to Sweet Connie junction, and it takes you on a loop around Stack Rock.

Total trip mileage was 12.3 miles to do the loop around Stack Rock. Vertical gain was 1,107 feet, but it seemed like more than that. Travel time was more than 2 hours with several stops along the way for photo ops at Stack Rock, and lunch at Sweet Connie.

Tracks from Bogus Basin Road. 

I would rate the ride strong intermediate, moderate to strenuous in terms of difficulty.

The new Forest Service trailhead is closed for the season, but you can still access the trail by riding your bike from a right-side pullout along Bogus Basin Road, or from parking elsewhere and riding from the top of the trail.

David Gordon, Ridge to Rivers trail coordinator, laid out the new trail. Thanks Dave! Nice work! And a trail construction crew, Cuddy Mountain Trails out of Cambridge, Idaho, did the trail construction. Ridge to Rivers handled all construction contract oversight.

The new trail is slightly downhill on the way over to Sweet Connie junction, and it's slightly uphill on the way back. There are a number of entertaining features where you thread through some granite pillars and that sort of thing. It's a great trail for hiking, biking and trail-running, and it's open to horseback riding as well.

My GPS didn't capture the full mileage because of tree cover, stops or something ... it's more like 12.3 miles. 

It's a quick 3 miles or so over to Sweet Connie junction, and then you can decide if you'd like to ride counter-clockwise or clockwise on the lolly-pop loop around Stack Rock. We did it clockwise, which means you're going to climb a very strenuous granny-gear pitch in the approach to Stack Rock. But it's super fun the rest of the way. Both ways are doable.

I have a feeling that the new trail is going to make the Sweet Connie descent to the Bogus Basin trailhead, Peggy's Trail or Hidden Springs even more popular in the future.

Enjoy!
- SS

Dry Creek hike in Boise Foothills reveals neat ice patterns, fall color

Huck had a blast sniffing for birds and perching on rocks 

Patches of ice formed interesting patterns in the creek. 

Hi all,

I went hiking with Huck on the Dry Creek trail this week to see if the fall colors were still happening -- and they were in places. But it was a surprising dividend to see some cool shapes and designs in the ice forming in the creek.

We've had low temperatures in the teens and 20s this week, so Dry Creek was definitely covered with ice in flatter portions of the streams and in the beaver ponds. It's supposed to get a little warmer in the days ahead, so I recommend getting out to hike Dry Creek or do the Shingle Creek-Dry Creek Loop before the snow comes and the trail gets mucky.

That's my outdoor tip this week ... get out and enjoy the Boise Foothills trails while you can!

Some sections of the creek were almost completely frozen. 

I also am looking forward to attending the Bogus Basin Ski Education Foundation Ski Swap Friday-Sunday at Expo Idaho this weekend. See the web site for details on selling and buying equipment.

BTW, if it's ski swap time, that means the Warren Miller annual ski movie is coming up! It's scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 21 through Sunday, Nov. 24 at the Egyptian Theater.

A hiker and a jogger cruising up the trail with their dogs 

Now back to the Dry Creek hike ... starting from the trailhead on Bogus Basin Road, you can hike up the creek as far as you want ... On Thursday (today), I hiked about two miles or so up the trail to the Shingle Creek junction, and came back. Going on a mid-week day, I saw only 2 other people on the trail during my hike.

The Dry Creek trail is kind of steep up and down threading through some cool granite goblin-like rocks in the first 1/2 mile, but after the trail drops down by the creek, it's a very pleasant walk up the draw. There are numerous places where you could stop and have a picnic.

Dry Creek-Shingle Creek Loop map (courtesy alltrails.com) 

Remains of a stone house next to a large locust tree that settlers planted.  

Tackling the Dry Creek-Shingle Creek Loop is a much more ambitious endeavor. The route covers 13.8 miles and features 2,221 feet of gain. Nothing too extreme, but it's still a substantial hike with multiple strenuous pitches. That one would take about 5 hours or more, depending on your speed of travel.

