Super Duper spring weekend coming up! Two hikes and Wilson Creek bike ride in the Owyhee Canyonlands + Spring Skiing!

Stopping to check out the cool rock formations along Bingo's Trail, #500,
heading over to Reynolds Creek Canyon. Paul Hilding enjoys the views. 

Hi all, 

Similar to last week's weather, we are seeing warm afternoon temperatures rising a bit more each day to a big crescendo on the weekend. This week, that situation is especially true, with a high temperature of 75 forecast on Friday, 80 degrees on Saturday and 77 on Sunday! WOW! 

Looks like a great weekend to do just about anything outdoors! 

For my outdoor tip of the week, I'm recommending a two hikes and a mountain bike ride in the Owyhee Canyonlands, the last weekend of spring skiing at Tamarack Resort (closing at the end of day, Sunday, April 4), the next-to-last weekend of spring skiing at Bogus Basin, Brundage Mountain and Sun Valley (all closing April 11), and lower Boise Foothills trails.

A few key points from Ridge to Rivers when visiting Boise Foothills trails: 

A few key points to remember:

1) The trails are busy with lots of folks looking for the same experience you are - happiness and relaxation in the Foothills. As such spring time is the perfect opportunity to take the Happy Trails Pledge: https://www.ridgetorivers.org/happy-trails/

2) As you venture higher into the Foothills, you will still encounter sections of muddy trail. Remember to travel through these, not around them so that you don't widen the trails. And please turn around if you encounter longer stretches of mud - there are lots of dry opportunities available in the lower and mid-Foothills.

3) Trail crews and Adopt-A-Trail groups are out maintaining trails now. Please slow down and say hello when you encounter these folks - they are working hard for you.

Enjoy the beautiful spring weather!

Lower-elevation trails in the Owyhee Canyonlands are in great shape right now. A lot of people have been flocking to Wilson Creek for hiking and biking, which is a fine idea. Here's a blow-by-blow description riding the Wilson Creek Northwest Passage Loop, starting from the lower trailhead on Wilson Creek Road. This trail is a strong intermediate/advanced ride, 16.25 total mileage, ride time is 3+ hours, depending on length of stops for lunch, snacks and scenic locations.

Two other locations that I'd recommend in the Owyhees are Succor Creek State Park and climbing Three Fingers nearby. Both of these areas are featured in my guidebook to the Owyhee Canyonlands.

Succor Creek State Park is a popular spot, about 30 minutes from Homedale, Idaho, for families and kids to do a little hiking, exploring caves, checking out the creek and hanging out. You can camp there overnight. Get there early if you want a spot!

Things look quite interesting as you approach Succor Creek State Park. 

Drew had fun with us exploring Succor Creek. Note how the creek is at flood stage. 

Climbing Three Fingers is an easy hike for families and kids. This could be a side trip while you're camping at Succor Creek park, or a day trip destination. You'll continue driving past Succor Creek park for several miles up a hill, and then turn right at an unsigned right-hand junction. Follow that dirt road toward the top, and you'll see a two-track road appear on the left side of McIntyre Ridge Road. This is your two-track trail leading to the top of Three Fingers mountain.

Distance is 2.4 miles round-trip. 833 feet of vertical gain. Time required is about 1.5 hours, depending on how long you hang out on top. We found that it's possible to hike into the trough of the middle finger area for a cool place to hang out and enjoy the view. There was a little notebook inside a canister in that area. Make a note about your group so you can enjoy seeing that in a few years from now.

The two-track trail to Three Fingers 

Great views of "The Big Wide Open" from the top of Three Fingers. 

Three Fingers when dressed in velvety green (courtesy Summit Post) 

Have fun and enjoy the sunshine! Don't forget the sun screen!

- SS

Crisp fall weekend on tap - great time to hike in the Owyhee Canyonlands!

Have you climbed Three Fingers in the Owyhees? 

Hi all, 

Boy, it's getting downright nippy this weekend! Fall is definitely getting a grip on Idaho! I'm seeing a possibility of snow showers in McCall and Stanley on Saturday, and low temperatures in the single digits! Sounds like a great forecast for elk hunting in the mountains. 

But if you were interested in going out for a nice hike, I'd recommend heading for the Owyhee Canyonlands. I'm seeing high temperatures in the 50s for Homedale, which is just 30 minutes from Succor Creek State Park, and a high of 60 in Grand View, at the beginning of the Owyhee Backcountry Byway. 

