Nice weekend to head to Lucky Peak summit, see hawks, song birds at ID Bird Observatory

A juvenile red-tailed hawk poses for a photo before being released  atop Lucky Peak. (Courtesy IBO)

The weather looks fabulous this weekend, and it'd be a perfect time to hike or bike to the top of Lucky Peak (aka Shaw Mountain), and take in all of the exciting activities going on at the Idaho Bird Observatory. This is where IBO staff and volunteers count between 6,000 to 8,000 raptors, band 1,000-1,500 raptors, and band 5,000-6,000 songbirds in the fall each year.

This is a great educational activity for kids, families, seniors and adults. Pairing the trip to the top of Lucky Peak with a hike or bike ride just adds to the overall experience. You can drive to the top with a 4WD vehicle, if need be. I'll provide directions and a map for doing either below.



I've always been fascinated by birds of prey since I was in college, when I first saw bald eagles swoop down and catch kokanee at West Glacier in Montana. I took hundreds of photographs with a long lens, and sent framed photos to all of my family for Christmas that year.

Morley Nelson with a golden eagle and his first wife, Betty Ann, with a prairie falcon on her fist 

When I had the privilege of writing a biography, Cool North Wind (Caxton Press 2002), on the great national champion for birds of prey, Morley Nelson, I learned much more about raptors and raptor conservation. Morley was a guy who always understood the need for environmental education, and he took tons of people under his wing over the years to show them all of the cool falcons and eagles at his hawk house in the Boise Foothills.

"You've got to show people how they can feel being a part of the environment," he always would say. "That's a beautiful thing.

Looking for raptors in the sky ... (courtesy IBO)

When you see raptors flying toward the top of Lucky Peak, watch them get lured into a trap by live quail, and see them up close and personal after being measured, banded, etc., it's an unforgettable experience.

"It's hugely important that kids get outside as much as possible because we're losing that with our culture," says Greg Kaltenecker, executive director of the Idaho Bird Observatory.

A young girl gets ready to release a sharp-shinned hawk.  

Kaltenecker launched the hawk-trapping operation on the top of Lucky Peak in 1993 with Boise State University professor Marc Bechard. They tried several different locations and quickly discovered that Lucky Peak was the best place to catch hawks and other birds of prey. It's become one of the most active raptor- and songbird-monitoring locations in the nation.

A friend of mine, Paul Hilding, volunteered at the bird observatory last week. He had a great time.
"For raptor fans, last week was a very good one, and this week should be great as well," Hilding says. "If you like to see raptors up close, IBO in September is the place to be!

Northern pygmy owl (courtesy IBO) 

"While the IBO “Hawk Watch” crew goes on duty at 10 a.m., we seemed to see the most birds in early to mid-afternoon," Hilding continues. "My favorites were two local golden eagles that did a south-to-north fly-by almost every day, early afternoon, flying low into a ravine just behind the hawk traps. So much bigger than anything else, one of the HW crew calls them the "semis" of the avian world.

"Also fun to watch were a peregrine falcon, a couple northern harriers, and numerous kestrels that dove and swooped on the bait birds, mostly avoiding the nets and tormenting the trappers in the blind. The Cooper’s and sharp-shinned hawks did not share their skill, and seemed to be, by far, the most common catch. We saw at least half a dozen migrating broad-winged hawks, some ospreys and Swainson’s hawks, and a few large kettles of turkey vultures and red-tails, soaring high on the afternoon thermals."

If you drive to the site, Hilding recommends bring binoculars, a lawn chair, sun block, and some treats for Josh and Teague, the two skinny HW staffers who are out there counting birds 7 hours a day, rain or shine. "They seem to be particularly fond of cookies, sun flower seeds, chicken chili and bacon," he says. 

Typical scene on top of Lucky Peak, looking for raptors in the sky ... 

No matter what, definitely bring a good pair of binoculars, a hat and sun block. There's not much shade on top of Lucky Peak. 

Nowadays there are two ways to get to Lucky Peak on foot or by bike:
1. Easiest way - Take Idaho 21 east of Boise to Highland Valley Road, a left-hand turn before you get to Hilltop Summit. Drive 1.3 miles to the intersection with Trail E. Park your rig and either hike or bike to the top of Lucky Peak from here. It's another 4 miles to the top and more than 2,000 vertical feet of climbing to the top. Good workout.

