Four spring hikes - 2 in the Boise Foothills, 2 in the Owyhees, plus Boise Bike Week!

Jump Creek Falls, near Marsing

Big Jacks Creek canyon as it looks as you're hiking down from the Parker Trailhead. 

Hi all,

After a week of unsettled weather, this weekend looks fabulous with clear skies and temperatures in the mid-70s in the Treasure Valley. There's a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms on Sunday. We've seen that all week, and sometimes the storm happens, sometimes not!

My outdoor tip this week will focus on a couple of handy hikes close to home. But first, I wanted to mention this we are in the midst of Boise Bike Week, sponsored by the Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance. Tomorrow is national Bike to Work Day  So if you need a little extra motivation to get your bike lock and gear together for biking to work, there you go!!! Plus, a bunch of coffee shops are offering a free cup of coffee to people who ride to work ... so there's another boost for ya! See Boise Bike Week Facebook page for details.

Now to the hikes. First, a couple in the Boise Foothills:

Lupine going off big-time on the way to Central Ridge Trail and Bucktail Trail in Military Reserve this week. 

1. Jumpin' Jeepers Figure-8 Loop - 6.75 miles. Rated strenuous as a hike or run with moderate sections. Rated intermediate for biking. Hiking time, 2.5-3 hours; running time, 1:20; riding time, 1:10. This is one of my favorite rides in Military Reserve that connects to Shane's Trail. It's an equally nice run or hike. The name comes from the Boise Police Dept. shooting range at the end of Mountain Cove Road. The unexpected blast from a gun might cause you to jump out of your skin! Thank goodness the city finally moved the firing range! The flowers are still popping along the way ... I saw a field of arrowleaf balsomroot and purple lupine on Wednesday. To start, go to Fort Boise and then the main trailhead on Mountain Cove Road, after the sharp right-hand corner heading west. Take the Toll Road Trail #27A to #20 Ridge Crest and climb to the top of the hill. Turn right on Central Ridge Trail and climb at a moderate pace to Shane's Junction. Take Shane's #26A to the left, and climb to the top of Shane's. You've climbed 1,000 feet over 3+ miles. Give your puppy a drink and a snack. Descend Shane's for less than a mile, turn right on the Shane's Loop and return to the Central Ridge-Bucktail-Shane's jct. Take Bucktail downhill and enjoy the big GS turns as you wind across a big downhill on a large flat. Bucktail drops into the Central Ridge alternative trail. Go right and then left on that and it'll take you back to the trailhead. It's a great view of Idaho's Capital City as you cruise downhill on that sagebrush slope to the trailhead.

2. Camelsback - Kestrel-Crestline-Red Cliffs Loop - Distance: 5 miles. Rated moderate for hikers and runners. Rated intermediate for biking. Hiking time, 2-2.5 hours; Running time: 55 minutes; Biking time: 45 minutes. This is a popular loop with hikers, runners and bikers. Start at Camelsback Park off of Heron and 13th Street in North Boise. Head over to the trailhead in the east side of the park, and follow Owl's Roost Trail on the right by the ponds. Follow Owl's Roost to the Foothills Learning Center area. Turn right at the junction with Kestrel, and climb Kestrel to Crestline, it's about .6 miles of continuous climbing. Turn left onto Crestline, climb a short abrupt hill, and then watch for a left-hand junction with Red Cliffs in less than a half mile. Turn left onto Red Cliffs and enjoy a fun descent for over a mile back to Hulls Gulch. Follow Hulls back toward the Foothills Learning Center, cross 8th Street, and take Chickadee Ridge back to Camelsback Park.

Now, a couple hikes in the Owyhees:

3. Jump Creek Canyon, near Marsing - Follow this link to see a write up in the Nampa Press-Tribune about visiting Jump Creek Canyon. They used my Owyhee Canyonlands guide for reference and driving directions. Be forewarned that there is poison ivy on the trail to the falls. Watch your step and keep the kids close at hand through that small section as you approach the falls. Once you arrive at the BLM recreation site, you'll notice that you can explore some extensive trails above Jump Creek Falls. Give that a go if you're up for hiking a greater distance than the quarter-mile trail to the falls.

