Really NICE weekend weather - perfect for hiking, biking, skiing ... Golf? Whitewater?

Fresh *pow* at Brundage this week with no crowds ... Don't pack away the skis/boards yet! 
(Courtesy Brundage Mountain Resort) 

Hi all, 

Pick your favorite outdoor pursuit, it looks like a fabulous weekend coming our way in the last weekend of March! For some, it'll be the capper of spring break week for families and kids.

For my outdoor tip of the week, I'm recommending a number of activities where you can't go wrong! 

Spring Skiing is hitting Prime Time this weekend!

We snapped back into winter-mode this week, starting on Monday with 5-6" of fresh snow, and then again Thursday night/Friday, with another 3-6" of new snow at Bogus Basin, Brundage Mountain and Tamarack Resort. Sun Valley also got a couple of inches this week. 

So we have fresh powder on the slopes, and now we're heading into a 3-day weekend of full-on bluebird spring skiing! High temperatures will be in the 40s at Tam, Brundage and Sun Valley, and Bogus will be pushing 57 degrees on Sunday! Break out the Hawaiian shirts, spring snow attire, you create it! 

Gonna be warm on Sunday in the mountains! (Courtesy Mammoth Mountain) 

Seriously, now is the time to hit the slopes before the ski areas close. Bogus, Brundage and Tamarack all plan to close on April 11. Sun Valley will close Dollar Mountain after this weekend, and Bald Mountain closes on April 18. 

Backcountry skiing also should be fab Friday-Sunday in full sunshine. If you're skinning up the mountain, be sure to bring your skin wax to keep the skins from picking up giant globs of snow. 

Grooming of xc ski trails continues in McCall and Sun Valley. I checked with IDPR, and grooming of the xc ski trails at the Idaho City Park and Ski Areas has ceased for the last 2 weeks. They may groom one more time next week before calling it good for the season. Nevertheless, the xc ski trails and snowshoe trails are pounded in from months of use, so it's still a great destination to go play in the mountains. 

Early Spring Hiking and Biking 

For Boise Foothills trails, Ridge to Rivers issued the following on Thursday: 

THURSDAY, MARCH 25TH AFTERNOON TRAIL CONDITION UPDATE:

"Trails in the Foothills are saturated and need some time to dry out. Please find other alternatives today.

THE TABLE ROCK AREA TRAILS ARE NOW CLOSED DUE THE LIKELIHOOD OF TRAIL AND VEGETATIVE DAMAGE UNDER THESE EXTREMELY MUDDY CONDITIONS. WE WILL ASSESS CONDITIONS THERE AGAIN TOMORROW AND OPEN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. "

See the Ridge to Rivers Facebook page for the latest conditions and information. 

Trails will gradually dry out on Friday and this weekend. 

Snake River trail accessible from Celebration Park ... it's quite sandy and scenic!  

Some recommendations for the weekend (click on links for more info.): 

Bruneau Canyon 

• Snake River canyon - Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. 
• Celebration Park, south of Nampa, on the Snake River. Hike to Halverson Lake or follow the Snake River Trail. 
• Succor Creek State Park 
• Leslie Gulch
• Bruneau Canyon overlook

And if you haven't noticed ... the snow is beginning to melt and the rivers are rising. There will be people heading out on the Payette River to go kayaking and rafting this weekend (flow level is over 2,500 at Horseshoe Bend), and there will be kayakers and surfers on the waves in the Boise Whitewater Park. It's that time of year! 

So many choices! How about tennis and golf! Gardening? Nah!  

Enjoy! 

- SS 

Here's a hodge-podge of Idaho outdoorsy things to do this weekend or on spring break

Bruneau Dunes State Park

Great views when hiking in Succor Creek State Park

Leslie Gulch has many unique rock formations

Pruitt's Castle on the Lower Owyhee River

Big white sandy beaches on the Salmon River

Hells Canyon!

A Cooper's hawk

Hikers, runners and mountain bikers were everywhere in the Boise Foothills Thursday evening.

Hi all,

Oh. my. word. Suddenly the weather shifts to the dry and warm side in the Boise Valley for two days, and the trails are trying out rapidly in the Boise Foothills. You can bet the same thing is occurring in the Snake River canyon and the Owyhee foothills.

Wendy and I took our puppy "Huck" on the Kestrel-Red Cliffs loop in the Boise Foothills on Thursday evening, and the trails on the 5-mile loop were bone dry. We loved feeling the warm sunshine on our faces, hiking comfortably in shorts, and seeing all of the hawks and songbirds. We saw a pair of Cooper's hawks, kestrels, bunched-up robins migrating through, the sweet call of meadowlarks, and many other birds flying around. Spring is here! Yay!

The weather is looking fabulous this weekend, with temperatures pushing into the low 70s. It was in the low 60s today (Thursday), and it felt like 80. That will open up the possibilities for lots of things.

