The Boise Foothills network of trails offer an impressive 97 miles of options on a mountain bike. There are trails that you can ride with your entire family without leaving anyone behind, or you can go for a more hardcore ride with seemingly endless uphill sections.

Most of the trails are within riding distance of downtown Boise, but there is also the option of making the 16 mile drive up to Bogus Basin ski area where you can ride on totally different terrain.

Endless options of out and backs, loops of all sizes, and shuttle rides make the Boise Foothills a perfect place to crank the day away.

Winter rides are still an option in the foothills...the weather will be hit and miss in regards to temperature and snowfall, but there are definitely days when you can ride in the winter months!

Where to Start Your Ride??

There are virtually countless areas where you can park your car and start riding, but there are a few common locations that have access to the largest number of trail options. Browse the map below and click on each placemark for a brief description.

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The two most common places to start riding from is Camels Back Park and 8th Street.

Camels Back Park
Parking at Camels Back Park gives you access to all of the 8th Street trails...you just have to ride a little further to get to them. You can also ride over to Bogus Basin Road via Hill Road where you can crank up Bogus Basin Road and access a few excellent rides from there as well.

8th Street Parking
You have two common parking options on 8th street. Both parking options provide access to the same trails, but the first option gives you a little bit of a warm-up ride before you get into any of the good trails.

If you drive up 8th Street from downtown Boise you will run into your first parking area on the left side of the road just before the pavement ends. The immediate trails located near this parking location are the Camels Back Park trails. Or, you can ride up "Owl's Roost Trail" to the further parking lot where you can access the rest of the trails.

The second parking location is just up the gravel road on the right hand side of the road. From here, you can jump on to the Hulls Gulch trails, or you can pop over "Kestrel" trail and the "Military Reserve Connecter" trail and access the Military Reserve trails.

8th Street Extension, Rocky Canyon Road and Boise Ridge Road
Each of these roads provide access to the top of many of the trails in the lower foothills. If you don't feel like cranking up the hills, you can shuttle from these three roads in many different locations to access all of the most popular rides in the foothills. The Old Penitentiary and Table Rock Trails are the only eastern trails that aren't accessible from these roads.

Click for a PDF map of the Boise Foothills.

Red Tape

Several of the trails in the Boise Foothills border on and pass through private property. To maintain the good relationship with the landowners, mountain bikers should always be mindful of thier trail etiquitte. Don't skid, stay on the trails, and be specially careful in spring and fall when the trails might be wet. Going around puddles just makes the singletrack wider and takes away from the quality of the trail. Oh yeah, and don't be a poop head...don't litter...that's just crappy of you.

The view just above the Military Reserve Trailhead

Other Area Attractions

Hyde Park...good beer...good food...good fun!! This is part of the historic old part of Boise. Located on 13th Street, there is a fun assortment of businesses that are ideal meeting places for before a ride...and for getting a beer after a ride! Below is a list of some of these businesses:

Still to come...

Area Bike Shops

Bob's Bicycle's 6020 Fairview Ave Boise, ID 83704 1-800-554-BOBS (2627)	George's Cycles 251 W. Front Street Boise, ID 83702 208-343-3782
Hyde Park Cycle Sports 1517 1/2 N 13 Boise, ID 83702 208-336-5229	George's on Main 830 Main Street Meridian, ID 83642 208-884-3115
Idaho Mountain Touring 1310 W. Main Boise, ID 83702 208-336-3854 877-252-4831	George's on State 5515 W State Boise, ID 83703 208-853-1964
Reed Cycle 238 E State Eagle, ID 83616 208-938-7894	World Cycle 180 N. 8th St. Boise, ID 83702 208-343-9130
Westby's Bicycles 1649 N Meridian St Meridian, ID 83642 208-888-2806

External Links

Racing Organizations

Knobby Tire Racing Series

Urban Assault in Old Boise
NW Collegiate Cycling Conference XC Race

Wild Rockies Racing

Bogus to Boise Bonzai

Non-Profit Org.

S.W.I.M.B.A (Southwest Idaho Mountain Biking Association)

A great organization that promote socially responsible and environmentally correct cycling in the Boise Front and public lands throughout the region.

Additional Links

Click for a PDF map of the Boise Foothills.

Hyde Park Historic District

Boise from the foothills

Images