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