With a muddy weekend ahead for Boise Foothills, here’s where to hike, where to avoid
Muddy conditions are expected along many Boise Foothills trails this weekend, with rain and warmer weather melting the accumulated snow and turning things to mush.
And as much as people might want to get outside for a hike, they need to avoid certain areas, according to officials.
“Please be extremely selective of your route this weekend and plan to turn around if and when you encounter wet, muddy conditions,” stated a report from Ridge to Rivers, the agency that manages more than 250 miles of local trails. “Hard freezes are expected overnight, so hitting the trail early in the morning when the ground is frozen helps protect the trail tread.”
Ridge to Rivers officials recommend avoiding trails in the Hidden Springs area in Dry Creek Valley and avoiding the lower Foothills when the temperature exceeds 30 degrees. Some popular trails this affects are the Polecat system just north of Collister Drive and Seaman’s Gulch.
Ridge to Rivers isn’t just asking hikers to stay off these trails to protect their boots. Walking in the Foothills when it’s soft and muddy can have long-term effects on the trails and the surrounding vegetation.
A large part of the work that Ridge to Rivers does is preserving a single track for each and every trail. When the trails get muddy, many hikers opt to walk just off to the side, according to the organization, not only killing vegetation that is trampled, but also creating additional tracks.
It’s this kind of damage that trail crews struggle to deal with.
“As trails widen, erosion increases, and the trails become increasingly difficult to maintain sustainability,” Ridge to Rivers says on its website. “Trail crews cannot adequately repair this type of damage in the Foothills.”
But just staying on the trail isn’t good enough. If the trail is muddy and a hiker notices that they’re leaving footprints, Ridge to Rivers recommends that they turn around immediately and find a different trail.
Deep footprints, paw prints, hoof prints and tire tracks can become dangerous obstacles for those who hike on the trails when they are dry.
“We are trying to maintain and manage the Ridge to Rivers trail system not only for ours, but for future generations,” Ridge to Rivers says on its website. “Continued irresponsible use of our trails will ensure one thing — that our children will not be able to enjoy the experiences that we currently have.”
But all is not lost for those wanting to hike this weekend. The organization has a list of all-weather trails that are good to go under most conditions.
Hulls Pond Loop, accessible from Camel’s Back Park, is a good option for families. Trails such as Red Fox and Gold Finch, both also accessible from Camel’s Back, are also all-weather trails.
Ridge to Rivers has an interactive map showing all Boise Foothills trails and regions.
This story was originally published January 7, 2022 at 12:47 PM.