Easy way to the IBO

2. Hard way - Take Warm Springs Ave. east to Harris Ranch. Go past Lucky 13. Turn left on Council Springs and follow that road a quarter-mile to a gate. Hike or bike on the Homestead Trail #12 for 2.2 miles to an initial summit. This is an advanced-level hiking/biking trail because it's so steep. Go left at the Y-junction on Trail #8 and climb another 4 miles more than 2,000 vertical feet on the very steep dirt and rocky road. This route is rated "epic gonzo" in my Boise Trail Guide for hikers and trail-runners. If you're in good shape, though, you'll enjoy the challenge. Hilding's wife, Stephani, trains on Trail #8 to prepare for climbing Mount Rainier. Trail #8 intersects with Shaw Mountain Road just below Lucky Peak. Climb another 300 vertical to the top. Make a loop and take Trail E on the way down, and then peel right on Trail #11 to take a singletrack trail down to the Crow Inn. Total route is 12.7 miles and 3,158 vertical feet of climbing. You should allow at least 3 hours to make the climb. 

Hard way to the IBO (from Boise Trail Guide) 

The Hawk Watch activities on top of Lucky Peak go through mid-October. "The owls are great this year," Kaltenecker says. "We're banding LOTS each night and we're not even to the peak of the migration yet."     

If you're interested in volunteering at the Idaho Bird Observatory, Kaltenecker suggests that you visit the site and see what goes on. Volunteers working at the site can help you get signed up.

Have fun! I hope to take my kids up there on Sunday.
- SS

Boise woman conquers all 9 of Idaho's 12,000-foot peaks in 1 year; who's going to do it next?

She's summited all nine 12ers in Idaho! Irene Vogel on the summit of 12,228-foot Leatherman Peak

Hi all,

I like to climb mountains, and I know a lot of you do, too. But I'm not a technical rock-climber. I had a really close call on the side of Mount Washington in Montana while I was in college that almost got me killed, so I'm much more comfortable bagging peaks that are doable as a walk-up or a hands-and-feet scramble.

I noticed on Facebook this summer that Irene Vogel of Boise was on a quest to climb all nine of Idaho's 12,000-foot peaks -- the highest peaks in the state -- in one year. That's something that I've never done, but it's definitely something I'd like to do, so I thought I'd share her story in case it's something you'd like to do as well.

Vogel made it a goal to climb all of Idaho's 12ers in one year last January. She thought it would be a neat and challenging thing to do the year she turns 40. She had climbed the state's highest peak, 12,662-foot Mt. Borah and 12,228-foot Leatherman Peak the year before, and she had gotten hooked.

Irene on the trail ... Check out her gear 

Both of those climbs were challenging, she says. "It took me 16 hours to climb Leatherman from the Pahsimeroi side," she says. "I loved it but I was totally exhausted. It was really hard."

Two weeks ago, Vogel achieved her goal by summiting Leatherman again, this time in only 3 hours (the climbing part). Eleven of her friends went with her. Each of them brought back a rock for a cairn they built at Vogel's home, with their name on it. "It's been a really cool journey," she says. "I have so much support from friends who went with me on the climbs, and support from friends and family who live here in town. It's been a great experience."

View from the top of Hyndman Peak in the Pioneer Mountains

Getting ready - training. Vogel says she didn't do any specific training for the big climbs, but she did a lot of biking and hiking on Boise foothills trails, road biking, and snowshoeing in the winter. She also worked on three winter ascents in early 2012 -- Cobb Peak and Hyndman Peak in the Pioneers, and Cone Peak in the Boulders. "That got me in shape," she says.

Planning resources: Summitpost.org and Idaho - A Climbing Guide by Tom Lopez. Lopez's book has great information on getting to the trailheads, and details on different scramble routes, and summitpost has helpful notes from other people who have climbed the peaks and posted photos of their journeys.

She didn't quite make it to the top of Hyndman because of winter weather, so that would have to wait.
In May, she climbed 12,197-foot Diamond Peak in the Lemhi Mountains. There was still snow on the mountain (it's recommended as a better winter ascent than summer), and she did the steep ascent with crampons.

Sequence of her 12er ascents: 1. Diamond Peak; 2. Lost River Mountain; 3. Hyndman Peak; 4-5. Donaldson Peak and Mount Church (both can be done in one day); 6. Mount Idaho; 7. Mt. Borah; 8. Mount Breitenbach; 9. Leatherman Peak.