Picking just a few of my favorite hikes from my Owyhee Canyonlands adventure guide, I'd recommend Browns Canyon near Oreana, visiting Succor Creek State Park, Climbing Three Fingers near Succor Creek, or visiting Leslie Gulch, one of the most scenic locations in the Owyhee Canyonlands tucked inside the Oregon border. 

Browns Canyon 

1. Brown's Canyon Overland Tour, Owyhee Front, near Oreana. Distance: 5.2 miles. Difficulty: Moderate. Travel time: 3+ hours. This is an interesting hike in the sagebrush and rocks of the Owyhee Front until you come across Brown's Canyon, a hidden jewel. In my Owyhee Canyonlands guidebook, I detail a hike inside the slot canyons of Brown's Canyon, and a hike that goes around the slot canyon (thereby avoiding cold, deep-water pools) but you can still see it from above.

How to get there: Take I-84 East to Simco Road. Turn south on the highway to Grand View. Turn right on Idaho 78 in Grandview and head for the tiny old town of Oreana. There's a sign on the highway for a left-hand turn into town near MP 43. Make a note of your odometer. Drive down the hill straight into town, go past the old church (2.25 miles from the highway) and go straight on the Oreana Loop Road until it takes a hard left. Make the corner and take an immediate right on Alder Creek Road. Follow the bumpy dirt road six miles to a signed right-hand turnoff for BLM Road 700. Proceed down the grade to an old corral at a two-way junction. Park. The hike starts here.

Drewby liked Browns Canyon 

The Hike: Go west on BLM Road 700 and climb a moderate grade over to a bluff that overlooks Browns Canyon. At mile 1.4, bear right on a two-track and drop down to the Browns Creek draw. This is a pretty area that's full of shrubs and aspens. The first slot canyon with blondish rock begins at mile 1.7. Cross over to the left side of the draw, as you go downstream, and walk overland through the blond rocks staying above the canyon. You'll break out into an open sage flat at mile 2.0. When the next slot canyon begins, climb up the slope to the left until you reach the top of the rim, and then hike along the rim as close as you feel comfortable to check out the slot canyon as you move along. In a half mile, the canyon breaks open by a draw, and you'll need to lose elevation. Hike into the bottom of the gully and climb back on top of the rim. There's a nice overlook when you reach the top again at mile 3. Continue on the left side of the canyon until you come to the dirt road crossing, and then turn right onto the dirt road at mile 3.6.  Follow the road to mile 4.0 at a two-way junction. Turn right again at a fence gate, and follow the two-track road (BLM Road #710)  back to the trailhead. Feel free to explore Antelope Springs along the way. It's another tight canyon.  

Wendy at Succor Creek 

2. Visit Succor Creek State Park - Succor Creek State Park lies in the bottom of an incised canyon, surrounded by cool rock features left over from rhyiolite and basalt lava flows that occurred many millions of years ago. There aren't many official trails in the area, but cross-country hiking is a great way to explore it. Kids will enjoy the caves, in particular, and playing around by the creek.

We started our outing with a casual walk along Succor Creek. We walked a half mile downstream before we got cliffed out and had to turn around. Near the pedestrian bridge that goes across the creek in the campground, there is a small slot canyon you can explore. There's also a jeep trail that climbs above the slot canyon and provides a nice view of the campground below. We could peer into the slot canyon and walk along the top of the rim as far as we wished. Up on top, you could climb much higher if you wanted to get a huge view of the Owyhee Mountains.

We saw at least 10 different caves that one could explore. A very large cave lies next to Succor Creek Road. It has a big dirt floor and there were some small animal bones and such that we found inside.

How to get there: Take I-84 to the last exit in Nampa. Take ID 55 west toward Marsing. Turn right on Chicken Dinner Road, then left on Homedale Road, and go to Homedale. Follow State Highway 19 west of Homedale, and then Highway 201 in Oregon, to a signed turnoff for Succor Creek State Park on the left. Follow the good dirt road to Succor Creek State Park, it's about 20-30 minutes to the park from the highway. 

Hike to Three Fingers 

The dirt road access for Three Fingers is a few miles south of Succor Creek State Park. A good all-wheel-drive vehicle with high clearance is recommended for this trip, but it's not that gnarly of a road (when it's dry). A Subaru Outback should be fine, too. Watch for a right-hand turn after climbing the grade south of Succor Creek State Park. Turn right on the primitive road, and continue 3.9 miles on the dirt road to "the trailhead" for Three Fingers, a high point in the road. You'll see a steep two-track headed to the west over a hill. There is a fiber optic cable post across the road at this spot. I parked my Ford F-250 in a pullout and hiked from there.