4. Big Jacks Creek, Parker Trailhead - Big Jacks Creek is a gorgeous canyon. Go see it and judge for yourself.

Driving map for Parker Trailhead

The hardest part of the whole trip, like many in the Owyhee Canyonlands, is finding the trailhead. A good 4WD vehicle or a high-clearance Subaru is recommended for the drive, once you hit the dirt roads.

How to get there: Take the freeway to Mountain Home. Take the first exit. Follow signs for Idaho State Highway 51 and Bruneau. After you reach Bruneau, take note of your odometer. Stay on Idaho 51 for approximately 25 miles. You'll be watching for a right-hand turn on a good dirt road, called the Wickahoney Road, just past milepost 45. The road is not signed, but it's a BLM public road.

Follow Wickahoney Road 4.9 miles to a T-junction by Wickahoney Creek. Turn right and go 2.8 miles to the Parker Trailhead. Park and hike from there.

Leo Hennessy follows the Parker Trail into the Big Jacks Wilderness

You'll follow a two-track road over to the rim of the canyon, walk over a barbed-wire fence via a wooden step-over gizmo, and descend into Big Jacks Creek. Take your time, take some photos and enjoy the scenery. There's a foot path going down into the canyon; it's marked by rock cairns along the way. Watch for snakes. They could be out.

Once at the bottom, you can explore a little and eat lunch by the campsite area. Return the way you came.

Beautiful campsite at the bottom of Big Jacks. 

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The BLM is hosting two events this weekend related to the 25th anniversary of the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area.

1. Join in on a Naturalist Photo Safari of overlooked and underappreciated components of the NCA ecosystem. On Saturday, it's "Insect Day." On Sunday, there's a plant and geology hike in the canyon. RSVP to Cory Coffman at ccoffman@blm.gov. For the full event schedule, go here.

Have fun!
- SS

Boise Bike Week is coming up! Tie into TVCA great biking events for One Sweet Ride!

Thanks to the Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance for sponsoring Boise Bike Week! 

Try to ride to work at least one day this week, or all 5 days! 

Go for a co-ed mountain bike ride with the Dirt Dolls on Monday ... 

People might dress up for the Pedal Power parade, much like they do for
the Fat Tire Festival in Boise in August!

Who knows? You might see costume-clad riders on the fun rides! 

Get your kids out for a ride! This is my son Quinn when
he was 7 or 8 years old by the Hulls ponds. 

Larger three-wheeler bikes are becoming more popular ...
This model works great for my son Drew. Check out a
demonstration about adaptive bikes on May 21st. 

Hi all,

It's the month of May, and that means it's time to get on your bike and tie into the many fun biking events coming up during Boise Bike Week, coming up on Monday, May 16 and running through Saturday, May 21! Their theme is "One sweet ride."

Many thanks to the Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance and many other pro-bike organizations and businesses in Boise for dishing up a great list of events! You can find the full calendar of events on the TVCA web site.

Boise Bike Week is a time to promote biking in our community. It's also a time when there's so much going on it creates an incentive for you to get off the couch and:

• Ride to work as many days as possible that week. Get your bike lock set up handy, get ready for work a little earlier than normal, and enjoy the commute to work in the fresh air.  
• Tie into free mountain bike rides or road rides to try these activities perhaps for the first time, meet new people, and enjoy some beers afterwards. 
• Learn about bike safety for kids and adults from the pros. It's vital to know how to navigate the streets safely or get tips on how to ride a mountain bike safely in the hills to avoid injuries or worse. 
• Getting kids more involved in cycling. 
• Participate in a bike parade! That's always a hoot, especially when people dress up. 
• Learn more about finding the right bicycle for you and your kids. 

Some highlights for you and your friends to plug into the fun:

