Moving to Boise: reccomendations for hikes/resources?

[Arielamandah]

I was just reading the post about the Wallowas (and was taking notes!) but I didn't want to hijack that thread, so thought I'd start another...

So this is going to be a big post with lots of questions.

Part I: MUST DO HIKES
My fiance and I are getting ready to move to Boise, ID at the end of the month, and since neither one of us is super-familiar with hiking in Eastern Oregon or Idaho, I thought I'd ask: what are your "Must do's" for the area?

Part II: GOOD BOOKS
We've picked up Sullivan's hiking book for Eastern Oregon (can't wait to crack that one open!), but haven't been able to find any good-looking books about Idaho so far (in a broader sense... there are plenty to be found on the Sawtooth Mts) locally. We didn't want to buy a hiking book on-line without recommendations-- do you have any? We bought Cort Conley's Idaho for the Curious--it's AWESOME.

Part III: DAY HIKES (or overnighters) NEAR BOISE
Also, we have about two weeks before he starts work to get ourselves settled and see the area a little (we move the 1st, his job starts the 14th) do you have any good ideas for day hikes or one night overnighters around Boise (I hear the foothills trails are supposed to be cool for day hiking)?

Part IV: GROUPS/STORES/ORGS/WEBSITES
Finally, I can't tell you how helpful this site has been for the Portland area (I will still keep on as a reader and will probably have lots of questions about Eastern Oregon!)--do you know of any great Boise resources that I would benefit from knowing about (websites, groups, organizations, great outdoor stores)? I've been really busy with some educational tutoring/volunteering this year, but I'd love to be more involved in outdoors advocacy in the future.

Part V:
Oh yeah... and I'm a Pacific Northwest girl born-and-raised (under a toadstool as my parents and I like to say... I have honorary gills), what sorts of things so I need to pack/prepare for on the eastern side of the Cascades and in the Rockies that I might not expect? I know you keep things like ticks and rattlesnakes in mind--what else will I run into over there that I'm not going to encounter over here? Probably don't need to take that ubiquitous blue tarp with us (as an extra rain shield) every time we go from here on out?

Anyhow. I think that's it for now. Phew! Thanks in advance!!!

[Grannyhiker]

I'm not familiar with the Boise area but I lived in the Tri-Cities (Richland, Pasco, Kennewick) and Moses Lake in Eastern Washington for 15 years. So here are some general things.

The climate is far more continental--hotter summers, colder winters. For your home, air conditioning is as essential as a heating system. It will cool off at night, though, and the heat is dry. It's like when we get a heat wave with east winds here (the air comes from the same place!), but hotter, and most of the time instead of 8-10 days per summer. The cold is also dry. Get up at 5 am to exercise in the summer. In the mountains, expect afternoon thunderstorms far more frequently than in the Cascades--another reason for starting out really early. I don't know if the Boise area has the same problem as the Columbia Basin, where the low clouds gather in the basin and don't burn off in December, January and February. In the Basin, you rarely see the sun for three months (just as bad as west of the Cascades except for a lot less rain) unless there's a cold wave (cold north winds with close to zero temps). Nor do I know if the Boise area gets the winds (with dust) that eastern Washington gets. I think those are due to the downslope from the Cascades, so hopefully not. The change of climate will be a bit of a shock at first, but you will get used to it and come to enjoy it. Even though I've been in Portland for 19 years, when others start complaining about the heat I'm just getting warm enough to be comfortable!

Rattlesnakes--yes, they are there. Per the latest medical information (from my-son-in-law-the-ER-physician), snakebite kits and the much ballyhooed Sawyer extractor do far more harm than good. Rattlesnake venom breaks down the blood vessels, so any suction device will cause considerable, possibly irreversible, tissue damage in the presence of the venom. Taking reasonable precautions (like looking first before putting your hand or foot somewhere) is your best policy. Immobilizing the bitten limb (allowing plenty of room for swelling), keeping it at the level of the heart and prompt evacuation are the first aid now recommended. Fortunately, less than 50% of bites involve much venom (the snake prefers to save its venom to kill its dinner). Ticks won't be much different than you find in the east end of the Gorge. Once the weather gets hot, they seem to disappear.

google is your friend--try googling Boise hiking groups for a starter.

[Arielamandah]

Thanks for the climate info! From what I've heard, the Treasure Valley (aka, BOISE) is kind of in a "banana belt"--it gets hot, but it doesn't get too cold? I hope we avoid the blowing dust storms (the signs for those along I-84 just near Pendleton are pretty wild!). Perhaps with the foothills nearby we'll manage.

I have to say... I've never run into a thunderstorm while hiking--any tips (beside put down your umbrella and hunker down)?

Also, what are the major predators like in that part of the state/country? I'm comfortable with what to do if I run into black bear and even cougars--but am I going to be looking at anything else? I hear there are wolves in Idaho but that they are so, so skittish and rare that the chances of EVER seeing one are virtually nothing.

[madisonhikers]

I lived in the Boise area for 25 years and found that there are two main areas of interest for day hikes. Idaho City has a great Forest Service center and that is only 30 or 40 minutes out of Boise, you can find great trail heads right in town, that way when you return there is a cold beverage waiting. Next, and in my opinion the most spectacular, is the Stanley Basin near Stanley, Idaho. There are hot springs, Redfish Lake (with many trails around the lake that take you in every direction and elevation climb), and the Salmon River headwaters. If you plan on going to Redfish and are planning on camping at the lake call well ahead of time, summer the place fills up pretty quickly, there are first-come-first-serve sites on the east side of the highway all along the Salmon River and could serve as a good base camp. Make sure that you bring enough water, late summer there are not as many water sources as Western Oregon. Eastern Oregon also has the Anthony Lakes trail heads, less traveled and you can spend a ton of time above the tree line, Twin Lakes is one of my personal favorites, good water and great camp sites.

[Grannyhiker]

Thunderstorms: Of course the danger is lightning. The best policy is to start hiking early in the day, so that if thunderstorms start to develop you can get down lower and camp before they hit. Also, plan to do your higher, more exposed hiking earlier in the day. If thunderstorms are approaching and you have a high pass or high ridge walk ahead of you--save it for tomorrow.

[BeaverDawg]

My brother moved to Boise for college and never came back. When he got married in 2005 we drove over a week in advance and did a short pack trip in the Sawthooth's. It was July so there were still mosquitoes but the weather was super nice. Beautiful granite hills and alpine lakes. We passed a couple guys who said the fishing was great too. I believe it was the Alice Lake, Toxaway loop? Something like that. And as mentioned by another writer, we stayed at Red Fish Lake -at the lodge on our final night in the area. A great area and one to check out when you have the time. I may be way off but I thought it was like a 3 hr drive from Boise. Maybe someone can correct me on that.

[cfm]

The Owyhee backcountry is pretty close to Boise.

I just stayed in Nampa for a few days, and got a chance to visit Jump Creek Falls, SW of the town of Marsing. It had a swimmable pool below and the canyon is just beautiful, a real oasis in the desert. The trail to the falls is only 1/4 mile, but you can wander up the canyon for several miles.