Great conditions for snow biking right now at Bogus Basin, ID City and McCall!

Hi all, 

It's been a better-than-average winter for fat biking in the snow. At least for me.  

During cold snaps with snow, the lower Boise foothills trails have been excellent to ride. The North Valley Trail in McCall and the snow bike/xc trails at Jug Mountain Ranch are always good.  

If you catch them right, like maybe the day after they've been groomed, the Idaho City Park and Ski Area trails can be excellent for snow biking. Firm conditions are best on groomed trails or boot-tracked trails. Typically, I think they groom mid-week to prepare trails for the weekend xc skiers.

Today, I zipped up to Bogus Basin to ride their Nordic trails. It's been freezing hard at night, so I figured if I got there late morning, the groomed trails would be firm. True! Skate skiers had been skiing the loop in the morning before me and packing down the middle of the trail. Plus, the trails had been freshly groomed overnight. 

It was best for me to ride right in the middle of the trail - the most well-traveled part of the trail - where I left barely a tire print in the snow. I could zoom right along on the flats, cruise downhill, and grind up the hills. The Nordic Connector Loop over to Red Tail and back to the Nordic Highway was in perfect shape for snow biking. And then you can head out the Nordic Highway several miles over to the Shafer Butte picnic junction and continue uphill to the picnic area, if you want to cover more distance. 

It was a beautiful day today to be in the mountains, soak up some Vit D, and get a workout. 

It's important for fat bikers to pay attention to their impact on trails to retain good relations with xc skiers and snowmobilers. If your tires are creating a big wedge or rut in the snow, then you create a divot in the trail, and that upsets the xc skiers in particular. They are expecting to glide on a smooth surface. If you leave light to no tracks, then the conditions are perfect for snow biking.

That's the situation we've got right now. Think about heading up to Bogus Basin to go fat biking on the Nordic trails, or head for a few other destinations that allow fat biking at the destinations above. 

At Bogus, I could use the trails for no charge since I'm a season pass holder with both Nordic and alpine privileges. I also have my own fat bike with 4" wide tires, disk brakes, and a nice range of gears for climbing and riding downhill. 

If you don't have your own bike, at Bogus it costs $45 to rent a fat bike for 2 hours, $65 for the day. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. midweek, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. So you could easily head up there after work if you have a daytime job. More information on fat biking at Bogus, go here.   

Shafer Butte picnic area junction.  

Trail map courtesy Bogus Basin Nordic Center

Be aware that some of the Nordic trails at Bogus are closed to fat biking. Be sure to check with the Nordic staff at the lodge to ensure you know which trails to ride. 

For more ideas on fat biking in the snow in the Boise area, check out the Fat Bike Boise Facebook page. People post there frequently about the snow/riding conditions on Boise-area trails.  

Looking ahead, weather looks stellar - a bluebird weekend with warmish afternoons through Sunday, Feb. 19. And then forecasts are calling for colder temps and more snow in the mountains next week! See my latest snow forecast on opensnow.com. We've got plenty of winter yet to come! 
- SS