CASCADE, Idaho — Travelers often drive right through Cascade to visit other places, but this small town on Highway 55 offers several amenities and things to do in the summer.
I caught up with Mayor Judy Nissula in the sports park and we walked along the Strand, a path that takes people along the banks of the North Fork of the Payette River and the path takes people by Kelly's Whitewater Park.
"What you see right here is a reason to stop," said Nissula. "This sports park complex that the city has been working on for a number of years provide a lot of activities for people who just need some time off to relax."
The strand takes people on a beautiful walking or cycling path from north bridge to the south bridge in Cascade. The Mayor told us it probably gets more use in the winter and they have plans to finish paving the last quarter of this scenic path.
"It’s meant to be a safe exercise path where you don’t have to worry about a car running you over," said Nissula.
The sports park complex also includes ball fields, a beach volleyball area, Fisher's pond where people were fishing and a disc golf course. I to visit because I heard good things about the 20-hole disc golf course. So I played it for the first time and although it was challenging, I thought it was a pretty sweet course.
"Disc golf really started as a senior project a number of years ago and actually that senior actually works with the city of cascade right now," said Nissula. "Zach Redmond came up with the idea and disc golf enthusiast Larry Morton built the tee pads, installed the baskets and volunteers his time to maintain the course."
The fairways were mowed and well maintained as the course has a nice mix of open holes and wooded holes. I would caution people that there are a number of holes where players need to be careful not to throw their disc in the river, the wetlands or the septic ponds.
"Larry gets a tournament together together in October and it is called the Birds of Prey," said Nissula. "That tournament is growing and it is another quiet thing, it’s one of Cascade’s best kept secrets and people that play the course, love the course."
Cascade also features a main drag with shops and restaurants, Idaho Parks and Recreations has access points to Lake Cascade and there are places to camp or stay if you want to make Cascade your home base for exploration in Valley County.
"Cascade is a great place to rest and recharge yourself," said Nissula. "My motto is we do the best we can with what we have and that’s all that we can do."
