More on RV dumps
Hey Zimo!
You discuss locations for RV dump stations (Zimo, June 12).
There's another Web site http://www.sanidumps.com/sanidumps_usa.php?id=26 which lists over 12,000 locations of dump stations.
It's the largest Web site.
JOHN C., e-mail
Zimo note: It's a good one. You can never have too many sources for RV dumps.
Q: I would love to have some new ideas for horse-friendly trails and campgrounds.
I love to hike but prefer to ride, so I was hoping that you could throw out some ideas for me!
SARA JOHNSON, e-mail
A: One of the best places is the Bull Trout Lake Campground between Lowman and Stanley.
It has four campsites, each with a corral and spacious parking.
There are a lot of trails and roads to ride in the area.
It is reached by driving east from Lowman on Idaho 21 for 33.9 miles to the Bull Trout Lake sign. Turn left at the sign onto a dirt road and go 1.9 miles to the campground.
The equestrian campground at Whoop Um Up, 17 miles northeast of Idaho City on Idaho 21, is another good bet. This is near the cross-country ski and snowmobile parking lot.
There are some back roads and trails through pine forests for riding.
The Grandjean Campground, gateway to the back side of the Sawtooths, is another horse campground with trail access.
It is reached by driving 21.5 miles east of Lowman on Idaho 21 to the Grandjean sign. Head down the road along the South Fork of the Payette River.
It has designated equestrian campsites with hitching posts.
The Casino Creek Campground, 5.4 miles north and east of Stanley on Idaho 75, has three campsites designed for horse campers.
This campground also has access to the Little Casino Creek and Big Casino Creek trails into the White Cloud Mountains.
The shoe tree
Q: Traveling over to Burns, Ore., we noticed a tree loaded with shoes, at a pulloff next to the Malheur River.
What is the deal with that?
CHRIS PRESTON, e-mail
A: I've seen that tree on U.S. 20 many times on the way to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns and also to the Oregon Coast.
It has been there for as long as I can remember.
I contacted the Harney County Chamber of Commerce, and they didn't know too much more about it.
A spokesperson said there also used to be one between Burns and Bend. Maybe it's an Oregon thing.
The one between Burns and Bend was removed several years ago, she said, and then the one along the Malheur River increased in popularity.
Idaho Statesman outdoors writer Roger Phillips, who is a former Oregonian, also remembers the shoe tree on the Malheur River being there as long as anyone can remember.
Who knows how these things get started. Someone stops and throws a pair of shoes in the tree, and there you go.
Maybe it's a fashion statement or something.
I wouldn't throw just any shoes up there. I'd throw a pair of shoes that represent your lifestyle.
For me, it would be an old, worn-out pair of trail shoes or paddling shoes, or maybe a stinky pair of neoprene booties.
But then again - is it littering?
Bikeways map
Q: Are there any books or maps that show all the bike paths in Boise?
NICKIE, e-mail
A: You can download a .pdf of the Ada County Bikeways Map at www.achd.ada.id.us.
Go to Roadways and Bikeways and then to Bikeway Map.
It's a pretty good overall view of the bike paths and bike lanes.
You can also pick up a hard-copy of the map at the Ada County Highway District's main office at 3775 Adams St. in Garden City.
I checked out the map and came up with some new riding routes.
High-country hiking
Q: Hi Pete! I'd like to hike up to Imogene Lake (elevation 8,400 feet) in the Sawtooths at the end of June.
Do you think it will still be snowed in?
VERN PORTER, e-mail
A: The U.S. Forest Service doesn't have any estimates on snow depths in the Sawtooths.
Trail crews haven't been up there yet and haven't reported anything.
So, I got online at Idaho's snotel sites and did a little research.
You'll probably find snow and high-water stream crossings at that time.
The Vienna Mine snotel site, at 8,960 feet in elevation, is near the area where you want to hike. It had 30 inches of snow as of this week.
Trinity Mountain, north of Mountain Home, is 7,770 feet in elevation and had 27 inches of snow.
Dollarhide Summit, west of Sun Valley in the Smoky Mountains, had 15 inches of snow. It is at 8,420 feet in elevation.
Trail conditions depend on what side of the slope the trails are located, whether on the north, south, east or west sides of the mountains.
For updates, you can call the Stanley Ranger Station at (208) 774-3000. But staff didn't have any information as of Tuesday.
Pete Zimowsky: 377-6445
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