It's about 1.2 miles to the top of Three Fingers from the trailhead, or 2.4 miles total. Bring a lunch and some water to enjoy on the summit. You can't see Three Fingers from the trailhead, but you'll see it on the dirt road as you're approaching it. It's a basalt cap on top of a grassy knoll with three distinctive knobby fingers.

From the trailhead, we followed the two-track ruts to the top of the first ridge at .3 miles. From there, a grand view of the Owyhee Plateau opened up before our eyes. The two-track bends to the north toward Three Fingers. We cruised over there, and then followed footpaths toward a gap behind the rock between the first finger and the second finger. Sure enough, it was possible to scramble to the top from there. I had to lift my puppy over a few steep spots, but a dog should be fine on the hike.

Once on top, we could see for more than 50 miles in all directions. We discovered several unexpected pleasures on our trip. First, my friend Norm spied a gold eagle nest on the backside of Three Fingers. With the binoculars, he could see an eagle chick in the nest. There might have been more chicks in the nest, yet to hatch.

Bones for Huck to sniff 

The second thing was that someone has placed a silver canister at the summit of the first finger containing a number of notebooks inside. Several summit journals contain people's thoughts over the last 10 years. That's pretty cool. I made a few notes in one of the notebooks.

If you've got a copy handy, bring along Roadside Geology of Idaho by David Alt and Donald Hyndman in your day pack. It's a great reference for a hike in the Owyhees. It explains the rhyolite volcanic eruptions and the oozing basalt lava flows that shaped that countryside. It's pretty easy to imagine those events when you're sitting in a catbird seat on Three Fingers, enjoying a quiet moment surrounded by the beauty of nature.

Enjoy the Owyhees! 
- SS 

Discover scenic Sage Creek canyon in the Owyhee Canyonlands

Ready my story to learn more about the unique geology in Sage Creek canyon.

One of several waterfalls that you'll encounter in Sage Creek canyon.

Hi all,

My outdoor tip of the week is about a super scenic and secluded discovery hike in Sage Creek canyon, near Succor Creek State Park, just west of Homedale, Idaho, in Eastern Oregon. Wendy and I visited Sage Creek canyon about 10 days ago. It's one of our favorite early-season Owyhee hikes because it's readily accessible from a well-graveled dirt road.

Here's my trip report as detailed in an outdoors feature story for the Idaho Press. The trailhead is about 1.5 hours (driving-time) from Boise.

February is not too early to be thinking about hiking and exploring the Owyhee Canyonlands. In general, wait for a few days of dry weather before going out there to avoid muddy roads, etc. See more in my book, The Owyhee Canyonlands: An Outdoor Adventure Guide. 

The scene as you approach the bottom of Sage Creek canyon.

Have fun!
- SS

No new snow ... might as well try winter hiking in the Owyhee Canyonlands

Moon rise in Leslie Gulch (courtesy todaysphoto.com) 

Leslie Gulch is a paradise for hiking and scenery

The view coming into Succor Creek State Park 

Some of the caves at Succor Creek Park 

View from the upper deck of Succor Creek, looking across at McIntyre Ridge.
That's Steve walking with son Drew a few years ago ...  

My boys Drew and Quinn on the China Ditch Trail in Reynolds Creek 

Hi all,

Winter weather seems to have turned into the "off" mode lately, and it's been getting pretty darn balmy in the afternoon, with temperatures at least in the mid-40s, if not higher. Seems like the higher you go, the warmer it gets. And this is still January?

So if you're sick of skiing the groomers, and you're not heading up to the McCall Winter Carnival, consider taking the family or your friends out to the Owyhee Canyonlands for a little hiking adventure! This week, I'll recommend several hikes close to home. All of them come from my latest guide, The Owyhee Canyonlands: An Outdoor Adventure Guide. 

Please note that the trails in the lower Boise Foothills are extremely muddy and they're getting hammered in a bad way. See the latest trail update. Please stay off muddy trails!

Before we get into the hikes, remember to dress in layers for your hiking adventure. It might be chilly in the morning, but by the afternoon, you'll be peeling layers. Bring a light backpack for extra clothes, food and water. Also remember a hat and mittens.

Just so you know, all of these hikes listed below can be accessed with a Subaru-type vehicle. Venturing off into secondary roads in the Owyhees without a full-on 4WD could be a bad move right now. The ground is pretty soft because of the freezing and thawing and recent rainfall.

