Run Oregon loves running – that’s no surprise. In our newest Run Oregon Road Trip feature, we aim to showcase some information Matt has been working through on his runcation planning to find things to do in Boise later this month.
Growing up in Salt Lake City, and going to school in Oregon, I have been through Boise quite a bit. But I have never actually stayed in town a bunch as it was mostly just a place to stretch my legs before hitting the road again. I have been to a single Boise State vs. OSU football game, and have been able to check off a few breweries in the Eagle area when I found myself in Ontario, but besides that, Boise is still an enigma to me. We can’t wait to explore downtown and beyond!
First the running:
Picture courtesy of Ridge to Rivers (live shot from 2.27.22)
In reaching out to Visit Idaho for some suggestions as to the best places to run, we were put in contact with a great resource – Ridge to Rivers. Ridge to Rivers employs one of the few full-time trail crews in the country, and with over 190 miles of trails, its awesome they are doing this. They have an interactive map dedicated to the trails in the area – including what is open and what isn’t, as well as daily (yes, daily!) trail reports to make hiking and trail run planning as easy as they come! They recommended a few popular trails:
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Dry Creek trail
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Lower Hulls Gulch trail (only available by foot on even number days)
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Around the Mountain trail
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Table Rock trail
We can’t wait to check them out – knowing that we have to be careful as snowy/muddy conditions as we want to avoid damaging and/or widening the trails. Responsible recreation is on all of us as it applies to trail running. You can check the status of the trails at the link above, but its on each of us to avoid muddy trails and seemingly “duh-worthy” items like not leaving trash that we really need to make sure we respect the land. With us visiting in a wet Spring month, we are absolutely going to follow these rules – and you should too.
Where to stay:
Boise is the capitol of Idaho, so there are clearly a number of places to set up as a running basecamp during a trip to the Gem State. There are obviously a bunch of vacation rentals and hotels across the region, but if you are looking for something right in the heart of downtown, it’s hard to go wrong with a reliable option like Home2 Suites by Hilton.
I have travelled alone many times, but on those instances where you are travelling with family, or with a group of running buds, having a little more space is always welcome. This Home2 Suites is one of the newer properties in downtown Boise, and has added benefits like pet rooms, and an on-site workout room, pool (with kids amenities!), and an outdoor patio. It’s also only five minutes from the Boise River Greenbelt and Military Reserve trails, so it’s primed and ready to be your run hub.
We will have more direct info on this location following our stay!
What to do:
While Portland and Seattle are generally kings of the NW when it comes to craft beer, Boise is no slouch in this department and have upwards of 20 options – a sizeable number for a city that is about 1/3 the size of Portland. It’s doubly great that a large number are right in the heart of downtown – making it easy to walk between them.
If you are taking a runcation with kids in tow (as we will be doing), Boise is a pretty great spot. We are considering a variety of options, including:
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Zoo Boise
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Children’s Museum of Idaho
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Bogus Basin (snow tubing hill in the winter months and a mountain coaster in summer)
There are bunch of other great options as well – something for everyone, runner or not.
For a city I hadn’t known a ton about until some recent research, we are very excited! We can’t wait to get there and check things out!
