January 25 Trail Report

Wow, what a difference a day makes! What a treat to enjoy the sunshine yesterday, albeit while still experiencing some fairly cold temperatures. The combination made for a beautiful, crisp winter day and a great time to experience the Boise Foothills. By all indications, we should be in for another one of those again today!

While the weather was great yesterday and cold temperatures meant that trails were frozen solid for the first half of the day, this is just another reminder that the freeze/thaw cycle is what really seems to contribute to muddy trail conditions throughout the trail system. Although trail conditions have dried out somewhat due to the lack of precipitation lately, by yesterday afternoon there were still plenty of trails in the classic locations where conditions were softening up and getting sticky. The Military Reserve was full of these spots where trails in direct sun by the afternoon were quite soft while shaded locations remained rock hard. Expect other locations such as Polecat, Sweet Connie, and the Hidden Springs trails, to name a few, to respond similarly today: (https://www.ridgetorivers.org/trails/interactive-map/).

As always, all-weather and sandy trails will be your best bet for a mud free trail experience. If you are simply doing short walks with the dogs or with friends and/or family, there are plenty of these options around the system. Find a link to more of them on the Wet Weather and Winter Trail Use webpage here: (https://www.ridgetorivers.org/trail-guide/trail-etiquette/wet-weather-and-winter-trail-use/). If you are planning a longer outing and/or trying to get to higher elevations, dirt roads such as 8th St. or Rocky Canyon Road remain good options with little-to-no car traffic right now. And finally, if you want to really get crazy with it, grab your classic skis or snowshoes and head up to the Eastside trails where there is a good layer of snow blanketing these trails still.

In all, enjoy another beautiful winter day in the Boise Foothills!