Here are some Idaho staycation suggestions for the weekend and Spring Break:

• Outdoor multitasking mania - It's that time of year when you can sneak in a little spring skiing in the morning at Bogus Basin, and then go play golf, tennis, road biking, mountain biking, or kayaking/rafting on the Payette River in the afternoon. You could probably work in more activities than that if you're creative. See my previous blog on the topic.
• Camping in the desert. With temperatures warming up quickly, it should be safe to go camping in the Snake River canyon below Swan Falls Dam, at Succor Creek State Park, Leslie Gulch or on BLM lands on the front side of the Owyhees. A high-clearance 4WD vehicle is recommended, because there is still a chance of rain in the forecast. You just never know this time of year.
• Go camping at a developed campground in the desert. If you'd like to pick a sure thing, head for Bruneau Dunes State Park and hike around on big sand dunes. It's a great spot for families and kids. You won't get stuck on muddy dirt roads here ... the park roads are all paved.
• Spring beach camping on the Salmon River. Maybe you didn't plan a trip to Mexico or Bora Bora this year. But you can still sift sand through your toes on the banks of the Salmon River, 10 miles upstream of Riggins or more, there are many beaches to consider for camping. Do a little day trip rafting, kayaking, steelhead fishing or hiking on the Wind River Trail.
• Spring hiking, camping or backpacking in Hells Canyon National Recreation Area via Pittsburg Landing, near Whitebird. See my previous blog about this trip. Hells Canyon is usually the warmest spot in Idaho.
• Float the Owyhee River. The Owyhee was flowing only 1,200 cfs as of Thursday evening, but this warm weather will bring it up some more. I bet there will be some early-birds launching on the Lower Owyhee River tomorrow or Saturday. See my previous blog on this topic.
• Go corn skiing in the backcountry. Go early before the snow gets too sloppy. Banner Ridge, Pilot Peak, Sunset Mountain, Copper Mountain and Stargaze yurt are all good locations for backcountry skiing and snowboarding. Bring plenty of sunscreen!
• Float the Payette River. The North Fork of the Payette River was cranking Thursday afternoon (we had a good glimpse on the way back from McCall) at 1,700 cfs, and the Main Payette was runnign at 3,400 cfs. There will be some early birds floating Cabarton in the snow, and a bunch of rafters and kayakers on the Main Payette. Spring boating is happening.
• Go steelhead fishing on the upper Salmon River between Corn Creek and Stanley. There are only a few weeks left in the season, and the fish are moving upstream to spawn. The nice weather should make for especially nice conditions for steelhead fishing. Check the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association web site for a guide, if you need one.

Hopefully those ideas will inspire a little adventure!

- SS

Tulum, Mexico - a great getaway

Fly fishing for bonefish

We ran across a fresh a snapper during our bird tour

The beachfront cabanas at Cesiak

Steve and Wendy at the Mayan ruins in Tulum

An empty beach south of Tulum

My partner, Wendy, and I aren't that much into the beachfront full-on "resort" scene so we searched for a place where we could enjoy the Caribbean coast on our own terms for a little spring vacation. Tulum, located 1.5 hours south of Cancun, was a great choice.

Tulum is an actual Mexican town with quite a few shops, a few decent restaurants, a well-stocked grocery store and plenty of accommodations -- either on the beach or in town.

Here's some video from our trip.

The beaches in Tulum were absolutely perfect -- lots of silky white sand along the coast, large shallow areas for swimming, and that gorgeous turquoise Caribbean water leading out to a large reef that extends for many miles up and down the coast. You could hang out in the more popular local beach, where pina coladas were close by, or search for a private spot farther down the coast, where we didn't see hardly anyone.

It was a very relaxed scene. Some women went topless. In the more remote beaches, it was definitely clothing optional.

We chose to stay at Posada Yum Kin, a hotel in Tulum proper, for the first 4 nights of our stay ($70/night U.S.). It was a good home base with a kitchenette. That way we didn't have to eat out for every meal.

In the second half of our trip, we stayed at Centro Ecologico Sian Ka'an (cesiak) ($80/night U.S.), a beautiful spot less than an hour from Tulum, at the gateway to the 1.3-million-acre Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. Cesiak had these cool, beachfront cabana-style huts with well-ventilated canvas wall tents inside to keep out the bugs and rain, if an issue.

We kept the hatches wide open and slept amid the sound of big wind, crashing waves and bird song. I sure miss that background aura already!

We did bird-watching tours, snorkeling, fly fishing, R&R on the beach, jogging on the beach and several Mayan ruins. We wanted to go sea kayaking to observe wild pink flamingos, but that didn't work out.

Wendy had a lot of frequent flier miles logged with Alaska Airlines, so most of our plane fare was taken care of. Alaska flies to Cancun from Seattle or L.A., a 5-hour flight from either location. That seemed pretty quick and easy to me.

Bon voyage!

-- SS