Snow situation looking ahead to Thanksgiving, Christmas tree permits, Steelhead in the Boise River

I took this pic on Tuesday on the River Run side of Bald Mountain in Sun Valley.

Hi all, 

The snow situation leading up to Thanksgiving next week is looking a bit thin, according to the weather forecasts, and on-the-ground conditions in the mountains. 

I did an update last night on the Idaho Daily Snow on opensnow.com, and this was my summary:

"Much-needed cooler temperatures since Tuesday are allowing Idaho's ski areas to make snow in hopes of a Thanksgiving opening. The next storm on Thursday night-Friday offers some glimmer of hope, with 4-7" possible at Tamarack and Brundage, and 6" at Schweitzer, Silver and Lookout. Sun Valley and Bogus Basin are forecast to get 1-2." Another storm next week may bring another 3-8." 

However, the weather/snow forecasts for the Thursday night/Friday/Saturday storm event vary quite a bit, and the quantity of snow associated with that storm event may not be as much as predicted. See the Idaho Daily Snow to see the snow forecast maps and details. There's another snow storm coming next Tuesday, but it may not have much quantity.

The upshot is that the ski areas with robust snow-making equipment will have the best chance of providing some skiing/snowboarding on Thanksgiving Day. Sun Valley and Bogus Basin are planning to open on Thanksgiving. Bogus will have the Mountain Coaster open as well. Other ski areas like Tamarack and Brundage are hoping to open on Friday, Nov. 26, weather permitting. See the Idaho Daily Snow for a full list of ski area projected opening dates. 

Update: Bogus Basin's Hike Park with terrain park features opens Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Access is FREE. Double R Ranch BBQ Smokehouse will be open as well.  

The reality of the situation is that the Idaho mountains had more snow depth two weeks ago than we have now, especially if they depend on Mother Nature for snowpack. The major warm-up that occurred in the second half of last week melted a lot of the mountain snow, unfortunately. Hence, it may be more promising to think about other outdoor activities while we wait to get more snow for xc sking and downhill skiing/riding. 

Fun to get kids involved in picking out a tree in the national forest.

Here are some other suggestions: 

• Grab a permit from the Boise, Payette or Sawtooth National Forest and go cut your own Christmas tree. Fun activity. The permits are available on recreation.gov. The permits cost $10/tree. The permits stipulate that Christmas tree cutting begins on Saturday, Nov. 20. Be sure to bring a good saw for cutting the tree and some straps/ropes for lashing the tree to the top of your rig, if you don't have a pickup truck. 
  
  

  

  Steelhead photo courtesy IDFG

   
• Go steelhead fishing on the Boise River. Idaho Fish and Game will be releasing about 250 steelhead into the Boise River today (Thursday, Nov. 18) at the typical spots, Barber Park, Broadway Bridge, Americana Bridge and Glenwood Bridge. Make sure you have a fishing license and a steelhead permit. See IDFG article about the special steelhead season on the Boise River. 

  

  Snow biking on the Deer Point road, which is a good place to go boot hiking too, early season.
  

  
  
• Go boot-hiking or fat biking in the snow in the mountains for fun after the snow storm on Friday or hit the Ridge to Rivers trails after they dry out. Be sure to layer up for colder weather. 
• Road biking or a Greenbelt ride will work great when the trails are muddy as an alternative. I rode the Cartwright 4 summits loop yesterday afternoon, and it always delivers a major workout! 
  
  

  

  Boot hike on the trail to Stack Rock on a previous Thanksgiving Day.
  

  
  
• Go for a hike in the Owyhees. See my recent post about hiking Sage Creek or another post about three must-do hikes - Black Magic Canyon, Leslie Gulch or Mary's Creek and Sheep Creek canyons.

There you have it! Have a nice Thanksgiving and count your blessings with your family, friends and loved ones.

 -SS

Six destinations near Boise for a boot hike, xc ski, snowshoe in the snow!

Deer Point service road leading to the Boise Ridge Road (taken 11-11-20)

Hi all, 

In less than a week's time, we've had an amazing amount of snow piling up in the Idaho mountains! Wendy and I went for a boot hike on the Deer Point service road on Wednesday afternoon (11-11), and we were amazed to be walking through nearly a foot of snow as we neared the high saddle between Deer Point and the Boise Ridge. 

The Mores Creek snowtel site shows 12 inches of snow at Mores Creek Summit, and there's at least 3-6 inches around McCall and Stanley, depending on elevation. Snow is beginning to build in the mountains, and starting tonight, there's a huge base-making storm descending on Idaho that could dump another 1-2 feet of snow in the Boise Mountains, West Central Mountains and Central Mountains. Woo hoo! 

Read my latest post in OpenSnow.com that details the weekend storm. 

Our snow hike yesterday just felt really invigorating on a sunny but brisk afternoon. The temperatures were in the low 20s. No wind. The late-afternoon sun created a cobalt-clear postcard sky with heavily snow-flocked trees in the background. Just gorgeous! 

Wendy and I are from the Midwest originally, so we always are eager to get out and play in the snow after the first significant snow storm. The Deer Point road is one of the best places to go boot-hiking, snow-shoeing, or xc skiing to access the Boise Ridge and enjoy a backcountry experience just a few minutes away from Bogus Basin Mountain Resort. The parking area is near mile 13 on Bogus Basin Road. Good place for dogs, too.

My outdoor tip this week highlights five other destinations where you could take a walk in the snow in the greater Boise area.