A mountain goat lording over the high country

Vogel had a friend, Jake, who also was working on bagging all of Idaho's 12ers, so she followed his priorities as their weekends allowed. She fit in the other peaks with friends. She and Jake did five of them together, including Leatherman at the end.

She didn't let the smoke from the summer's fires slow her down. She had to deal with some smoky air from time to time, but it didn't bother her lungs. "It might have caused problems for other people, but it didn't bother me," she says. "We had lightning, thunder, sleet, rain, snow, high winds -- weather was a bigger deal."

Storms can come up quickly with little warning at 12,000 feet. The toughest ascent was 12,078-foot Lost River Mountain, Vogel says. The main route to the summit is a "super" gully, described as being "nasty" over a mobile rock scree field. "The snow in the gully was rotten, and we had to climb up the rock scree chute with 45-50 mph winds blowing the whole time," she says. "It was tough on a knife-edge ridge ... I didn't want to get blown off the mountain."

Irene's route up Lost River Mountain amid 45-50 mph winds 

Easiest climb: Mt. Borah "because there's a trail all the way to the top" and Leatherman (this year).

One of the challenges for Vogel is that she's found that she is susceptible to altitude sickness, so she has to force herself to eat snacks on the way up the mountain and hydrate. Her favorite trail foods are trail mix, peanuts, peanut butter pretzels, fruit bars, things like that.

Equipment: She carries a windproof and waterproof jacket for ridgetops and summits. She wears zip-off hiking pants, Asolo hiking boots and gators. Layers of clothing on top that can be peeled. She likes to use hiking poles especially for the way down. For some peaks, she needed crampons or an ice ax. She also wears rubber-coated gardening gloves for ascents. "Rubber is good. It helps with gripping  onto the rocks when you're climbing hand-and-feet on steep slopes."  

Most of the routes up the 12ers are "pretty much straight up" 

For water, she carried a big 4-quart water bladder and an extra water bottle.

All of the climbs are different, she says, but one commonality is "a lot of the climbs are pretty much straight up and all of them have rocks and scree."

Looking at the list of 12ers, you see elevation gains of 4,500 feet, 4,100 feet, 4,200 feet, 5,500 feet, etc. For some, she camped at a trailhead and started out early to head for the summit, returning by late afternoon. For others, she packed into a base camp one day, and climbed the peak the next day.

Heidi-ho! 

Why go to the top? "For me, it's the pristine beauty of it. It's so pretty being able to see all of the different mountain ranges in Idaho from the top." And being at over 12,000 feet, you are on top of the world in Idaho, standing above the many 10,000-foot peaks in Central Idaho. "A lot of people think the Lost River Range is ugly, but I love the stark beauty of it."

Cool tradition: She took a cotton American flag to the summit of each mountain, unrolling it for a photo each time. The flag comes from her grandmother. In each picture at the summit, Vogel held her flag and Vogel would show which peak she had summited in the progression, such as No. 5, No. 8 or whatever, with her fingers.

Irene carries her grandmother's cotton American flag to the top of all the 12ers

Advice for others: Try climbing Mt. Borah, see how you do, and go from there.

• Bring at least one buddy on all of the trips. 
• Get in good shape before you begin doing the summit climbs.
• Listen to your body and know when to turn back if you're not feeling well. 
• Know when to pull the plug if bad weather sets in. Don't play chicken with lightning. 
• If you get into a steep rocky area that has no foreseeable scramble route (it's getting too technically challenging and scary), you should turn around and find a better route. 
• Stay hydrated. Drink lots of fluid and snack food on the way up. Some people may cramp up from dehydration. 

On the rooftop of Idaho. Nice going you guys!  

Vogel has met hiking mates through the Meet Up Boise Trail Heads and the Idaho Hiking Club Facebook groups, and the Idaho Outdoors Yahoo Group. I'm a member of those groups, and there are people making open invites for a wide variety of trips all the time. Leo Hennessy is leading a mountain bike ride in Silver City this weekend through Idaho Outdoors. Check out the web sites and join these groups if you're looking to join group hikes, bike rides, paddling trips, backpack trips, etc.   

I hope you fine Vogel's story inspiring. I know I did. I'm not sure I'll be able to knock off all of the 12ers in one season, but in my opinion, it's a laudable goal to try to notch them all in a lifetime. It's a cool bucket list item for the outdoorsy Idaho soul -- the Idaho equivalent of notching all the 14ers in Colorado (there are over 50 of them).  There are actual speed records for bagging all of Idaho's 12ers -- Dave Bingham and Rob Landis of Hailey did them all in 1 day, 14 hours and 50 minutes. My god! Nick Stover, a former adventure racer in Boise, did them all in 3 days, 11 hours and 16 minutes. Wow! 

