Boise Foothills trails are wet and slurpy - 7 alternative destinations where you can avoid the mud!

It's fun to look for birds, ducks and waterfowl at the Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve in west Boise. 

Hi all,

Well it's been wet and soggy in Boise lately, and even though we're going to be drying out over the next week to 10 days under a High Pressure weather system, most of the Boise Foothills trails will continue to be muddy in the afternoons when temperatures rise well above freezing into the mid-40s.

Photos from the Ridge to Rivers Facebook page tell the story. Come on people!  

Please! If the trail is muddy, try one of my alternative destinations below ... 

My outdoor tip this week focuses on five-plus destinations where you can walk, trail-run or perhaps even mountain bike on all-weather trails in Boise and the Eagle areas. These are trails that have been graveled for winter or mud-season use or they are sandy, graveled trails naturally. All of these trails are featured in my Boise Trail Guide: 95 Hiking and Running Routes Close to Home. Hint: I will give away a free book on 94.9 FM the River Friday morning with Ken and Deb at about 7:40 a.m.

Overview of one of the ponds at Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve.
The area doubles a stormwater runoff filtering system. 

1. Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve - This is a great walking destination in west Boise off of Chinden and Marigold, McMillan and Maple Grove. Running is OK here, but no bikes or dogs. Wendy and I went there yesterday and counted 20 species of birds and ducks in an hour. You'll hear the familiar call of red-winged blackbirds as you walk into the 44-acre reserve, and there are multiple species of waterfowl in the ponds surrounded by cat-tails and wetland vegetation. We saw Canada geese, northern shovelers, common mergansers, common coots, ring-necked ducks, lesser scaup, buffleheads, and great blue herons in the ponds or on the shore next to the ponds. This is a great place to see wildlife and enjoy a casual walk while doing so. The trails are sandy and graveled for all-season use. Bring your binoculars and camera! Note: No dogs are allowed in the park to benefit the wildlife.    

The trailhead in Eagle Island State Park is by an old dairy farm,
with the Boise Front and Bogus Basin the background. 

Huck sniffs for birds on my walk in Eagle Island State Park. Trails are easy and scenic. 

2. Eagle Island State Park - The river trail along the north and south channels of the Boise River are sandy and rocky, so this is a nice place to go for a walk during mud-season. People are also tubing and boarding on the snowy hill provided in the park for those activities. You can do a 5-mile loop by hiking both channels of the river inside park. Watch for bald eagles, Great blue herons, mallards, geese, kingfishers and other species on your walk. Bring your binoculars. Hopefully you have an annual parks pass ($10 per vehicle per year) to avoid the day use fee! The park is west of Eagle on Idaho 44. Follow signs to the park.

Fabulous quiet place for a walk or trail-run in East Boise. 

3. Bethine Church Riverwalk + walking trail to Barber Park on the south side of the Boise River - Take a beautiful walk going east from the Cottonwood Apartments off of River Run and ParkCenter Boulevard out to Barber Park. It's about 3 miles one-way. You can shuttle a vehicle out to Barber Park or do an out-and-back (recommended). Watch for bald eagles, Great blue herons, wood ducks, mallards, geese, kingfishers and other species on your walk. Keep track of your species. Carry binoculars, a camera, water and snacks.

Nice quiet spot for reading or contemplation.
You can walk your bike through the area, but no biking is allowed. 

Try the all-weather trails recommended by Ridge to Rivers in the Boise Foothills.

4. Mountain Cove Trail in Military Reserve Park. 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, but those trails are likely to be muddy right now, so don't count on doing a big loop.     

5. 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 

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

7. 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. 

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 

Five destinations close to home for hiking all-weather trails in greater Boise area

It's fun to look for birds, ducks and waterfowl at the Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve in west Boise.
Wendy is a bird expert, so it's cool to learn about songbirds when you go on a walk with her. 

Dogs have a great time in Harrison Hollow, chasing each other in the dog-friendly reserve.
The Harrison Hollow trail is one of the most popular all-weather trails in Boise.  

Hi all,

Well it's been a wet and soggy February in Boise ... they're calling it "Februburied" in the mountains, and I'm sure many people have seen the pics of people's homes getting buried in snow in Cascade, McCall and Wood River Valley areas ... quite the epic month in terms of precipitation.

The weather is forecast to clear this weekend. Sunshine is forecast in the Boise area on Friday-Monday, with high temperatures in the mid-40s and lows in the mid-20s for the beginning of March. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to soak up some sunshine!