1. Bogus Basin Nordic Highway and Mores Mountain - The front side of Bogus Basin ski area is off-limits to backcountry skiers/snowshoers (see message here). People are being directed to the Nordic Highway, which is perfect for xc skiing and snowshoeing. Drive to the Nordic lodge to begin your adventure. Backcountry skiers are being steered to Superior, Pine Creek and Mores Mountain. 

New trail leading from BB Road over to Sweet Connie/Stack Rock jct. About 3 miles one-way.

2. New trail to Sweet Connie/Stack Rock - Park at the pullout on Bogus Basin Road (near mile 10) and take the new trail going over to Sweet Connie and Freddy's Stack Rock Trail. Good place for an out-and-back boot hike. Snowshoes will be suitable after the snow gets deeper. Dogs are A-OK.

3. Mores Creek Summit - Take Idaho 21 to Idaho City and continue to Mores Creek Summit, trailhead for Pilot Peak and Sunset Mountain. This is a popular spot for snowmobile riders going up to Pilot Peak and backcountry skiers and snowshoers. Also a fun spot for kids to play in the snow in the parking lot. Both of the snow roads taking off from Mores Creek summit are steep and continuous, but definitely doable. 

4. Idaho City Park n Ski areas - Idaho Parks and Recreation officials said that grooming won't start until December 1st in the park n ski areas, but anyone could still break their own trail at any of the trailheads. After Friday's storm, the park n ski parking lots may not be plowed until Saturday ... you might call the ITD shop in Idaho City to check on status.

5.  McCall/Bear Basin - People are skiing on the McCall Golf Course, and it should be possible to xc ski or snowshoe at Bear Basin as the snow gets deeper after Friday's storm system passes through. If you were thinking about skinning up Brundage Mountain, Brundage officials have specific guidance on skinning hours at the resort (before 9 a.m. or after 4:30 p.m.). See details here.

Have fun!
- SS

Finally, clear cerulean blue sky! Make your own outdoor adventure in the snow!

Powder alert! Soldier Mountain will be reopening Friday after being closed all week!
They couldn't open today (Thursday) because they had too much snow!  

Brundage is hosting a Beer and Gear Festival on Saturday and Sunday

Make your own adventure in the snow ... this is a group of guys skiing
from Deer Point to the city of Boise last week ... 

Huck having fun on Crestline Trail recently 

XC trails at Jug Mountain Ranch ... conditions should be perfect this weekend! 

Hi all,

It's been quite the winter so far, eh? We've got great snow in the mountains, providing plenty of thrills for the powder hounds. And we've got consistent snowpack in the Boise Valley, allowing people to make their own adventure close to home, whether it's sledding, snowshoeing, boot hiking, running, snow biking or cross-country skiing.

I wasn't able to talk about it on the radio last week, but some of you might have seen last week's post about three buddies and I making a big backcountry ski trek from the top of Deer Point lift at Bogus Basin to the city of Boise, ending up at the bottom of the Corrals Trailhead. That adventure would still be doable, but given how the snow in the lower foothills has become encrusted by rain this week, it would be quite the bobsled run down icy trails!

For my outdoor tip this week, I'm making a mixture of recommendations for you to enjoy the snow at a time when the weather has finally cleared after a seemingly nonstop onslaught of precipitation in the last week. It's beautiful to see the cerulean blue sky gleaming in the sunshine once again! Be sure to bundle up and dress in layers ... it's going to be fairly cold this weekend:

• Here's a powder secret: Soldier Mountain is opening on Friday after being closed all week. They couldn't open today (Thursday) because they had TOO MUCH SNOW! Their lifts and buildings were buried in snow! Soldier will be open through Monday for the MLK holiday. 
• Brundage Mountain is hosting the Beer and Gear Festival on Saturday and Sunday so skiers can demo new equipment and sample local hand-crafted beers from Salmon River Brewery, Payette Brewing Co., Mad Swede, Mother Earth Brewing and County Line Brewing. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 11-4 on Sunday.  
• Are you interested in learning how to cross-country ski? Bogus Basin is hosting a lesson series called the Nordic Passport program that offers four lessons -- two class lessons and two skate-ski lessons -- and rental equipment for a package price of $150. The cool bonus about this program is after you complete your lessons, you get a free Nordic season pass for the rest of the season at Bogus Basin. 
• Go snowshoeing, boot hiking, running, snow biking or cross-country skiing on Boise Foothills trails. After everything froze hard following the rain, however, I have found that boot hiking with solid boots or snowshoeing are more manageable than xc skiing or snow biking. The trails were very soft with 5-6 inches of slush before they froze solid, so the tread on the trails is pretty rough. 
• Go backcountry skiing or snowshoeing at Mores Creek Summit. The skiing in the upper elevations of Pilot Peak and Sunset Mountain should be fabulous! You just have to climb for your runs! Come prepared with avalanche safety gear and check the local avalanche forecast for the latest conditions. 
• Go boot hiking or snow biking along the Boise River Greenbelt. The Greenbelt is plowed on a regular basis so it's very passable right now ... however, it can be quite icy in places, so be careful out there!  
• Go cross-country skiing or fat biking in McCall area. Winter conditions are fabulous in the McCall area and at Jug Mountain Ranch right now. See conditions on McCall Nordic. The warmer temperatures and rain never lasted long in Valley County, so the snow quality is still excellent on the xc ski trails at Bear Basin, Ponderosa State Park and Jug Mountain Ranch. At Jug, you can fat bike all of the xc ski trails. Great fun! 

Have fun out there!
-SS