• Dirt Dolls co-ed mountain bike ride, Monday, 5:45 p.m., Camelsback Park. All abilities welcome. Go for an hour-long ride and hit the beer party, a kickoff for Boise Bike Week, at Highlands Hollow. The party runs from 6-9 p.m. 
• Intro to Road Biking ride led by Community Bicycle Rides, 6-8 p.m. Tuesday. Meet at Eastside Cycles in Bown Crossing. Several places to eat and drink afterwards in Bown Crossing. 
• Wandering Wheels Picnic and Gear Swap, Tuesday, 6-7 p.m. Bring a picnic dinner to Catalpa Park in NW Boise and learn about how cyclists pack their bikes for different kinds of rides and tours. 
• Ride of Silence, 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, to honor those we've lost in our community from vehicle-bicycle accidents. There have been WAY too many of these accidents in our community. More awareness and publicity about safe cycling and safe driving is essential. Ride starts at Camelsback. 
• Three riding clinics on Wednesday - Youth starts at Fort Boise at 4:30 p.m.; Ladies only road and mountain bike rides will be led by George's on 3rd Street at 6 p.m.; SWIMBA beginning mountain bike clinic starting in Military Reserve by Fort Boise. 
• National Bike to Work Day breakfast at the Boise Co-op, Friday, 7-9 a.m. Free coffee and danishes for bike commuters! 
• Adaptive Bike Fair, Saturday, 10 a.m.- 3 p.m., Fort Boise - Try out all kinds of different bikes at the fair, including upright and recumbent hand cycles, trikes, recumbent trikes, tandem bikes and trikes. I just bought my autistic son, Drew, a three-wheeler in April. I wish I had gotten it sooner! He does great on it!
• Pedal Power Parade to Grand Finale party at Payette Brewing, 6-10 p.m. Saturday at the new location, 733 S. Pioneer Street. Meet at the State Capital at 4:30-4:45. Ride starts at 5 p.m. The parade will follow a three-mile loop and then end up at Payette Brewing. 

I enjoyed outdoor writer Chadd Cripe's article in the Statesman this week about the different kinds of bikes one could choose from these days -- from trikes to recumbents, from cruisers to electric bikes, fat bikes, mountain bikes and road bikes! 

Another thing you might do for Boise Bike Week, if you're an experienced rider, is get out on your road bike or mountain bike and enjoy a nice long recreation ride. Put in some miles! It's good for building up your fitness and endurance, and it's good for your soul!  

If you're looking for ideas on where to ride, consider my Boise Road Cycling Guide, for 30 road rides throughout the Boise Valley, and Mountain Biking in Boise, 65 rides in the local area (available in ebook only right now; new version coming soon.)

Have fun!
- SS

Seize the day! Bike to Work Day incentives + volunteer work opportunities in ID Wilderness

Courtesy Boise Weekly 

Hi all,

It's Boise Bike Week in case you haven't noticed, and tomorrow morning (Friday) is the official National Bike to Work Day! That means if you've ever had even slightest inclination to ride your bike to work, then by god, this is the day to do it. Get up a little earlier than normal, take your time, take care not to sweat too much on the way to work (or pack your work clothes), and you'll feel refreshed when you get to work.

More reasons to bike to work, from the Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance: Number One: You're ONE LESS CAR. I love the T-shirts that say that. It's about making Boise more liveable. It's about reducing your impact on the environment. It's about sustainable living. It's about exercise, community, convenience, freedom and fun. Once you discover the many benefits of cycling, you'll wonder why you didn't start riding sooner.

Plus, there are two very cool incentives for people who Bike to Work Friday ...

• Whole Foods Market, at the corner of Broadway, Front and Myrtle, is providing a free, hot breakfast for peeps who ride their bike to work. George's Cycles and the Boise Bicycle Project will perform free safety checks and quick tune-ups. That's a sweet gig! Hours are 6-9 a.m. Friday.
• Boise Young Professionals and Big City Coffee  have teamed up for Bike to Work Day ... they're offering free treats and coffee to bikers while BYP members will staff the table, ready to greet you on your way to work or school. Learn more about the BYP while you're there! Hours are 7-9 a.m. Friday at Big City Coffee, 1416 W. Grove. 

And then Friday night, head over to the Riverside Hotel in Garden City for the big block party! Be sure to ride your bike to the event (bring a bike lock w/you). Live music will be playing from Hillfolk Noir and Reilly Coyote, plus the beer will be flowing, friendly vendors will be there and great prizes will be raffled off. Event runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Bring your friends! 

FYI: The Boise Bicycle Project is hosting a ride from BBP on Lusk Street to the block party at the Riverside Hotel via the Greenbelt. The theme is tandems and twins. Dress up with your BFF as twins and ride a tandem, then you'll really be stylin'!  

Check the Boise Bike Week events schedule to learn about the cycling events planned for Saturday, the final day of Boise Bike Week. And a big shout-out to the Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance, the Boise Weekly  and all of the great organizations that sponsored events during the week. We have a great cycling community!  
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Jack Van Valkenburgh (quoted below) is third from the right. 

