Boise, Idaho

[WhitehouseLV]

question for those that have lived in Boise, are living in Boise or know about the area.

Is there places you can camp and ride from with kids? Is there boondocking or is it in a campground. Does it get so busy that you need to take Thursday off to beat everyone there? How many miles and hours to it?

Is there ATV/SxS & motorcycle trails? Are the riding area kids friendly, meaning that an official won't mind if my kids (7-12) are riding their motorcycle or quad?

Is the riding seasonal or year round?

thanks

[bkirkpatrick]

No RV visit, just Southwest Airlines. It is very tough to get back on the plane though.

[IdaD]

Boise is a nice mix because it's a decent sized community with lots to do, good economy, good airport, etc, but it's not so big that it's difficult to escape crowds. There's awesome camping/fishing/hunting in basically every direction. Your crowded areas tend to be up highway 55 but even then it's nothing like what you'd get with Denver (my sister used to live there and couldn't believe the crowds).


I love it here and think it's a great community to raise my kids. I travel back east and south for work a fair amount so I am very aware of how good we have it in the northwest.

[ReneeG]

bkirkpatrick - Have you visited with your RV? If so, I can only imagine how hard it is for you to return. I too moved here from LA but I was 10 years old. My parents owned a restaurant in the San Fernando Valley area and left that life for what they felt was a better one and never returned.

[bkirkpatrick]

I am moving to Meridian when I retire (from L.A.). A buddy has been there for 20+ years and owns a restaurant in Boise. Can't wait. 6 years to go. Love the whole area, McCall in the summertime is a blast.

[Dirtclods]

http://www.riderdestinations.com/idaho-atv-trails/

http://www.riderplanet-usa.com/atv/trails/idaho_list.htm

[helmet1978]

You can definitely put some miles on your ATVs and find some great camping spots within 2 hours of Boise.

We like to camp outside Idaho City (highway 21) on busy weekends because the traffic isn't nearly as bad as highway 55. There are quite a few established campgrounds that take reservations and some areas that are dispersed if you don't mind dry camping. Most of the roads in the area allow ATVs including the main road through Idaho City.



Another nice place is the Tripod Meadows area near Smith's Ferry. There are several large meadows you can setup camp on and hundreds of miles of forest service roads to explore.

There are also several areas closer to town that you can go ride for the day. The Owyhee Front near Murphy south of Nampa has a mixture of trails and roads, most of which allow vehicles up to 50" wide. This area is mostly high desert terrain but longer trips take you up into the mountains and around some cool old mining areas.

Make sure you get PDFMaps on your phone and download the GPS enabled maps for the National Forests in the area. These can be a lifesaver on the twisty mountain forest service roads where it is very easy to get lost.

Here are a couple of links for you to check out:

http://www.stayontrails.com/where-to-ride/

http://www.riderplanet-usa.com/atv/trails/idaho_list.htm

http://www.riderdestinations.com/idaho-atv-trails/

http://trails.idaho.gov

[ksss]

Idaho in general is just a great State if you enjoy the outdoors. Best thing about Boise in my opinion is the weather which is very mild. The people and traffic are the downsides. Spend a couple days on the Net and depending on what your priorities are you could find a place here that matches what your looking for.

[ReneeG]

Hey Murphsmom - I was surprised to see our town on USA Today. We do have a great Mayor and she was just re-elected.

[Murphsmom]

ReneeG wrote:
WhitehouseLV - you may want to move to Meridian - check out this USA Today article.

You beat me to it, Renee. I was just going to mention the article.

There is so much outdoor activity around the Boise area. You may also find yourselves getting into things you hadn't done before, such as whitewater rafting. Right in downtown Boise there is a whitewater park where people can use standup paddle boards and kayaks. The Boise River also offers fishing and tubing. Lots to do right in the city!

Plus there is a professional hockey team, the Boise State Broncos, the College of Idaho Coyotes, many, many great restaurants, etc.

And it only takes less than an hour to start getting into at all that great camping!

[ReneeG]

WhitehouseLV - you may want to move to Meridian - check out this USA Today article.

[ReneeG]

Fort Running Bear used to be a club type of RV park that non members could only stay once, but I see they've changed it. We've stayed there with our granddaughter and she loved the activities - bingo, dessert potluck, crafts, and miniature golf.

[Bedlam]

WhitehouseLV wrote:

Bedlam wrote:
You can camp right on the Camas Reservoir and ride in that area. It is off HWY20 east of Mountain Home.

are those pics of the Camas area? Looks like a desert-like climate. Looks like you can ride to Anderson dam from there. Could my kids ride from camp?

We never have the time to explore the extended area, but visit it every couple of years as a stop off point on longer trips. There is a seasonal campground with full hookups there (Fort Running Bear), but they are not OHV friendly. My buggies are street licensed, so they were fine with us idling in and out of camp. The owner is restoring a Model T and any advise/help you can give him to get it running will make the campground stay more friendly.

You can dry camp right at the lake for free and there are pit toilets available. Avoid posted areas, opening any gates into grazing pasture and stay clear of cattle - You will still have plenty of places to ride with some awesome views. This location is fairly high up (over 5000') and definitely gets snow in the winter, so you may have a couple weeks left before it becomes difficult to access until spring.

[WhitehouseLV]

That's some beautiful country!!! Thanks for all the info & pics. I show these to the wife & she's gonna want to start packing. Lol.

[ReneeG]

Middle Fork of the Payette


Dispersed camping MF of the Payette


Sawtooth area boon docking along the confluence of the Beaver and Bear Creek - past the Seaform Guard Station


Bull Trout/Martin Lake Section






Bull Trout/Martin Lake - different site, different year


Boondocking in the Sawtooths - past Seafoam Guard Station and the Bradley Boy Scout Camp




These are just a few places we camp. Does that make you drool?