You decide what kind of pace you want to set. 

Have fun! 

-- SS 

Boise Bike Crawl is happening on Sunday in Ann Morrison Park, plus Avimor Demo Days Saturday

Hi all,

In this week's outdoor tip, I'm focusing on two events coming up this weekend -- the Boise Bike Crawl Sunday at Ann Morrison Park and Avimor Demo Days Saturday at Avimor.

The Boise Bike Crawl will occur from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. by the Old Timer's Shelter in the east end of the park next to the Boise River Greenbelt. I will be there working for ProHelmet.org, giving away free helmets to adults and kids, plus I will be promoting the Idaho mountain bike license plate to support trails statewide, and providing information on where to ride your road bike and mountain bike in SW Idaho.

The bike crawl is a great partnership event. Participating groups include Boise Parks & Recreation, Let's Move Boise, Boise Bicycle Project, SWIMBA, the Treasure Valley YMCA, Idaho Transportation Department pedestrian and bicycle program, Ada County Highway District ped and bike program, Boise State Cycle Learning Center, Look Save a Life, and Safe Routes to Schools.

Tree City Juice & Smoothie is our food and beverage vendor. They'll have delicious drinks and food available throughout the duration of the event.

Stop by and learn about:

• Bike etiquette on roads, trails and the Greenbelt. 
• Rules of the Road for people riding on streets and highways - local laws and safety basics. Like, which way are you supposed to ride on streets? Against traffic or with traffic? 
• Helmets - Why it's important to wear them, proper fit and distribution. 
• Bike Maintenance - Do you know how to fix a flat on the fly? Do you know how to fix your gears when they skip in between sprockets? 
• Connectivity - Bike route maps, safe routes to schools and other resources for commuters. 
• Wellness - How to tap into the many indoor and outdoor fitness activities in the greater Boise area. 

For more information, contact me at 208-484-0295 or send me an email at sstuebner@cableone.net. 

On Saturday, Avimor is serving up a real fun fest from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. "Enjoy all the dirt, beer, wine, food and music you can handle," organizers say. Avimor is a new community located along Idaho 55 several miles north of Boise. You can't miss it on the right-hand side as you're traveling north. They have 90+ miles of trails to explore. 

SWIMBA will provide a beginning mountain bike class for the uninitiated, and it also will lead a 7-mile and 14-mile ride on a mix of new and existing trails. Group rides are meeting at the SWIMBA tent at 9:45 a.m., and riding at 10 a.m. I'm planning to go out there to experience the new trails, listen to music and hang out with friends.

As the name implies, there will be demo bikes on hand to try out from local bike shops like Reed Cycle, Meridian Cycle, George's Cycles and Ridgeline Specialty Sports. Steve Fulton is the headliner for music. The tunes will crank up at 1 p.m. and go till 4 p.m. 

Riding to the top of Sheep Rock is one of the longer rides at Avimor. 

One thing that's cool about riding or hiking at Avimor is that you've got the place to yourself. It won't be that way forever. 

Seems like a great opportunity to ride the latest and greatest in mountain bike technology, check out new trails you've never ridden before, enjoy live music while hanging out with your buddies and sipping on a cold beer.

The new trails built by SWIMBA at Avimor include:  

1. Willow Creek

2. Bovine Nirvana

3. Shooting Range

4. Twisted Spring

5. Harlow Hallows

6. Harlow Connector

7. Broken Horn Trail

BTW, Boise Parks & Recreation is asking for public input on the Boise Foothills Management Plan. Three public meetings are being held in the coming weeks to get input on a wide variety of topics and issues. For more information, contact Julia Grant, jgrant@cityofboise.org or (208) 493-2533.

Have fun! 

- SS 

Lots of things to do over Labor Day weekend; What sounds best for you? Avoiding the smoke Part III

Fire/smoke map from NASA dated Aug. 28, 2012

Hi all,

We've got a three-day weekend coming up for Labor Day weekend, and there are lots of fun things going on in SW Idaho. With three major wildfires burning well over 100,000 acres each, the big challenge still is trying to avoid the smoke. We might call this week's post "Avoiding the Smoke - Part III."

