Be aware: Hunting season is underway! Try Snowbank Mountain for a colorful escape

Snowbank Mountain in the spring (courtesy John Platt)

You'll see the trailhead for Blue Lake on the way up to Snowbank. Nice spot! (from Boise Trail Guide)

Hi all,

Well it's that time of year when deer and elk hunters are roaming the woods in search of game. That increases the level of danger for non-hunters who may be out hiking, trail-running or biking on  Idaho's public lands, so be sure to wear bright colors and put bright colors on your pets.

Just so you know, general deer season started on Wednesday, Oct. 10, statewide, and in some areas, elk season started on the same day or will follow soon thereafter. There are multiple big game seasons throughout October and November depending on location, so be safe out there.

In the meantime, the fall colors are really popping in the higher elevations right now. I had to drive from Boise up to Whitebird earlier this week, and I saw the tamarack trees beginning to turn in Long Valley, while the aspens are turning yellow, orange and red, and the shrubs are doing the same.

So I have four recommendations for outdoor outings this week:

1.  Go visit Snowbank Mountain in Valley County to enjoy fall colors and maybe go for a walk at the top of the mountain or over to Blue Lake. It's hard to say how much snow is on top of Snowbank, but as things warm up in the next day or so, I don't think that will be an impediment to reach the mountain top if you have a solid 4WD vehicle. If snow is an issue, you could always stop earlier and go for a walk on the road in your snow boots.

Snowbank Mountain is accessible via Cabarton Road, past the put-in for the Cabarton reach of the Payette River. The turnoff is on your left. A well-maintained dirt road winds its way to the top of the mountain, where a FAA site is maintained and there are many cell towers, etc. Elevation is over 8,000 feet, so the views are spectacular.

Wendy on the Crown Point Trail 

2. Crown Point Trail - This is another spot in the Cascasde area where you could enjoy fall colors on a wide dirt road. The 3-mile old RR grade non-motorized trail goes along Cascade Reservoir, providing fetching views of West Mountain across the lake. You can hike it, run it or bike it. Three miles out, three miles back. Rated easy. There are choice areas with lots of sandy beachfront below the trail where you could stop, eat lunch and enjoy the scenery. The trailhead is by the Crown Point Campground in Cascade, near Cascade Dam.

Taking your kids up to the Intermountain Bird Observatory
offers a chance for them to release a banded hawk ... 

3. Go visit the Intermountain Bird Observatory at Lucky Peak - Professionals will be up there netting songbirds and birds of prey as they migrate to the south and get drawn to the top of Lucky Peak mountain by crafty quail traps that the bird-handlers provide. You can combine a trip to Lucky Peak by hiking to the top or mountain biking to the top, or you can drive to the top in a solid 4WD high-clearance vehicle. See more details about the bird observatory here.

4. Stay close to home and visit Boise Foothills trails. You're not likely to encounter any deer hunters in the Boise foothills except for maybe off of Rocky Canyon Road. The colors are beginning to change in Military Reserve, Hulls Gulch, Dry Creek, Five Mile Trail, Watchman Trail and Peggy's Trail. But the colors will not be as impressive as they are at higher elevations in Valley County.

Have fun!
- SS