Take a walk up there and enjoy the sights! I wondered about the history of a stone house up there ... I would like to know more about the settlers who tried to live up there.

Beaver pond complex was just freezing over. 

Be sure to dress in layers for the hike. You'll warm up and shed most of your layers on the way up the trail, and then cool down for the walk back down. I needed a hat and gloves for my hike. The temperature was in the high 30s, so not all that warm. It is supposed to warm up a bit next week in the afternoons.

Have fun!
- SS

Six all-weather trails in the Boise Foothills when the weather gets wet

Mountain Cove Trail in Military Reserve Park has a new all-weather surface.
Good place to go when things get wet! 

Hi all,

We've been getting some pretty dicy weather lately as we make the transition from fall to winter.

For those in-between days, or times when the trails can get soaked from storms in the Boise Foothills, it's good to know about the all-weather trails available so you can get out on a walk and not worry about causing damage on a muddy trail. You can enjoy yourself GUILT-FREE!

All-weather trails have extra sand and gravel on the surface to absorb moisture and provide a pretty bomb-proof compacted surface. They're all pretty short in distance, and mostly suited to walking, running or a small bike ride.

I noticed the Ridge to Rivers trail crew putting in a new all-weather surface on the Mountain Cove Trail in Military Reserve Park last week. The trail runs for a little less than a mile parallel to Mountain Cove Road, next to Freestone Creek. The trail also connects to Central Ridge, Bucktail, Shanes and more in the Military Reserve complex.   

Mountain Cove Trail is the newest edition to Ridge to Rivers' quiver of all-weather trails. There are five others to consider:

1. Red Fox - Owl's Roost - a 2.2-mile loop from Camelsback to the Foothills Learning Center, suitable for all abilities. Hulls Grove Trail next to Owl's Roost is another all-weather alternative in that area.

Hulls Ponds from Red Fox Trail near Camelsback Park 

2. Harrison Hollow - Slightly less than a mile (one-way), all-weather trail in the hollow behind Highland's Hollow Brew Pub and Healthwise. Super easy trail, very gentle incline.

3. Neighborhood all-weather trails in the Foothills East subdivision off of Shenandoah and Shaw Mountain Road. Beautiful colors in that area right now!

Fall colors are pretty nice in Military Reserve Park right now. 

4. Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Trail #19A  (Table Rock/Castle Rock area) Flat and easy trail for all abilities. 

5. Red-Winged Blackbird #35A (Camelsback Park area) - Flat and easy trail for all abilities. It runs from the Hulls ponds to Chickadee Ridge through a wetlands environment. 

All of the all-weather trails are mostly flat because they're most suitable for the sand-and-gravel compacted treatment, explains David Gordon, manager of the Ridge to Rivers trail system. Steeper trails wouldn't work - they'd be too subject to erosion. 

So keep this list in your hip pocket when needed! 

In the meantime, you might have noticed that Ridge to Rivers has put out some signs related to Happy Trails! The signs are symbolic of a recent campaign by the R2R to encourage trail users to smile and be friendly out on the trails, Gordon says. 

"Realize that you're out on a shared-use trail system, so smile at your fellow trail users and be nice!"

From the etiquette section of Steve's early
mountain bike guides. 

I'm all for it, personally. I think if you're trying to be a good trail ambassador anywhere, you show good trail etiquette and say hi to folks and be friendly when you pass by. For mountain bikers, it helps to slow down and show the walkers and runners respect as you pass by. They appreciate it! 

Here's the R2R web page on Happy Trails for more information and etiquette tips. You can actually take the Happy Trails Pledge! I did it! It took about 15 seconds.  

In the early editions of my Boise Foothills mountain bike guides, I paid an artist to create a drawing (right) to encourage folks to be friendly and courteous on the trails ... Some things are timeless even if they're a little dorky! :) (circa 1992)

- SS 

Sign up for the Boise Trails Challenge! Ride all of the Boise R2R trails in 30 days!