Two weeks ago, I recommended Priest Lake, N. Idaho bike trails and McCall. Last week, I recommended some spots in the West Central Mountains and provided a number of useful, if not critical resources for determining where it may not be as smoky in SW Idaho and Central Idaho.

Here's Irene on the summit of 12,140-foot Mount Breitenbach

Thanks to Facebook, I am noticing that a lot of people are boldly going where they want to go regardless of the smoke! Watch for an upcoming column soon on Irene Vogel, who is climbing all of the 12,000-foot peaks in Idaho in one field season! I think most, if not all of those peaks are in the Pioneer Mountains and the Lost River Range. Her pictures look kind of smoky, but the high peaks appear pretty clear. She's going for the summit of Leatherman Peak this weekend to finish off her journey. Go Irene!

Fires burning slowly on the bank of the Salmon River ... no big deal! (courtesy Ted Kielley) 

I also saw that Ted Kielley did a week-long trip on the Main Salmon in various amounts of smoke and haze, but he felt that it was a trip of a lifetime! I put out a news release for the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association last week, pointing out that Middle Fork trips are still happening without incident, the road is still open to Boundary Creek, and outfitters like Mystic Saddle Ranch is still offering horseback trail rides in the upper Wood River Valley and the Sawtooths, and guests are happy! 

"We are fully open for our trail rides, and there are no fires burning in the Sawtooths," says Deb Bitton, co-owner of Mystic Saddle Ranch. "I was at our corrals in the upper Wood River Valley yesterday, and it was a glorious day with no smoke in the air. There's still a lot of good fishing to be had in the high mountain lakes."

I think the main thing to remember is that "Conditions are changing on a daily basis." 

Leo Hennessy, who is a trip leader for the Idaho Outdoors Yahoo Group, has been traveling to different places every weekend for the last month. "I'm trying to thread the needle of smoke and haze between Sun Valley, Stanley and McCall, and all I can say is, "It changes day to day. It seems to be the most clear around McCall and Lick Creek, and that's where I'm going this weekend." 

Leo is going with a group that's backpacking into the Prince Lakes. It's very steep and challenging, trip leaders forewarn. If you'd like to tag along, see the invite on Idaho Outdoors.

He Devil Peak (courtesy Summit Post)

Pete Zimowsky asked four guidebook authors for their recommendations on high alpine lakes to explore this fall in the Statesman, and those folks recommended a number of hikes in the Bighorn Crags, Sawtooths, Seven Devils and Pioneers. Smoke-wise, I think the Seven Devils might be the best bet this weekend.
Smoke considerations aside, all of the popular campgrounds at Redfish Lake are open. See the Sawtooth National Recreation Area web site for a full report. Another good spot might be the Bear Valley and Elk Creek areas north of Lowman. That's a great spot for camping,  canoeing and wildlife-watching.  

Blue Lake near Snowbank Mountain (courtesy Dave Williams, from Boise Trail Guide)

Another option this weekend might be to go camping in the Lake Cascade area and take in the bluegrass festival in Round Valley nearby. You also could go hiking to Blue Lake or on the high ridge by Snowbank Mountain (you can drive to the top), go biking on the Eagle's Nest Trail (get free sample  trail/map download from my book Mountain Biking in McCall), or go boating on the Cabarton stretch of the North Fork Payette River. 

Well, hopefully these ideas will provide inspiration this weekend. If  you're stuck in town, I bet a ton of people will go to the Barley Brothers beer fest in Meridian Friday and Saturday. And plus, there are a number of great Labor Day sales at Boise's outdoor retailers. Idaho Mountain Touring, Boise REI, Greenwood's, McU Sports, Alpenglow Mountain Sport and Idaho River Sports all have some fantastic clothing and gear on sale right now. Great deals! 

Have fun! 
-- SS 

Some useful resources for navigating fires and smoke in SW Idaho and Central Idaho

Courtesy NASA (taken on Aug. 18)

Hi all,

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's run into road closures and maddening situations in the last several weeks as we try to travel to the mountains, musical events, campgrounds, etc.

The big whopper I endured recently was when a new fire cropped up near Banner Summit and the Forest Service closed Idaho 21 late in the afternoon on Thursday, Aug. 9. There was virtually no forewarning that there might be any road closures in that area, and suddenly, boom. So much for making it to the Braun Brothers Reunion concert that night. I drove over 10 hours that day and never made it to Challis before collapsing near midnight at the Mt. Borah Earthquake interpretive area.