The hikes:

• Wilson Creek-Reynold Creek Loop - This is a 7.4-mile hike in the Owyhee Front, south of Nampa, about 45 minutes from Boise. You take ID 45 south of Nampa toward Murphy. Cross the Snake River, turn right and head for Marsing. Watch for Wilson Creek Road on the left. Take Wilson Creek Road to the BLM trailhead for Trail #300 on the left side of the road. Follow Trail #300 over to a junction with a dirt road. Go left on Road #410 and follow that over to the China Ditch Trail #600 in Reynolds Creek canyon. This is the best part of the hike. Go upcanyon on Trail #600 and enjoy the redrock canyon of Reynolds Creek. Good place for lunch. When the canyon opens up, you'll see a junction with Trail #510, which heads back over to the junction with Trail #400. Take that trail back to the parking lot.
  
• Succor Creek State Park - Multiple hikes can be done from Succor Creek State Park, just across the border in Eastern Oregon. It's a great place for kids and families. It has a rest room, and you could camp overnight there if you want. There is hiking to the east behind the camping area, or you can explore caves across the road, or hike above the caves to McIntyre Ridge and get a great view of the whole area. Getting there: Take I-84 west to the ID 55 exit in Nampa. Follow ID 55 west toward Marsing. Turn right on Chicken Dinner Road, and then left on Homedale Road to go to Homedale. Drive through town and go west on Highway 19 and Oregon 201 to a signed turnoff for Succor Creek State Park on the left. It's 16 miles of gravel road to the park.
  
• Leslie Gulch - It should be a nice weekend to explore Leslie Gulch, one of the most scenic parts of the Owyhee Canyonlands, considering it's the end of January. By going now, you can beat the rush of people who normally go there in late March, April and May. You could go there for a day trip or camp overnight, your choice. Getting there: Take I-84 west to the ID 55 exit in Nampa. Follow ID 55 west to Marsing. West of Marsing, turn left on U.S. 95 and go south about 16 miles to a signed turnoff for Leslie Gulch. Follow signs to reach the park. It's 22 miles from the highway. Allow two hours from Boise to get there. In Leslie Gulch, you can hike around on the cool rock honeycombs with the kids, or a do a little more serious hike up Juniper Gulch to the top of Yellow Jacket.  

Have fun!
- SS

Some spring camping suggestions for Spring Break in the desert country of SW Idaho

Here's Steve enjoying the view atop the Bruneau Dunes 

Cool rock formations to explore at Succor Creek State Natural Area. 

Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area 

Leslie Gulch 

Steens Mountain from a distance 

Hi all,

With the mercury heading into the 60s next week, it's a perfect time to plan a spring family camping trip during Spring Break. After a couple of cooler days this weekend, it's supposed to warm up to the 60s by Tuesday in Boise, and in the lower-elevation desert locations in SW Idaho, it could be even warmer. In fact, it's supposed to be nearly as warm in SW Idaho next week as it is in Moab, Utah. Time to load up the truck and go!

Here are some suggested camping destinations with possible side activities that you can enjoy while you're there:

• Bruneau Dunes State Park - South of Mountain Home on Highway 51, Bruneau Dunes is a great place to camp, hike around on the dunes, and star-gaze. Call ahead for reservations. The park has the tallest single-structured sand dune in North America, rising 470 feet above the desert floor. Great views of the Snake River Valley from the top of the dunes. Take gators to keep sand out of your boots during the hike.   
• Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area - Go south of Kuna to Swan Falls Dam, drive downriver on the north side of the canyon on a bumpy dirt road and find a primitive campsite. Self-support camping. Bring your binoculars and your bird book ... there are more than 800 pairs of birds of prey that nest in the canyon.
• Celebration Park - Go south of Nampa on Idaho 45 to the Snake River and turn left to reach Celebration Park. The county's web site has detailed driving directions. It's a great place for a day trip or an overnight camping trip. The park has camping services and rest rooms. Celebration Park is Idaho's only archaeology park. It contains boulders with petroglyphs dating to 10,000 years ago, and park geology provides lessons about the Bonneville Flood.
• Succor Creek State Natural Area - A great place to go spring camping, south and west of Homedale. I've written about Succor Creek before, describing some beautiful day-hiking opportunities from the park and camping areas. No developed services, but there is a rest room at the park. You also could climb Three Fingers while you're in the 'hood, or go explore Sage Creek, just before you arrive at the park. 
• Leslie Gulch - Best accessed from U.S. 95, south of Marsing, Leslie Gulch is a wonderful place to visit in the spring for hiking and camping. The area also has a boat ramp and access to Owyhee Reservoir if you'd like to do a boat-and-hike trip to secret canyons inaccessible by road. The spectacular rock formations reminiscent of Southern Utah in Leslie Gulch are the big draw. Self-support camping with direct access to rest rooms.
• Steens Mountain - Located south of Burns, OR, you can see the giant hulk of Steens Mountain from a long distance away. You can do a loop tour of Steens Mountain from the quaint little town of Frenchglen, or camp on the Alvord Desert side of the mountain, where you could camp by a lake or hit Alvord Hot Springs as a side trip. Another nearby amenity is the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. A lot of folks go birding at Malheur and then camp at Steens.              

