Five kid-friendly spring hikes in the Boise Foothills -- easy shorties & long ones too

A dad and young kids out on the Surprise Valley-Oregon Trail Loop

Highlands Trail hugs the foothills, climbing up to the Corrals Trail on a moderate grade. 

Hi all,

The weather looks promising in the Treasure Valley area on Friday and Saturday, but now it's supposed to rain on Sunday, so that's unfortunate ... but that's springtime for you in the Rockies!

There seemed to be a ton of interest in spring kid-friendly hikes based on the number of web hits my blog had last week, so I'm going to dish up another list of spring hikes for my outdoor tip of the week. Because of all the Greenbelt closures, I'll recommend five kid-friendly spring hikes in the Boise Foothills. All of them are featured in my book, Boise Trail Guide: 90 Hiking and Running Routes Close to Home. 
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Dry Creek Trail 

1. Highlands Trail to Corrals to Bob's Loop - Distance 8 miles, vertical gain: 1,328 feet, travel time, 3.5 hours. Rated moderate to strenuous. I've heard that arrowleaf balsomroot, the large plants with big daisy-like yellow flowers, is blooming on the slopes next to the Highlands Trail. That's one reason to do the hike! Drive to the Highlands and park in the cul de sac at the end of Hearthstone Drive. This is the trailhead for Highlands and Bob's Trail. Start by climbing the Highlands Trail to Corrals Trail. You'll travel 1.75 miles and climb 400 feet to reach this point. Now the hiking gets easier for a while. Turn right, and take the Corrals 2-track over to a fork of Crane Creek, pass through a gate, and then begin the climb to Corrals Summit. At the top of the big switchback, go right to reach the summit at mile 5.25. This is the top of the hike. Descend on Corrals about 1 mile down to the junction with Bob's, take a hard right and finish going downhill on Bob's to the starting point. Bring a lunch to enjoy at Corrals Summit.

2. Dry Creek out and back - This is a nice hike because you're following a creek the whole way, but you might get your feet wet on crossings. It's up to you how far you go on this hike ... it's almost 7 miles to the top of the Boise Ridge, and you'd run into snow before reaching the top. I'd plan to walk up the creek about an hour or so, stop for lunch, and then head back. Dry Creek is a scenic hike because of the rock hoo doos that you'll see along the way, and eventually, you'll get into the pine trees as you gain elevation. Dry Creek is the only perennial stream in the foothills.

3. Surprise Valley - Oregon Trail Loop - Distance 2.6 miles, vertical gain: 190 feet, travel time 1 hour or slightly more. Rated easy. The residents of Columbia Village and Surprise Valley know about these trails because they live next to them, but for other folks, this is a cool destination that provides a history lesson/teachable moment about the Oregon Trail, with interpretive signs and an historic rock ramp that the emigrants used to drop into the Boise River Valley from the dusty trail on the upper bench. Go to Surprise Valley in SE Boise and park at the Trinity Presbyterian Church. Pick up the gravel trail behind the church and hike toward the east along the base of the hill. It's about a mile to the Kelton Ramp grade. Follow the grade to the top of the rim, turn right on top, and follow Trail #102 along the rim, walking in a westerly direction. At mile 2, you'll see a right-hand fork in a break in the cliff where you can descend to the big white water tank, and follow the road back to the church.

4. Military Reserve Easy Double Loop - Distance 3 miles, vertical gain: 300 feet, travel time 1:30. Rated easy to moderate. Doing this double loop is a great way to get to know Military Reserve Park very close to downtown Boise. Go to Reserve Street by Fort Boise and St. Luke's and drive toward the footies. Turn left on Mountain Cove Road. Follow the road about a half-mile, follow a sharp right-hand curve and then park on the right at the main trailhead. Head up Toll Road Trail #27A, cross the creek, and hike on a gentle uphill to a trail junction at .6 miles. Turn right, cross the creek, and go back the other direction along the Cottonwood Creek Trail. It's 1.3 miles to do this short loop. As you near the trailhead, bear left on a trail going into the Black Forest. You'll pop out on a concrete apron. Pick up the trail to the left of the concrete on the edge of the hill and you'll come to Eagle Trail #25. Climb up the paved road for a short bit to the top of the hill at mile 2. Bear left on #25 and take Eagle Ridge back to the Toll Road-Cottonwood junction. Return to the trailhead on either Toll Road Trail or Cottonwood Creek Trail, your choice.

Shanes Trail courtesy Ridge to Rivers 

5. Shane's Loop from Rocky Canyon Road - Distance: 3.75 miles, vertical gain: 730 feet, travel time 1:30. Rated moderate to strenuous. This is a short hike but it's a strenuous climb up to Shane's Loop from Rocky Canyon Road, and it's a strenuous climb up to Shane's, but after you've reached Shane's Summit, it's a great walk around the loop, enjoying views of the foothills and the city below. Start by taking Shaw Mountain Road to Rocky Canyon Road. Go past the point where the pavement ends another half-mile and park in a pullout on the right. Go uphill on the road a short bit and take the trail on your left up the hill. Once you've reached an initial saddle, climb up the next hill to the top of Shane's. Go straight on top and descend Shane's back to a multi-way junction. Take a hard left and climb a short hill before the trail contours around back to the Shane's Loop junction. Go right and return to Rocky Canyon Road.
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The annual Spring Whitewater Equipment Sale, sponsored by the Idaho Whitewater Association, will be held at Cascade Outfitters this weekend. That means it will be INDOORS in their giant warehouse. Check in your equipment from 3 to 9 p.m. Friday, and the sale is on Saturday. This is a great place to find used kayaks, paddles, inflatable kayaks, rafts and SUPs.