I felt humbled when I read a story about some very unhappy boy scouts who had driven to the Cape Horn area to camp at the boy scout camp near Beaver Creek, only to discover that the Halstead Forest Fire had shut down that road and camping area, and the boys had to drive home. Wow! That made my trip seem like a jaunt to the corner quick stop.

Planning a recreation outing in Central Idaho these days can be quite challenging because we have a trio of  large fires in Central Idaho that are are burning out of control with no containment in sight. The prevailing winds generally blow west-to-east, and so they are pushing smoke from the 98,000-acre Trinity Ridge fire into the Sawtooths and Stanley areas, and of course all of the recreation areas near Pine and Featherville and the Trinities are off-limits. And then you have the Halstead Fire burning north of Idaho 21 and Idaho 75, making much of that area inaccessible, and the smoke from the Halstead fire is pushing into Challis and Salmon.

It's hard to figure out where to go, but here are a few trip-planning tools that will be helpful:

• Great forest and range fire web site with the latest information: http://inciweb.org/. Scroll down to the name of the fire, click on the link, and you'll get the latest information. 
• Best road closure site: ITD 511  http://hb.511.idaho.gov/main.jsf
• Smoke web site: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/usa/20120820-idaho.html
• Forest Service maps and satellite images: http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/imagery.php?op=fire&fireID=id-mt-000
• The National Weather Service forecasts also have information about wind and smoke. 

As I mentioned in last week's blog, McCall and Cascade are good bets close to home, although it was quite smoky and hazy in McCall when I was there earlier this week. Eastern Oregon also could be a good place to go -- the Wallowas and Eagle Cap Wilderness are beautiful locations. Natalie Bartley wrote a piece about scenic drives in the Wallowas in today's Statesman.

The west side of the Payette National Forest north of Weiser has some good camping areas and mountain bike trails. My book Mountain Biking Idaho has a cool advanced ride called the "Parlor of Pain," (named by locals), which is 19.5 miles. You go up the Mann Creek Road, north of Weiser, and start the ride at the junction with Hitt Creek Road #573. Climb that road for a ways and then veer right on a singletrack, climb the Parlor of Pain section, and then cruise by Hitt Peak and Sturgill Peak, before flying down the Mann Creek Road #009 back to the start.

New singletrack on the Payette Rim Trail

If you do go to McCall, I recommend riding the Payette Rim Trail, which is featured in my book, Mountain Biking in McCall. The Rim trail is a longtime favorite ride in the McCall area, but logging two years ago really tore up the trail. Locals have since re-routed a singletrack trail around the logging impacts, and it takes you all the way down to the corrals by Bear Basin, creating the possibility of riding the rim trail and then making a loop around the Bear Basin Trails to add another 5+ miles to the ride. Thanks to McCall mountain bikers for the awesome re-route!

Another option this weekend is to float rivers. Tons of people have been floating Cabarton on the North Fork of the Payette River, not to mention the South Fork Payette, and the South Fork Boise is still running at summer flows. The Riggins day trip on the Salmon River is another option. The Upper Salmon near Stanley is closed to private boaters but 4 outfitters are running trips there daily.

Canoeists might want to try Elk Creek or Bear Valley Creek and camp nearby. The Landmark area and Deadwood Reservoir should be fine as well.

At least it's going to be cooler this weekend! I'm looking forward to that.

Have fun and good luck escaping the smoke! Tell me what you find!
--SS

Go north to Idaho's lakes country to get out of the smoke & go boating, hiking or biking

Priest Lake under a full moon

Hi all,

I think it's safe to say that people are getting really tired of the smoke-filled Boise Valley, and this weekend, they'll be looking for ways to find some clean air. In my mind, this is a perfect excuse to head north to the Idaho Panhandle, where there are a bounty of recreation opportunities to enjoy, and the air is clear, so I've heard from locals in Coeur d'Alene.

You might groan and think, gawd, that's just too far to go! And I'd come back and say, hey, it's not that far, and you've got only a week or so before the kids have to head back to school. Why not take a few days and go somewhere like Priest Lake, where you can hang out on the beach, even camp by the beach,  and go boating on the lake, canoeing in Upper Priest Lake, mountain biking through giant cedar groves or hiking in the Selkirk Mountains. Or, pick up a Panhandle National Forests map and go on a waterfall tour.

