Ridge to Rivers: The Backbone

Ridge to Rivers is a multi-agency partnership managing over 190 miles of interconnected trails woven through the Boise Foothills above the city. The network spans eight distinct reserves — from Camel's Back and Hulls Gulch near downtown to Shafer Butte at Bogus Basin — where trails climb to 7,000 feet. Partners include the City of Boise, Bureau of Land Management, Ada County Parks, the Boise National Forest, and Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

The result is one of the most accessible urban trail systems in the American West: 190+ miles, free to use, and reachable from dozens of neighborhood trailheads without touching a highway.

With 85 easy routes, 84 intermediate, and 30 difficult trails, the system earns its wide reputation. Trail runners and mountain bikers log pre-dawn laps on Hulls Gulch National Recreation Trail. Families push strollers on gentler foothills paths. Horseback riders have dedicated corridors. Dogs are welcome on and off leash depending on the trail.

Foothills preservation efforts trace back to the 1940s. The Ridge to Rivers partnership formally launched in the 1990s as development pressure increased, and today maintains one of the only full-time trail crews in the United States — a team with over 90 years of combined experience. Trail condition reports are updated regularly at ridgetorivers.org.

Bogus Basin: The High Country Extension

Follow the foothills trail system far enough up the ridge and you arrive at Bogus Basin — just 16 miles from downtown Boise, but a world apart in temperature and terrain. The mountain sits roughly 10–20 degrees cooler than the valley floor, making it the go-to escape during Boise's hottest months.

Most people know Bogus Basin for skiing, but summer tells a different story. The mountain opens over 20 miles of cross-country and multi-use mountain bike trails, including the iconic Around the Mountain loop. The Basin Gravity Park adds lift-served downhill trails — berms, rock gardens, and machine-cut jumps for riders who want to push harder. Hikers can ride the Morning Star Express or Deer Point Express chairlifts to access ridgeline trails with views stretching to the Sawtooth Mountains on a clear day.

The connection between Ridge to Rivers' Shafer Butte reserve and Bogus Basin's trail network effectively extends the Foothills system into legitimate mountain terrain — a seamless transition from urban access trail to high-country adventure. More information at bogusbasin.org.

Avimor: Trails Built Into the Community

North of Eagle, where the foothills start to deepen into canyon country, Avimor takes a different approach to trails — weaving them directly into a master-planned community rather than treating recreation as an afterthought.

Avimor's network features 16 named trails ranging from 0.3 to 3.5 miles, built for hiking, mountain biking, equestrian use, and OHV riding. Standouts include Spring Valley Creek Trail, a flowing singletrack with rock gardens that's considered among the best in the network, and Willow Creek, a 3.1-mile route with technical features for more advanced riders.

The community has committed 400 acres to a conservation easement, and trail maintenance is handled in partnership with SWIMBA (Southwest Idaho Mountain Biking Association). Trails are seasonal — open April through November — and mapped through the Avimor community app. Avimor also holds Firewise certification, reflecting the kind of land stewardship that matters in Idaho's fire-prone high desert. Explore the full trail map at avimor.com.

Planning Your Visit

Seasons matter here. Spring brings wildflowers and mild temperatures but also mud — check trail conditions before heading out. Summer pushes activity to early mornings or up to the Bogus Basin area where temperatures run 10–20 degrees cooler. Fall is the sweet spot: golden foothills, firm trails, long light. Winter trails stay open when conditions allow, though snow and ice at elevation require care.

Taken together, Ridge to Rivers, Bogus Basin, and Avimor represent something unusual: a continuous outdoor recreation ecosystem stretching from Boise's urban edge deep into the foothills and canyon lands. For anyone weighing a move to the Treasure Valley, this isn't a minor amenity. It's a defining feature of life here.

Trail Resources