Old stuff from a backcountry ranch was gathered up by volunteers for the pack-out .

Pack mules sure help when it comes to packing supplies in and out of the wilderness. 

The Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation is looking for volunteers to work on four project areas this summer in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. The projects involve clearing trails of downfall,  trail re-construction, building trail structures and general maintenance work. 

This is an opportunity to see and experience "the Frank" while giving back to the resource. The projects are needed and they have lasting benefits for the many people and pack stock that traverse the many trails in "the Frank." 

This is what my friend Jack Van Valkenburgh had to say about his experience. "I had a great time last summer working trail restoration on Marble Creek (in the Frank). Great people, good food, and the cooking and the heaviest supplies were handled by the backcountry horsemen. A terrific experience in beautiful country! Oh yea! 

Volunteers must provide their own transportation to the trailhead, provide their own personal backpacking equipment, and their sweat equity, and the Foundation provides all project tools, safety equipment, leadership and best of all - delicious meals cooked hot twice a day with a sack lunch for projects.

Take a look at the projects and dates below, and see if it works into your schedule. Contact Eric Melson for more information or to register for one of the trips: emelson@selwaybitterroot.org. 

Here are the four projects: 

1. Upper Yellowjacket Reroute, building of Turnpike/Creek Crossing structure - June 19-26

Open to 6-8 Volunteers

Starting Elevation: 6000ft; Camp Elevation: 6000ft

Mileage: 2 miles to work site

Starting trailhead: Yellow Jacket Creek and FS RD 112

Meet and camp at Yellow Jacket Guard Station deep in the Salmon River Mountains (accessed up FS Road 112 from Panther Creek). Each day, hike 2 miles to the work site and perform work digging new trail and installing a 'turnpike' trail structure over a spring creek. Though this is physically demanding work, we will have time to rest, hike and enjoy the company of the group as well. Trail head camping at guard station, tent camping with access to outhouses, creek water, weekend volunteers are welcome on this project. This project is considered moderate.

2. Lookout Ridge Heavy Trail Maintenance and Reconstruction - July 20-27

Open to 6-8 Volunteers

Starting Elevation: 8500ft; Camp Elevation: 7200ft

Mileage: 4-5 miles to basecamp with the potential of up to 20 miles of travel throughout project.

Starting trailhead: Lookout Mt Ridge at Thunder Mountain

Work on a section of the 900-mile Idaho Centennial Trail, from Thunder Mountain to West Fork Rush Creek junction. This is a challenging and rewarding opportunity to help clear annual blow down, repair trail tread and drainage issues, and re-work a 100-yard section of Idaho’s historic North to South trail. Open to 6-8 volunteers with backpacking experience. Cook and pack stock provided, basecamp camping. This project is considered difficult. 

3. Little Pistol Trail Clearing and Maintenance - Aug. 3-10

Open to 6-8 Volunteers

Starting Elevation: 8900ft; Camp Elevation:  4800ft

Mileage: 7-8 miles to basecamp with the potential of up to 30 miles of travel throughout project

Starting trailhead: Pistol Lake

In the SW corner of the Frank, Little Pistol Ridge is highlighted by an impressive ridgeline and a beautiful alpine lake basin which marks our starting point. Little Pistol is in need of much care and attention with heavy log out expected, tread repair and drainage maintenance also needed. Open to 6-8 volunteers with backpacking experience, trail work experience desired.  Cook and pack stock provided, basecamp camping. This project is considered difficult.

4. Summit Trail Clearing and Maintenance - August 27th - September 3rd

Open to 2-4 Volunteers

Starting Elevation: 7200ft; Camp Elevation:  8500ft

Mileage: 5 miles to basecamp with the potential of up to 20 miles of travel throughout project

Starting Trailhead: Snowshoe Summit on FS Rd 447E

This is a “Jack and Jill of all trades” trip with the opportunity to work with a variety of tools and techniques. We will work on Summit Trail from Snowshoe Cabin to Chilcoot Pass with incredible views of the Frank Church as you work along the ridge. Open to 6-8 volunteers with backpacking experience, trail work experience desired but not required. Cook and pack stock provided, basecamp camping. This project is considered difficult.

Have fun!

- SS