Here's one of my previous blogs that details all of the great camping, mountain biking and canoeing opportunities in the Priest Lake area. Wendy and I went mountain biking on the Lakeshore Trail along main Priest Lake, and rode the Navigation Trail to Upper Priest Lake and cruised along the shoreline. We also canoed from our beach campsite at Beaver Creek Campground, paddled up the channel between main Priest and Upper Priest, and toured the upper lake for the day. Pete Zimowsky from the Statesman wrote a very thorough report about that paddling trip in today's paper.

Another more challenging mountain biking ride near Priest Lake is the Upper Priest River Trail. It's 20.4 miles out and back, all singletrack, and you'll end up at a waterfall and swimming hole at the Idaho-British Columbia border, a perfect place to cool off. This one is featured in my book Mountain Biking Idaho. It's one of my all-time favorite rides. The cedar trees are gigantic.  

Several other possibilities in the Idaho Panhandle:

The Taft Tunnel (courtesy Spokesman Review)

• Ride the Route of the Hiawatha, a cool, gravel rail-trail that can be accessed from Wallace if you're taking the I-90 or from St. Maries, if you're driving up through Idaho. There are a whole series of dark tunnels and railroad trestles on the trail. Distance is 14 miles up, 14 miles back. There's a shuttle available if you don't want to ride uphill. Be sure to bring a bright light! (Camping headlamps are worthless). This ride is written up in Mountain Biking Idaho. Here's an informative video about the whole experience. 
• Ride the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes anywhere between Wallace and Heyburn State Park. If you're driving up through Idaho, access the trail from the west side at Heyburn, and cruise on the paved trail to Harrison for ice cream and continue along Lake Coeur d'Alene and then the Coeur d'Alene River, enjoy the scenery and all of the bird life along the way. 



The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes 

• Pick up a copy of  Mountain Biking Idaho and check out some outstanding rides in the Coeur d'Alene and Sandpoint areas. Canfield Butte next to Coeur d'Alene has a ton of singletrack trails to explore, and Farragut State Park also has some great trails, one of them right next to Lake Pend Oreille. In the Sandpoint area, you can ride a twisty singletrack (more than 40 switchbacks!) to the top of Gold Hill, cruise around Schweitzer Mountain Ski Area, or try a long expert ride like the Bernard Peak Loop (18.5 miles, 2,650 feet of vertical gain/loss.) 

If you go up north, I recommend taking I-84 to Tri-Cities, Wash., Highway 395 to I-90, and then you're home free, in Ritzville, Wash., just an hour from Spokane, and 1.5 hours from Coeur d'Alene. This route is at least an hour faster than driving through Idaho (I've done it in 6+ hours). Save time by driving part of the way in the evening, and the rest in the morning, and then you'll have for an outing the first afternoon. 

If you'd rather stay closer to home, head up to McCall and go beaching, camping, hiking, biking and boating. Here's a blog I wrote recently with 10 reasons to go to McCall. The morel picking season is long over, but you can probably still find some huckleberries.  

If you're stuck in town, don't forget the Tour de Fat event on Saturday in Ann Morrison Park ... The parade starts at 10 a.m. (be sure to dress up in some kind of wacky costume), and then the beer begins to flow ... buy beer and your proceeds go toward the Southwest Idaho Mountain Biking Association (SWIMBA), the Boise Bicycle Project and other great charities.

Have fun!
- SS

Get up early for a quick workout before work to beat the heat ... you'll feel SO much better

Hi all,

With this blasted hot weather settled over the lowlands of SW Idaho for weeks on end, we're left with really no choice but to get up early for a quick morning workout before the "work" day begins during the work week.

I've been trying to do that several times a week, and I've noticed that the parking lots at foothills trailheads are surprisingly busy at 6:30 a.m.! Fine minds think alike!

This week, for my tip of the week, I'm recommending several biking/running loops that take an hour or less. If you're hiking, allow more time. All of these routes are featured in my Boise Trail Guide and Mountain Biking in Boise. To make a quick escape, take a few moments in the evening to gather up your gear and replenish the water in your pack, so you're ready to roll in the morning ...

Table Rock trails

1.  Table Rock - The out-and-back South Face "grunt route" to the top of Table Rock is short and abrupt, guaranteed to make you sweat, with almost 1,000 feet of climbing. Distance is about 3 miles. Take Trail #15 from the Old Pen Trailhead by the Bishop's House and climb to Table Rock. If you have time, you can loop back on Trails #16 and #17. Or just go out and back.