The Idaho Statesman is sponsoring a trails discussion at Payette Brewing next Wednesday, from 5-7 p.m., to get some new ideas on where to go hiking and trail-running. The event is sponsored by The Pulse, Running and Fitness shop in Meridian. Sara Arkle, Foothills Open Space manager, Leo Hennessy of IDPR, Holly Finch of The Pulse, and Dennis Swift of SWIMBA are the panelists. The discussion will be moderated by Statesman outdoors writer Chadd Cripe.
- SS

Make a special effort to engage your kids in outdoor activities for Unplug Be Outside

Avimor is hosting the Boise Bird Festival on Saturday with the who's who of the bird community

Just taking your kids to the Boise River would allow them to skip rocks and look for bugs  

Hi all, 

It's going to be a gorgeous weekend, so it's a perfect opportunity to capitalize on Unplug and Be Outside week and get your kids engaged in outdoor activities. There is quite an array of easy things to do close to town via going to the Unplug and Be Outside web site.

The whole point of  Unplug and Be Outside week is to get your kids outside (leave the headphones and cell phone at home, please), and discover the wonders of nature. When you're out doing whatever activities you choose this weekend, look for little "teachable moments" when you can teach your kids little tidbits about nature. Maybe you can identify a wild flower, a shrub, a plant or a tree. Show them how to remember that species.

Here are some recommendations for Friday-Sunday: 

• EarthFest at the MK Nature Center on Saturday - A celebration for the entire family from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free activities and crafts will be offered throughout the day at our POLLEN-nation garden site, as well a guided greenbelt walk (10 am), movies shown in our auditorium (11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.), guided streamwalk tours (12pm and 1 p.m.), and the INPS Native Plant Sale will be going on as well. Local Muesli Bars & Granola will be available to benefit Boise’s refugee community. Get off the couch and come be outside with us! For more information, call the MK Nature Center, 334-2225. Location: 600 S. Walnut St., Boise, ID 83712.
  
• Plant a tree for Arbor Day on Friday - On Friday, free Colorado blue spruce seedlings will be available at Home Depot and FedEx Office stores in the Treasure Valley as well as the Boise Co-op courtesy of the Idaho Forest Products Commission. Go pick up a free seedling and plant a tree with your kids. More information at the Forest Products Commission. 

• Go to Avimor and participate in the Boise Bird Festival on Saturday, a new event that's designed to teach kids and families about birds in SW Idaho. There will be short bird walks, tips on bird identification, backyard feeding and wild bird photography. Here's a slide show of birds you might see. It runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the who's who of the bird community participating, including the Peregrine Fund, the Idaho Bird Observatory, Ducks Unlimited, Idaho Camera, and more.
• Free golf at Ridgecrest Golf Course in Nampa, starting at noon Saturday. The Wee-9 is open for kids 17 and under, or kids can hit one free bucket of balls anytime on Saturday.
• Sierra Trading Post is sponsoring a fun run in Settlers Park in Meridian starting at 6 p.m. on Friday. Participants will win cool prizes from Sierra Trading Post. There's also a camping expo at Sierra Trading Post on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• YMCA Healthy Kids Day on Saturday at the Downtown YMCA. That means your kids can play at the Y for free and take part in such activities as basketball, dodgeball, climbing wall, scavenger hunt, or partake in a hacky sack clinic by former women's freestyle champion Sunny Freeman. See the Unplug and Be Outside Calendar of Events for details.
• Go for a kid friendly hike in the Boise Foothills with your family and friends. See my blog post from last year about 5 kid friendly hikes close to home.
• See the Unplug and Be Outside Calendar of Events for oodles of other options on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  

The most important thing is that you get your kids out of the house and engaged in some type of outdoor activity. Even just taking your kids for a walk or a bike ride along the Boise River Greenbelt would allow them to check out the Boise River, skip rocks, throw sticks for the dog, climb trees, look at weird bugs, whatever. 

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Meridian Cycles Ladies’ Night!

Friday April 26^th from 6:30 to 9:00 pm.

Hey, if you'd like to check out some cool and comfy bike clothing or look around at mountain bikes, cruisers and road bikes, Meridian Cycle is hosting reps from Pearl Izumi, Club Ride, Terry, and Felt Bicycles as well as Dani Lassiter from Goldilock’s Ride and Shauna Brookshier of EpicCycling. 

Former professional mountain bike racer and current USA Cycling National Events Director Kelli Lusk will be attending with Scott Montgomery of Club Ride!

Meridian Cycles will have fruit, chocolate and beverages on hand. And, they'll have drawings for bike swag throughout the evening for those in attendance!  

Have fun! 

- SS