Nick Smith riding near the Boise Ridge - He's ridden all the R2R Trails in a month 3 years in a row ...

Nick Smith and a friend out riding the trails. 

Hi all,

Have you heard about the Boise Trails Challenge? 

I heard about it off-hand in a few casual conversations, and then I saw it on Facebook the other day. The idea is to ride 158 miles, covering 83 trails and 193 trail segments, including nearly all of the Ridge to Rivers trails, in one month. It's a friendly race against the clock. Hook up your Strava device to the Boise Trails Challenge, pay a modest registration fee, and join the fun, all brought to you by BoiseTrails.com.

This year the event is being held from June 21-July 21, so you have a little time to get plugged in! Three-hundred mountain bikers are signed up already! I think the event is open to runners and hikers, too.

Boise realtor Nick Smith, 40, has done it three years in a row, two of them before it became a real event. "My brother and I thought it'd be cool to ride all of the trails as fast as possible in a month," Smith says.

Last year, he did all of the trails in 18 days over 16 rides, covering 281 miles and more than 50,000 vertical feet. Wow! Who needs to go to Moab when you can absolutely work your body riding the rich variety of trails and landscapes right here at home! Smith hit all the trails while balancing his work life and raising three kids.

Apparently, some absolute hard-core competitive racers knocked out the course in several days. Can you imagine?

"I love mountain biking -- it's my favorite thing to do," he says. "I think we're spoiled with the quality of trails that we have in Boise."

What kind of rides have you been doing, lately? Riding Sidewinder-Fat Tire every time you ride? Corrals Loop? Watchman? Let's face it, a lot of people are stuck in a rut, and they're not necessary trying anything new ...

"How many of Boise’s amazing trails have you tried? The Boise Trails Challenge is an annual month-long challenge to complete as many of Boise’s trails as you can during a single month. You’ll discover new favorite trails, break out of your routine, test your endurance, and compete for prizes!"

I see this as a great way to celebrate our trails ... people can sign up, even if they don't think they can do every ride as an incentive to just see what you're capable of!

Smith thinks that strong intermediate riders could do it. He's got a buddy who has mountain biked for for only two years, and he completed the Boise Trails Challenge in 30 days.

The cool thing about participating in the challenge is that the Strava app will sync with the interactive trail map on the BoiseTrails.com web site, and it'll track your progress, and keep you informed as to what trails you have left to cover. After each trail is ridden, the trail segment will fill with a different color than the interactive map to show you're done that one.

I asked Smith about his strategy. He recommends sitting down with a hard copy of the Ridge to Rivers map, and plan out your rides to try to be efficient and avoid duplication. "I sat down and planned when and where I was going to ride," he says.

He tried to vary his rides between super-challenging long hard climbs and easier trails with less climbing. This was Day #1 for him: a 45-mile ride, starting in Camelsback, up Hulls to the motorcycle parking area, down Trail #1 to Bob's, then up Highlands Trail to Corrals, then up Hard Guy to Sheep Camp to Dry Creek, then up Sweet Connie to Eastside, part of Around the Mountain Trail and down the ridge road back to Boise ... I might have missed a few things in there, but man, that's one heck of a day's ride!

"It's a fun way to explore Boise," Smith says. "I just want to improve on my time from last year. I'm competing pretty much against myself."

Prizes: All participants will receive wool Boise Trails socks ($18 retail value), and finishers and winners will get even more stuff, and there are random prizes and drawings, too.

I highly recommend the Boise Trails Challenge! I personally would like to try it, and even if you don't want to try to do all the trails in a month, set your own goal and try to cover all 158 miles at your own pace. Just to knock out all the trails in one summer season would be impressive as well!

Sometimes it takes a big goal to improve your fitness, get stronger, maybe lose some weight, and earn it the hard way by taking on the mountain! The mountains don't care, I notice, how fast you go or how you're feeling that day. They are the great equalizer!
- SS