There you have it! Have a great Spring Break.
-SS

Three Fingers Rock is an easy hike for families and kids in Eastern Oregon

Reading people's thoughts about being on top of Three Fingers

Three Fingers (courtesy Summit Post)

The Big Wide Open

Looking toward Owyhee Reservoir to the west (and Norm Nelson)

A bighorn sheep skull

Between the fingers

Three Fingers from a distance (note two-track trail to the right)

Heading over the first ridge

Unmarked trailhead

Trip map (click to enlarge)

Hi all,

The weather looks promising for a desert outing this weekend. No rain is in the forecast, can you believe that? So it'd be a good time to venture out for a hike in the Owyhee desert.

As part of an ongoing series of sneak-peeks at new hiking and biking routes that we'll be including in a forthcoming guidebook on the Owyhee Canyonlands, I would recommend heading for Three Fingers Rock near Homedale, Idaho.

The dirt road access for Three Fingers is a little ways past Succor Creek State Park. A good all-wheel-drive vehicle with high clearance is recommended for this trip, but it's not that gnarly of a road. A Subaru Outback should be fine, too.

How to get there: Take I-84 to the last exit in Nampa. Take ID 55 west toward Marsing. Turn right on Chicken Dinner Road, then left on Homedale Road, and go to Homedale. Follow State Highway 19 west of Homedale, and then Highway 201 in Oregon, to a signed turnoff for Succor Creek State Park on the left. Head south on the dirt road. It's 21 miles to the unsigned turnoff to reach Three Fingers. You'll go past Succor Creek State Park (a possible camping location for the weekend), and it's the first major right-hand turn after the park at a saddle. It's 3.9 miles on the dirt road to "the trailhead" for Three Fingers, a high point in the road, where you'll see a steep two-track headed to the west over a hill. There is a fiber optic cable post across the road at this spot. I parked my Ford F-250 in a pullout and hiked from there.

It's about 1.2 miles to the top of Three Fingers from the trailhead, or 2.4 miles total. Bring a lunch and some water to enjoy on the summit. You can't see Three Fingers from the trailhead, but you'll see it on the dirt road as you're approaching it. It's a basalt cap on top of a grassy knoll with three distinctive knobby fingers.

From the trailhead, we followed the two-track ruts to the top of the first ridge at .3 miles. From there, a grand view of the Owyhee Plateau opened up before our eyes. The two-track bends to the north toward Three Fingers. We cruised over there, and then followed footpaths toward a gap behind the rock between the first finger and the second finger. Sure enough, it was possible to scramble to the top from there. I had to lift my puppy over a few steep spots, but a dog should be fine on the hike.

Once on top, we could see for more than 50 miles in all directions. Three Fingers Gulch below looks very intriguing, and I plan to hike that draw down to Owyhee Reservoir to see what kinds of treasures can be found there. Looking through the binoculars, we saw some very cool rock formations near the reservoir. My buddy Norm thought it was Leslie Gulch, but I am quite sure it's not, giving that Leslie Gulch is a number of miles to the south of Three Fingers Gulch. We will have to go there and see.

We discovered several unexpected pleasures on our trip. First, Norm spied a gold eagle nest on the backside of Three Fingers. With the binoculars, he could see an eagle chick in the nest. There might have been more chicks in the nest, yet to hatch.

The second thing was that someone has placed a silver canister at the summit of the first finger containing a number of notebooks inside. Several summit journals contain people's thoughts over the last 10 years. That's pretty cool. I made a few notes in one of the notebooks.