My outdoor tip this week focuses on five-plus destinations where you can walk, trail-run or perhaps even mountain bike on all-weather trails in Boise and the Eagle areas. These are trails that have been graveled for winter or mud-season use or they are sandy, graveled trails naturally. All of these trails are featured in my Boise Trail Guide: 95 Hiking and Running Routes Close to Home. Hint: I will give away a free book on 94.9 FM the River Friday morning with Ken and Deb at about 7:40 a.m.

While you're out enjoying these trails, watch for birds and wildlife. After Feb. 1, birds of prey and even crows begin engaging in courtship flight, which can be really cool to see as the males and females try to impress each other prior to mating. Songbirds are moving back into the valley after migrating south, so you'll start seeing robins, red-winged blackbirds, gold finches and other songbirds on your outings.

Overview of one of the ponds at Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve. The area doubles a stormwater runoff filtering system. 

Now, for the destinations with all-weather trails:

1. Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve - This is a great walking destination in west Boise off of Chinden and Marigold, McMillan and Maple Grove. Running is OK here, but no bikes. Wendy and I went there yesterday and counted 20 species of birds and ducks in an hour. You'll hear the familiar call of red-winged blackbirds as you walk into the 44-acre reserve, and there are multiple species of waterfowl in the ponds surrounded by cat-tails and wetland vegetation. We saw Canada geese, northern shovelers, common mergansers, common coots, ring-necked ducks, lesser scaup, buffleheads, and great blue herons in the ponds or on the shore next to the ponds. Also saw several species of sparrows, lesser goldfinches, Oregon juncos, and house finches. This is a great place to see wildlife and enjoy a casual walk while doing so. The trails are sandy and graveled for all-season use. Bring your binoculars and camera! Note: No dogs are allowed in the park to benefit the wildlife.   

The general scene in the Harrison Hollow gulch ... the trail is easy for all abilities. 

2. Harrison Hollow all-weather trail - This is a great place for dog-lovers to take a walk and let your dog run around and play with other dogs. The trailhead is next to Harrison Hollow restaurant and Healthwise off of Bogus Basin Road. The all-weather trail goes for about a mile. The trail up the ridge spine to the east of the hollow is quite sandy and qualifies for all-weather use most of the time. Please pick up after your pets while you're out enjoying Harrison Hollow. Harrison Hollow Trail #57 (see trail on R2R interactive map) 

The trailhead in Eagle Island State Park is by an old dairy farm, with the Boise Front in the background. 

Huck sniffs for birds on my walk in Eagle Island State Park. Trails are easy and scenic. 

3. Eagle Island State Park - The river trail along the north and south channels of the Boise River are sandy and rocky, so this is a nice place to go for a walk during mud-season. People are also tubing and boarding on the snowy hill provided in the park for those activities. You can do a 5-mile loop by hiking both channels of the river inside park. Watch for bald eagles, Great blue herons, mallards, geese, kingfishers and other species on your walk. Bring your binoculars. Hopefully you have an annual parks pass ($10 per vehicle per year) to avoid the day use fee! The park is west of Eagle on Idaho 44. Follow signs to the park.

Fabulous quiet place for a walk or trail-run in East Boise. 

4. Bethine Church Riverwalk + walking trail to Barber Park on the south side of the Boise River - Take a beautiful walk going east from the Cottonwood Apartments off of River Run and ParkCenter Boulevard out to Barber Park. It's about 3 miles one-way. You can shuttle a vehicle out to Barber Park or do an out-and-back (recommended). Watch for bald eagles, Great blue herons, wood ducks, mallards, geese, kingfishers and other species on your walk. Keep track of your species. Carry binoculars, a camera, water and snacks.

Nice quiet spot for reading or contemplation. You can walk your bike through the area, but no biking is allowed. 

5. Try a sample of the all-weather trails recommended by Ridge to Rivers in the Boise Foothills.

The Shoshone-Bannock trail is over at the foot of Castle Rock and Table Rock and the others are over by Camelsback Park in the North End of Boise. 

·         Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Trail #19A  (Table Rock area)   

·         Red Fox Trail #36 (Camelsback Park area) 

·         Gold Finch #35 (Camelsback Park area) 

·         Owls Roost #37 (Camelsback Park area) 

·         Hulls Pond Loop #34 (Camelsback Park area) 

·         The Grove #38 (Camelsback Park area) 

·         Red-Winged Blackbird #35A (Camelsback Park area) 

Please give the rest of the Ridge to Rivers trails a break until the trails dry out in warmer and drier weather yet to come! See latest conditions on the Ridge to Rivers Facebook page. 

Have fun! 

- SS