Make the next birthday celebration special by combining it with an adventure. Bring the birthday party to a place where no one can be bored.
SWIM, SLIDE, HIKE AND BIKE
Lakeside picnic tables, a beach swimming area, volleyball area, horseshoe area and onsite food services make Eagle Island State Park an ideal birthday bash for people of all ages. Throw a Frisbee at the 18-hole disc golf course or ride the big blue water slide.
Getting there: Take Idaho 44 to Linder Road, turn south. Follow Linder Road to Hatchery Road, turn east and follow the road to the toll gate.
Information: Eagle Island State Park at (208) 939-0696 or http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/eagleisland.aspx. $5 per vehicle day use fee or buy the $40 annual pass. The water slide is open from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Fees are $1 for one ride, $7 for 10 rides or $12 to ride all day.
CLIMB THE WALLS
Celebrate a birthday by hanging out at air-conditioned climbing gyms. A climbing wall is a safe, controlled environment where climbers practice rock climbing moves. Artificial surfaces feature natural contours with handholds and footholds. Beginners gain experience moving on simulated rock surfaces. Those skills translate to outdoor climbing on real rock cliffs.
Indoor gyms typically use the top-rope climbing technique. The rope goes from the climber to an attachment at the top of the climb, then to a partner on the ground, called the belayer. The person on the ground provides safety to the climber by managing the attached rope.
Climbers also practice bouldering by moving horizontally a few feet off the ground without a rope.
Indoor climbing gyms offering group bookings and birthday party options include Urban Ascent Rock Climbing Wall, Nampa Recreation Center, West Family YMCA and Downtown Boise Family YMCA.
Prices and offerings vary by facility. For example, at the Urban Ascent Rock Climbing Wall in Boise, a separate room for the party rents for $30. The 20- to 30-minute climbing lesson costs $20 for the group, and the six- to seven-hour climbing day pass costs $17 per person, with lower fees for younger climbers.
YMCAs offer a swim-and-climb birthday party package.
Information:
Urban Ascent Rock Climbing Wall: (208) 363-7325 or www.urbanascent.com
Nampa Recreation Center: (208) 468-5777 or www.nampareccenter.org
West Family YMCA: (208) 377-9622 or www.ymcatvidaho.org
Downtown Boise Family YMCA: (208) 344-5501 or www.ymcatvidaho.org
FLY HIGH ON ZIP LINES
If you are looking for a thrill, consider spending your birthday zooming through the air on a metal cable. A zip line tour is an adrenaline-filled option for anniversaries and family reunions, too.
Zip Idaho, located near the Boise National Forest, boasts six zip line rides up to 1,800 feet long. On some lines you are flying 120 feet above the ground.
Start from their office in Horseshoe Bend. Zip Idaho provides transportation to their zip lines in the hills. Guides explain the procedure for using the safety equipment consisting of harnesses, lanyards, carabiners, pulleys and helmets.
Short distance zips, between 175 feet to 450 feet long, serve as a warm-up. Initially, riders start and land on platforms in the trees. Other zip rides on the tour depart from the ground and end at ground level. The riders run off the hillside until the overhead cable collects their weight. At the end of the ride, they touch down on the ground. The final ride consists of two parallel cables 1,800 feet long, allowing two zip line riders to take off simultaneously on separate cables.
No prior experience is needed. There are no age requirements. For safety reasons, participants need to weigh between 80 and 260 pounds. Bring sunscreen, sunglasses, bug spray, a camera, closed-toed shoes and clothes that could get dirty.
Tamarack Canopy Zip Line Tours near Tamarack Resort also offers tours.
Getting to Zip Idaho: Take Idaho 55 north to Horseshoe Bend. Turn right on Locust Street and park at the Zip Idaho office.
Information:
Zip Idaho: (208) 793-2947 or www.zipidaho.com. Fee is $75 per person plus tax.
Tamarack Canopy Zip Line Tours: (208) 325-1006 or tamarackzipline.com. Fee is $99 per person plus tax.
Natalie Bartley authored the Boise’s Best Outdoor Adventures mobile app, available through iTunes, and two trail guidebooks. Email: natbartley@earthlink.net.
