BOISE, Idaho — It's the start of muddy tail season in the Boise foothills. As the winter comes in, precipitation and overnight frost can make some trails muddy. When they are used when muddy, it can lead to greater erosion of the foothills.
- Ridge to Rivers is the Boise organization that manages the trails in the foothills.
- They post daily updates on their websiteand Facebook about the condition of the trails in the foothills.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
As the winter rolls in trails in the Boise foothills get muddy, opening up to the possibility for damage.
“Trail use has increased significantly, the issues that come along with trail use, have increased significantly over the years," said David Gordon.
David Gordon is the program manager for Ridge to Rivers, the group that manages the trails in the Boise foothills.
He says over the years the trails have seen increasing traffic, and with the mud coming, Ridge to Rivers is here to give folks up-to-date info on the trails.
“We have an interactive map on our website that you can look at for every specific trail and get the conditions of that trail every day," Gordon said.
Along with the map the group posts on their Facebook and their website updates on trail conditions every morning.
Multiple factors impact the mud on the trails. Even though Boise hasn't had a bunch of precipitation, trails can still get muddy as they warm up after being frozen overnight. Trails with higher clay in their soil can get muddy easily.
Some paths are all-weather trails, made more of sand, so the trails are less impacted by mud.
One of those trails is Red Fox, by Camel’s Back Park. That’s where I met Colin Smith.
“It’s a very valuable community resource and it also protects like our lands here," Smith said.
He was out Friday morning enjoying a walk around Camel’s Back.
He told me he tries to be mindful of the trail conditions, he says it’s important to keep the trails nice for the future.
“The personal gain you would get from the convenience of walking when it’s muddy or getting off the trail is not worth the community loss that is suffered," Smith said.
