Steelhead in the Boise River Friday! Party in the park at Bogus, plus hiking and biking in the foothills

Steelhead! Courtesy IDFG 

Hi all, 

This unseasonably nice weather we've been having in Boise and Southern Idaho will continue through tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 17), and then we've got some rain in the forecast on Saturday night, and Sunday looks OK but quite a bit cooler with some rain in the morning and windy conditions in the afternoon. 

So Friday looks to be a great day to get out and enjoy hiking or biking on your favorite Ridge to Rivers trails or the Boise River Greenbelt. I am hoping to ride the Sidewinder-Fat Tire-Trail #5 loop in the afternoon. 

On Friday, Idaho Fish and Game will be stocking 250 steelhead in the Boise River in the usual locations - Glenwood Bridge, Americana Bridge, Broadway Bridge, West ParkCenter Bridge, and Barber Park. 

That'll be an awesome opportunity to catch a nice steelhead from the Snake River in Hells Canyon. Bag limit is 2 per person per day. See more details here. 

Low Tide terrain park event
last year. (Courtesy BB)

On Saturday and Sunday, Bogus Basin will open its Explorer Terrain Park for skiers and riders. Lift tickets are free on Saturday. There’s a special event on Sunday, "The Gathering - Party in the Park 2023" from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lift tickets are $10.

I hope the rain/snow mix forecast Saturday night turns to all snow by Sunday morning to have a fresh coating of snow on the terrain park. You could always drive up there and see how you like the conditions to join in on the fun. 

On Saturday, the weather forecast is for partly cloudy skies and a high of 56, so that should be fine for hiking and biking in the foothills. 

A couple of other possibilities for trails to explore: 

• Hawkins Loop Trail, off of Bogus Basin Road. This 5.7-mile loop will be closed on Dec. 1 for the winter, so you've only got a few more days to check out that directional trail, if you haven't already. See more details about the Hawkins Loop Trail here. 
• Freddy's Stack Rock Trail - Start at the pullout on Bogus Basin Road at about mile 10, cruise over to the Freddy's Stack Rock-Sweet Connie junction, and do the Freddy's loop. That's a great ride and a significant hike. See my previous post about that mountain bike ride when the new connector trail from Bogus road to the Freddy's-Sweet Connie jct. opened in 2019.

  

  L-R, Doug, Steve, Jim and Mack on Stack Rock. 

• Five Mile-Watchman Loop - Start at the end of pavement on Rocky Canyon Road and do the 10-mile Watchman Loop; or start at the Five Mile Creek Trailhead and do a 6-mile loop up Five Mile Creek, then climb Watchman, descend and drop out on Three Bears back to the trailhead. The 6-mile loop usually takes about 3.5 hours hiking. The 10-mile Watchman Loop usually takes about 2 hours of riding time. 

There you have it! 

Have a great weekend and a nice Thanksgiving! 

- SS