New pedestrian-only trail, user schedules coming to Boise Foothills. Here’s when it starts
Ridge to Rivers announced Thursday that it would begin a pilot program at the end of the month that implements user schedules, directional travel rules and a new pedestrian-only trail in an effort to reduce overcrowding and other issues on Foothills trails.
The trial program launches April 28 and will continue until Nov. 1, Ridge to Rivers said in a news release. It affects four of the network’s dozens of trails — three in the Boise Foothills and a fourth at Bogus Basin.
Ridge to Rivers said it will construct a new pedestrian-only trail between Central Ridge and Bucktail trails, turning the current Bucktail route into a downhill-only mountain bike trail with uphill access via Central Ridge. Ridge to Rivers director David Gordon said the new trail could be complete as early as the end of May.
Two trails — Polecat Loop and Around the Mountain — will require users to hike or bike in a single direction: counter-clockwise. And one of the most popular trails in the system, Lower Hulls Gulch, will be open to hikers, uphill mountain bikers and other user groups on even-numbered days of the month. On odd-numbered days, Lower Hulls Gulch will be designated for downhill mountain bikers only.
Ridge to Rivers launched a survey in February to solicit trail users’ feedback on the proposed changes, as well as other issues including dog leash rules and conditions-related trail closures. At the time, Gordon said trail use had doubled or tripled in the last year on some routes, due in part to the coronavirus pandemic. Other routes have become popular with mountain bikers. Two-way travel has made passing difficult and, at times, hazardous.
Following the results of its February survey, the agency announced last month that it would pilot the Around the Mountain and Polecat Loop directional plans, but issued a second survey to solicit more feedback on the plans for Lower Hulls Gulch and Bucktail. Results of both surveys were published on its website.
The initial survey garnered nearly 4,500 responses. According to survey results, 74% of people said they would like to see future trails designated for a single use, while more than 60% said future trails should have directional travel. Eighty-three percent responded in favor of a pilot program, with just over half of users in favor of the Lower Hulls Gulch schedule, 55% in support of a pedestrian-only route alongside Bucktail Trail, 73% in favor of a directional system on Polecat Loop and 56% in favor of a directional system on Around the Mountain.
An overwhelming number of respondents (nearly 88%) said they would support conditions-related closures of trails to avoid the erosion and ruts users have created over the years by hiking or biking on muddy routes. Gordon said in January that the agency is looking at options to issue citations to trail users who ignore those closures.
Last month, Ridge to Rivers had a second survey to solicit more feedback on Lower Hulls Gulch and Bucktail Trail. That survey had about 2,100 responses, with 57% of respondents identifying themselves as mountain bikers. (The first survey was about 40% hikers and 39% mountain bikers with equestrians, trail runners and “other” groups making up the rest of respondents.)
Consensus on the second survey was much clearer — 63% of respondents were in favor of the Lower Hulls Gulch schedule, while 84% supported a pedestrian-only trail by Bucktail. Nearly 90% said they’d like Ridge to Rivers to look for downhill mountain bike-only trail opportunities in the upper Foothills when building future routes.
