April 15 Trail Report

After a brief break from the wet weather yesterday, it appears that another round of rain has returned this morning and is set to last throughout the day once again. With plenty of moisture in the soil from the previous periods of precipitation, today’s accumulation will continue to create muddy, sloppy conditions on trails with heavy clay content (think Table Rock trails, some trails around the Military Reserve, and trails west of Bogus Basin Road). It is possible that sandy and all-weather trails will hold up while the rain is falling, although most trail users tend to prefer not to be out during the dreary weather. Our suggestion for outdoor recreation today would once again be to make use of the paved pathways along the Boise Greenbelt, if not paved roads or tracks with durable surfaces.

The good news from trail observations yesterday is that it does appear that conditions were drying out rather quickly with some warmer temps and sunny skies. With a series of sunny days in the forecast following today’s weather we can hope that folks should be able to be out on those sandy and all-weather trails quite soon. Please continue to be wary of doing big runs or rides on trails that you know have plenty of clay in the soil for at least a couple of days after the rain stops just to give these places a chance to dry completely. And remember, we’ve also had plenty of fresh snow on mid to high elevation trails so it will take even longer for these locations to melt and then completely dry out before recreating there. Consider the upper reaches of the Foothills to be back to late winter trail conditions after the amount of snow that we have received.

Please continue to use the resources found on the Ridge to Rivers website to help inform your trail and outdoor recreation choices through the end of this week. Have a great, albeit wet, day outside today!

Wet Weather and Winter Trail Use: https://www.ridgetorivers.org/trail-guide/trail-etiquette/wet-weather-and-winter-trail-use/

Ridge to Rivers Interactive Map: https://www.ridgetorivers.org/trails/interactive-map/