2. Military Reserve - There are many short options in Military Reserve Park, but my current favorite is what I call Jumpin' Jeepers Figure 8 Loop. Distance is 6.75 miles; climbing is about 1,000 feet. Take  Central Ridge Trail #22 to the top of the first hill, and continue to Shane's Junction. Ride to the top of Shane's and do the loop back to Central Ridge and Bucktail junction. Take Bucktail downhill and slalom back to the top of Trail #20 and descend the switchbacks to Toll Road Trail and cruise back to the trailhead.

2a. Two Coyote Loop - My friend Maggie Lawrence loves this route. It's 6.5 miles (705 feet of climbing). Running time is about 1:15; Riding time is about an hour. Hike or ride along Freestone Creek to the police firing range area. Climb up to Bucktail and follow that to Shane's Junction. Go left on Shane's and take that to Trail #26, go left and cruise downhill over to a dirt road. Take the dirt road downhill back to the police firing range area and return on the trailhead via Freestone. Maggie and the Boise B's named that Two Coyote because they saw two of those pups on their run.

3. Corrals-Bobs Loop - Highlands neighborhood special. This one is a little longer at 8.4 miles and 1,230 feet of vertical gain. Riding/running time is more like 1.5 hours. Go up Bogus Basin Road to the Corrals Trailhead. Ride Corrals to the summit, descend to Bob's, and rip down Bob's, watching for the rare person coming uphill. A quicker alternative here is to drive to the Corrals Trailhead, and do an out and back to the top of Corrals or add the climb on Scott's Trail for spice.

Boise B's on Corrals morning run in the winter ... 

4. Crestline-Hulls Loop - North Ender special. Starting from Camelsback, this one is 10 miles (1,600 feet of gain), but if you start from the trailhead by the Foothills Learning Center, it's less than 8 miles. Quickest way is to ride up Kestrel to Crestline, and return to the trailhead on Hulls. My friend Molly said that takes her a little over an hour to run that one.

5. Polecat Gulch Loop -  The full loop is just over 6 miles (800+ feet of climbing), and I typically ride it in 45 minutes to an hour. Running time would be an hour or less, depending on your pace. The trailhead is off of Cartwright Road, near the junction with Pierce Park. Excellent choice for people who live in NW Boise or Hidden Springs.

6. Hillside to the Hollow Loop - There's a quick loop in Hillside to the Hollow (the island of open space between 36th Street and Bogus Basin Road). Start at the 32nd Street trailhead, climb to the top of the mountain, keep going east and then take the trail that wraps around the frontside of the mountain and returns to the trailhead. If you leave nearby, just ride or run from home, and you can notch that loop is less than an hour.

7. Squaw Creek Loop - The long loop is 6.25 miles and over 1,600 feet of climbing. This route is most convenient for folks in the Harris Ranch and SE Boise areas. It can be shortened by climbing the Homestead Trail out and back. The trailhead is off of Council Springs Road, near Lucky 13.

Eagle Cycle Park (courtesy Mari Briggs)

8. Eagle Cycle Park - For west Boise residents and Eagle folks, these trails are very close to home. Take old Horseshoe Bend Road north from ID 55 to the Eagle Cycle Park Trailhead. Here's one suggested loop that's 6.5 miles (800 feet of climbing). Ride uphill on Rabbit Run and follow that to the end; go back on Twisted Sister, do another loop on D's Chaos, and finish by looping the Junk Yard Trail. All of these twisty singletracks are fun, and you won't experience any climbing that lasts very long. Fun place to run and ride.

9. For the road cyclists out there, the best recommendation I have is the Cartwright-Pierce Park Loop (fastest option) for a quick morning workout. That one usually takes less than an hour, while the full
Three Summits Loop (aka the "Dump Loop") is more like an 1:15 for me.

There you have it! Hopefully you've got some comp time or flexible schedule that allows coming into work a little later than 8 a.m.!  Even if you work at home, it's best to get started early to enjoy a cooler environment. It is getting kind of smoky out there, however, because of all the fires burning in Idaho and Eastern Oregon.

If you've got a favorite early-morning route that I've overlooked here, please pipe up in the comments below and let us know what we're missing!

PS - If you'd like more detailed descriptions and maps, all of these routes are available a la carte for 99 cents each on my web site, www.stevestuebner.com.

- SS