BOISE, Idaho — Bogus Basin offers so many opportunities for hikers and bikers, including cross-country trails and lift service for mountain biking in the Basin Gravity Park.
I honed my skills in the park a day before embarking on an epic ride from Bogus Basin down to Boise on several different trails.
The journey started on Deer Point Cross Country Trail and then linked up with Around the Mountain. This part of the ride climbs around 500 feet over 2.3 miles through some scenic greenery.
Once you get to a junction on the road, Around the Mountain continues straight. This is a good ride or hike for both beginners and intermediates that takes people on a 360-degree adventure around Bogus Basin with fantastic views. But be prepared for a second climb on this loop.
However, we are not going this way. Instead, I opted to take the road to Mahalo Trail. I really enjoyed this trail with its unique features and rock drops under a canopy of trees.
I did have a crash on one of the rock drops because I didn't have enough speed to hit it properly. That is always a challenge with mountain biking, as the faster you go the easier the features are (but my mind doesn't work that way when I'm scared).
This trail goes for three miles gaining 400 feet of elevation, but with all the downhill, it ended up being much more before spitting me back out on the road taking me to Dry Creek. However, you could ride around those features if you prefer.
Dry Creek is a ripper of a descent dropping 2,000 feet over eight miles. It's easy to see why many consider this to be the best trail in the Ridge to Rivers system.
The Dry Creek Trail also has a lot of exposure, so if you are not comfortable riding on the edge of a drop off, this might not be the trail for you.
I found the skinnies to be really fun, even though I'm not very proficient at staying on the small pieces of wood over the creek crossings.
The temperature increases significantly coming out of the trees and into the foothills for the final push to the car. It turned out to be a challenging ride and I was pretty tired by the time I reached the car. Kudos to those that do this ride without a shuttle.
Coming up tomorrow, we will be back at Bogus Basin to see how Good mountain bikers shred in the final race of the Bogus Basin Community Race series.
