Discovering the City of Rocks It isn’t difficult to understand the unfettered appeal of the City of Rocks National Reserve. With its weather-chiseled cliffs, multi-storied pinnacles and smooth granite domes, it’s long been a sought-after destination for rock climbers. Amusing names like Incisor, Anteater, Animal Cracker, Transformer, Banana and Broken Arrow allude to the park’s […]
Three hikes to find autumn colors No bugs. Impressive color. Mild temperatures. Falling leaves. Empty trails. How can you not love the serenity of fall hiking? Most people associate Labor Day with the end of mountain play, but veteran hikers know this is the most spectacular time of the year to enjoy the woods. Depending […]
Easy hike offers a summer escape About 20 minutes north of Brundage Mountain Resort near McCall is a splendid hike that explores two high-alpine beauties–Hard Creek Lake and Upper Hazard Lake. Although an easy hike, this trek is off the beaten path and offers solitude, great scenery and the opportunity to explore other nearby trails, […]
One of Idaho’s Best-kept Secrets Want to find a spring hiking paradise: stunning views, wildflowers, intriguing rock formations, a boulder-lined river and zero crowds? Look no further than the Wind River in the 206,000-acre Gospel Hump Wilderness.
Hike the winter away Actor-director Carl Reiner once quipped, “A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.” If this resonates with you, perhaps it is time to get out for a snowshoe hike. For a quick outing close to downtown Boise, look no further than this little […]
McCall-area hike follows the crystal-clear Goose Creek With all of the smoke from the Halstead and Trinity Ridge fires, your best bet for avoiding a gray skyline and congested lungs is to explore the Payette National Forest outside of McCall. A wonderful journey is the hike to Goose Creek Falls from the Last Chance Campground […]
Etching out a path in the Sawtooth to Goat Falls and beyond The Iron Creek Trailhead is one of the most-popular in the Stanley area. Most hikers are seeking the beautiful Alpine Lake or the popular 170-acre Sawtooth Lake. A wonderful alternative is to travel to Goat Falls and then follow an unmaintained trail to […]
Two Grass Mountain lakes make for picture-perfect hikes The Payette National Forest contains an abundance of high mountain lakes, and by any reckoning, the two Grass Mountain Lakes should be counted among the best. These two gems, located in the Grass Mountains – a subrange of the Salmon River Mountains – are simply stunning.
Summit offers view of verdant rhyolite cliffs The Chinese philosopher Confucius is renowned for his wisdom and is credited with the saying, “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” Certainly, this little quip rings true when people skirt the edge of Mountain Home and head North on Hwy. 20 to the alluring Wood River […]
The island’s newer road less traveled The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail lets hikers experience the seclusion and dramatic vistas of Vancouver Island.You don’t have to travel halfway around the world to find world-class adventure outside of Idaho – just head north. Our northern neighbor, Canada, is the second-largest country in the world, boasting 7 […]
Boise’s urban hiking challenge One of the first things people notice when looking from downtown Boise to the top of Table Rock is that the peak is close – less than three miles. Other than Camelback Mountain in Phoenix or Twin Peaks in San Francisco, there may not be a better urban hiking experience so […]
Fall rec spot boasts beautiful vistas Who says the creek drainages in the Boise Foothills are waterless by late fall? Dry Creek defies its name – it really does have water. The path along Dry and Shingle creeks is one of the most scenic trails near downtown Boise. An array of foliage is supported by […]