If you've got a copy handy, bring along Roadside Geology of Idaho by David Alt and Donald Hyndman in your day pack. It's a great reference for a hike in the Owyhees. It explains the rhyolite volcanic eruptions and the oozing basalt lava flows that shaped that countryside. It's pretty easy to imagine those events when you're sitting in a catbird seat on Three Fingers, enjoying a quiet moment surrounded by the beauty of nature.

Three Fingers isn't that far from Leslie Gulch if you'd like to consider camping out at Leslie Gulch for the weekend. As I mentioned, Succor Creek is a good camping spot as well. The only downside with Succor Creek is that sometimes I have seen so many OHV users in that park, a non-motorized group might feel a bit overwhelmed. On our way back to Homedale two weeks ago, I saw an adult male doing donuts on an ATV in the main portion of the park. People ought to know better than that. Too bad Oregon doesn't have a camp host at the park. They need one.

FYI - A big campout is planned at Leslie Gulch April 13-15 with the Idaho Outdoors Yahoo Group people, including trip leader Leo Hennessy and group moderator Owen Jones, who has a power boat that will shuttle people to canyon hikes from the reservoir. Leo says he's got over 65 people signed up so far. Should be a big party! Better get there early to find a decent camping spot!

Have fun!
- SS

Try Succor Creek State Park for hiking, camping and exploring, near Homedale, Idaho

Drew Stuebner, 12, on top of the rim above Succor Creek State Park

Drew and Dad head back to the park

Steve and Drew

Wendy checks out the slot canyon

Slot canyon from below

Succor Creek was bank-full

There are lots of caves to explore in the rocks

Drew found a mysterious bone ...

Rhyolite spires punctuate the view

Downriver view of Succor Creek

The view approaching the park ...

Hi all,

I'm doing research for a new guidebook on the Owyhee Canyonlands this spring, summer and fall, so you will see occasional blog posts about my trips. Last Sunday, I took my son Drew and Wendy out to Succor Creek State Park, a natural area about 30 minutes from Homedale, Idaho.

The park is very scenic. It has hiking opportunities, caves to explore, campsites, a rest room and picnic areas. The area appears to be popular with off-highway vehicles as well. Camping is free, but it's a self-support situation. Bring your own water, food and supplies.

Succor Creek State Park lies in the bottom of an incised canyon, surrounded by cool rock features left over from rhyiolite and basalt lava flows that occurred many millions of years ago. There aren't many official trails in the area, but cross-country hiking is a great way to explore it. Kids will enjoy the caves, in particular, and playing around by the creek.

Directions: Take I-84 to the Idaho 55/Karcher Road exit (last Nampa exit). Go west on ID 55 to Chicken Dinner Road (before the big curve to the left and Sunnyslope wineries). Turn right and go one mile to Homedale Road. Turn left and drive through Homedale. Take Idaho Highway 19 six miles to a signed left-hand turnoff for Succor Creek Road. You'll see a sign for Succor Creek State Park. Go 16 miles on the dirt road to the state park natural area.

We started our outing with a casual walk along Succor Creek, which is raging right now! Snowpack levels were 178 percent of normal in the Owyhee Mountains this year, so there is plenty of water out there, that's for sure. We walked a half mile downstream before we got cliffed out and had to turn around.

Near the pedestrian bridge that goes across the creek in the campground, there is a small slot canyon you can explore. Because my younger son, Drew, isn't that skilled in scaling a slot canyon, we walked up a jeep trail a short ways up the hill, and then walked cross-country to the rim that lords above the campground. We could peer into the slot canyon and walk along the top of the rim as far as we wished. Up on top, you could climb much higher if you wanted to get a huge view of the Owyhee Mountains.

We saw at least 10 different caves that one could explore. A very large cave lies next to Succor Creek Road. It has a big dirt floor and there were some small animal bones and such that we found inside.

It also would be interesting to explore Antelope Springs Road by mountain bike. This is a dirt road that takes off up the hill from the state park natural area. Maps show that the road goes all the way back to Homedale. Maybe there's a loop that can be done?

If you go south of Succor Creek State Park, the Succor Creek Road connects to Leslie Gulch, Three Fingers Rock and some other areas worth exploring. Here's a video from one motorist. So, it's possible to camp one night at Succor Creek, camp the next night in Leslie Gulch, etc. The only catch is that Succor Creek is a dirt road, so be sure to watch the weather for wet weather. You could get stuck out there.

-SS

Steve shares his weekly outdoor tips with Ken and Tim on 94.9 FM The River each Friday morning at approximately 7:10 a.m. If you miss the program, you can hear the segments on River Interactive.com.