Paddle the Middle Fork Boise, Upper South Fork Payette or Arrowrock to stay cool

Middle Fork Boise River upstream of Arrowrock (courtesy John Keys)

Middle Fork Boise (courtesy John Keys) 

Swirley Canyon on the South Fork Payette River would be a good alternative to Cabarton this weekend. 

Upper South Fork Payette River near Grand Jean hot springs 

Hi all,

It's been piping hot this week in the Boise Valley, and if you were thinking about trying to head out of town into the mountains this weekend, you might want to head toward Idaho City, Lowman or Stanley given the uncertain nature of Idaho 55 with the Mile Marker 73 wildfire burning next to the highway.

Check the ITD 511 site for the latest conditions. As of Thursday afternoon, ID 55 was limited to one lane with a pilot car. You can only imagine what kind of traffic back-up that might look like on Friday or this weekend. If you're heading for McCall, U.S. 95 was closed as of Thursday night in the Midvale area because of the Keithly wildfire ... geez!

Cascade Raft & Kayak is hosting a live music event tomorrow at 5 p.m. with Bread and Circus at their boating headquarters, so watch their Facebook page for the latest on highway conditions as well. If they get ID 55 opened up to two lanes, you could go raft/kayak the Payette River in the afternoon and then hang out for the live music event afterward.

Given the potential traffic snafu on ID 55, I'm recommending three paddling trips that are accessible via Idaho 21 ... these trips would be doable for folks who have inflatable kayaks, rafts, SUPs, sit-on-top hardshell kayaks or whatever craft might be suitable.

1. Float the Upper Payette River from the Tenmile trailhead area to Helende Campground, upstream of Lowman. This is a Class 2 flatwater run with rocks to dodge and small rapids. This would be a 5-mile trip. This section would be challenging for experienced whitewater SUP paddlers but probably doable. Do a road scout and see what you think.

2. Drive up to Arrowrock Reservoir, find a spot to hang out by the water, put up your sun tarp, and go paddling in the reservoir. A good truck works great for driving down to the reservoir's edge, and there are some camping spots along the Middle Fork road. Take ID 21 to the Spring Shores/Middle Fork Road and drive up-canyon to Arrowrock and find your spot from there. Any flatwater craft would work on Arrowrock, plus motorboats of course.

3. Drive up the Middle Fork Road past Arrowrock to Troutdale Campground or any other spot of your choosing, and float the lower section of the Middle Fork Boise River. This is a mostly Class 2 flatwater run with rocks to dodge and small rapids. A group of people I know ran this section last week and had enough water flow (450 cfs today) to make it through in hard-shell kayaks and inflatable kayaks. Strong SUP paddlers might want to try it. 

There you have it! A couple of other suggestions:

• Swirly Canyon or the Main Payette would be good alternatives to floating Cabarton, since that super-popular section is closed because of a wildfire. But you might have to drive there via Lowman. 
• Hiking to Jenny Lake would be a good call this weekend for a cool-off location close to home. 

Have fun! 

- SS 

Right here in our backyard: Cottonwood Creek combo trip by Arrowrock Reservoir

Confluence of Middle and South Forks of the Boise River on Arrowrock Reservoir

Lots of sweet car camping spots next to the reservoir and in Cottonwood Cr. canyon 

Cottonwood Creek trail 

Trailhead is marked on Forest Road #377

Saw a few beaver ponds along the way ... 

Hi all,

It looks to be a fabulous warm, sunny weekend -- perfect conditions for doing just about anything outside.

Beyond the obvious things to do close to home, like walking, running or biking on the Greenbelt, SUP'ing at Veterans Pond or Quinn's Pond, early-season kayaking or rafting on the Payette River, or hiking, running or biking in the Boise Foothills, I'm recommending a combination hiking/biking/camping/fishing outing in the Cottonwood Creek area, near Arrowrock Reservoir.

This would be an opportunity to jet out of town -- ideally with your camping gear, groceries for a BBQ, plus a stash of your favorite beverages in an iced cooler -- and do a combination trip in Boise's backyard. The Boise River is filling Arrowrock and Lucky Peak Reservoirs quickly, so the water level at Arrowrock is ideal for hanging out in lawn chairs in the sand at the water's edge, fishing from shore (or from a boat), and car camping in some primo spots right next to the water.

trip map (click to enlarge)

The Cottonwood Creek Trail is one of the closest hiking/biking/horseback riding trails to Boise in the Boise National Forest. It's featured in Boise Trail Guide: 90 Hiking and Running Routes Close to Home and Mountain Biking in Boise. The trailhead is about an hour from the eastern edge of Boise, only because of the twisty dirt road along Arrowrock Reservoir. That road is pretty darn smooth right now, so it's not that awful washboard shake-out-your-molars-type of experience. It's about 32 miles from Boise to the trailhead.

Detailed directions: Take Idaho 21 east, across the Mores Creek bridge, and then turn right on USFS Road #268, the road to Spring Shores Marina. Drive 15 miles on the road until you reach a junction with Forest Road #377. Turn left and follow that road 3 miles to the Cottonwood Creek trailhead on the right. There are camping spots at the trailhead and along the last 3 miles to the trailhead.

Lots of elk sign 

Creek has some flat benches for camping

Huck flushed a few grouse

Cottonwood Creek trail is kid- and family friendly. It's a singletrack that climbs for 10 miles up the creek bottom through a ponderosa pine forest that's been burned in places, and left intact in others. If you were to bite off the whole hike or bike ride, you'd climb over 3,800 vertical feet to the top. I'd rate that as super strenuous for hikers and advanced/expert for mountain bikers. But you don't have to scale the whole thing ... you could just hike or bike uphill for as long as you want, and turn around and come back.

You could approach this trip several ways:

• Drive up along Arrowrock Reservoir toward Cottonwood Creek canyon, snag a car-camping spot to your liking in the morning, set up camp to establish your spot, and then go for a day hike. Bring your fishing gear and BBQ stuff for later on. 
• Break in your body for backpacking ... backpack up Cottonwood Creek as far as you want to a suitable camping spot that you like, and enjoy hanging out in the canyon. Thorn Butte Lookout (elevation 7,515 feet ) is at the top of the hike, if you want to go for it! 
• Head up to Cottonwood Creek for a day hike, take a quick dip in the reservoir after the hike, and then head back to Boise. 
• Drive up the Middle Fork Road past the Cottonwood Creek turnoff, look for a great car-camping spot along the Middle Fork, maybe hit a hot springs along the way, and enjoy the weekend. You can take the road all the way to Atlanta. The Idaho City entry points are probably still snowed-in.  
• For mountain bikers, I would normally doing the Thorne Butte-Cottonwood Creek clockwise, meaning riding roads and two tracks to the top of Thorne Butte, and descending on the creek. But the top of Thorn Butte is still snow-packed, so you couldn't do the full loop. That should be doable in a few weeks. So for now, try an up-and-back on the Cottonwood Creek trail.  

There you have it! Enjoy the weekend!
- SS