Trail Blaze: The Blog of Idaho Trails Association

On July 2nd, 2016 ten volunteers donated 80 hours of volunteer time to clear the Hum Lake trail on the Krassel Ranger District of the Payette National Forest. We were met with clear blue skies, temperatures in the 60s and an empty Trailhead.  We started off with introductions and a safety meeting to discuss the day’s […]

On June 25, volunteers with the Idaho Trails Association (ITA) completed maintenance work on the Beehive Lakes Trail in the Sandpoint District of the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. Fourteen ITA members and friends brushed out 4 ½ miles of trail, re-built or re-opened 43 water diversion ditches, and cut out 5 fallen trees that had […]

Our first trail work party of 2016 was another great success. On Friday, April 29, eight volunteers helped the Idaho Trails Association (ITA) do maintenance work on the English Point Trail #80 in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. The group cleaned out water bars, cut back brush, cleaned sod off of a raised walkway, and […]

Peter Lovera the Idaho Conservation Leagues’s 2015 Artist in Residence elegantly captured the 2015 Livingston Mill/Castle Divide  trail work vacation that he volunteered on! His words and photos capture how a week of stewardship in Idaho’s wilderness can change you and connect you to the wild. “Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, […]

The Boise Weekly published an article about the Idaho Trails Association on July, 2015. It’s a great article on how we got started, our mission, and how we accomplish our mission. Read more here.

Idaho Trails Association trail work project on July 25th & 26th, 2015 was at Hum Lake on the Krassel District of the Payette National Forest. We backpacked into base camp at Hum Lake on Saturday and then divided into two crews and conquered. One group headed north on the trail and did some much needed […]

We are thrilled with the work our volunteers accomplished during this Epic trail work vacation in the Sawtooth Wilderness. Our amazing volunteer crew along with a Forest Service Wilderness Ranger got this staggering list of  accomplishments done! 10-ITA Volunteers contributed 400 hours of volunteer time. Cleared 7 trees from the trail within Wilderness. Resurfaced 1500 […]

National Trails Day 2015 was a success from the start.  Volunteers met at the BLM field Office in Boise and carpooled to the Perjue Canyon Trailhead in the Little Jacks Creek Wilderness.  REI supplied sandwiches, chips and drinks while volunteers provided homemade cookies for the return trip.  15 volunteers made the trip with BLM Recreation […]

We are collaborating with IYWI another Idaho nonprofit organization to get youth outdoors and experience nature! IYWI will create opportunities for Idaho’s youth to experience overnight wilderness adventures provided by trained and equipped adult youth leaders. The mission of IYWI is to create opportunities for Idaho youth to experience overnight wilderness adventures by breaking down […]

The following is a guest blog from Teton hiking trails. Restoration of Jenny Lake Trails Continues in 2015 The Spring 1939 issue of Grand Teton Nature Notes pronounced that “By far the most popular trail in the park is the lower portion of the Cascade Canyon Trail which leaves Jenny Lake and climbs above Hidden […]

Our second trail work party of 2015 was another great success. We had 15 Rock star volunteers come help maintain trail in the Hell’s Canyon National Recreation area.  We partnered with the Payette National Forest Service to work on trail #223 Eckles Creek trail in Hell’s Canyon. We did some heavy trail pad repair and […]

I am going to re-hash the old weight versus taste argument. Do you take whole food or dehydrated? Believe it or not, your body has the answers! Many Rock Climbers will lean towards the freeze dried due to weight and a Backpacker tends to go with the more whole food option Calories are literally energy, […]

Our first trail work party of 2015 was a huge success. We had over 30 volunteers eager to get outside on a gorgeous Saturday in January!  We partnered with the Bruneau Field Office of the BLM to work on the Oolite Interpretive Trail in the Owyhees. We did some minor pruning and signed the 0.5 […]

ITA’sMission Idaho Trails Association promotes the continued enjoyment of Idaho’s hiking trails. The Idaho Trails Association (ITA) is a non-profit organization. ITA’s Purpose: To facilitate the active enjoyment of Idaho’s public lands and hiking trails, the Idaho Trails Association brings together citizens and develops partnerships to foster: Care-taking of Idaho’s hiking trails through stewardship projects, including […]

We have lots of great volunteer projects coming up! To sign up early for one of these projects email intern@idahotrailsassociation.org. In the email make sure to reference the project(s) you want to sign up for. After you sign-up, an ITA representative will be in touch. Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the ITA!

The Idaho Trails Association would like to introduce a new monthly update on hiking and snowshoeing trails around Idaho. We’re grateful to be able to utilize materials from Hiking Idaho and other resources. Scott Marchant envisioned a mission for Hiking Idaho to publish guidebooks that make available accurate and inspiring backcountry information. Visit hikingidaho.com to learn […]

This hike is a popular destination in Boise and from Scott Marchant’s book The Hiker’s Guide to Greater Boise. Table Rock Loop Distance: 4.1 miles loop Total Elevation Gain: 900 feet Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: 2,750 feet to 3,650 feet Topographic Map: Boise South Time: 1 hour to 30 minutes to 2 hours Season: All […]

Saturday, January 10th is a great opportunity to ski or snowshoe your local state park for free. The park entrance fees will be waived and some parks will have free use of equipment. The activities being offered differ from park-to-park some of the activities being offered are free skiing and snowshoeing lessons, gear demos, guided […]

Are you looking to get out this winter to cross-country ski or snowshoe on Idaho’s wonderful snow trails and not quite sure where to go. Well, you are in luck this article by The Idaho Statesman has many great options for you to explore. http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/11/27/3510571_snow-trails-get-you-into-a-winter.html?rh=1 Photo credit: Idaho Statesman  

Having a hard time finding that special gift for the person who seems like they have everything or just don’t know what to get them? How about giving them a gift of access, adventure, and discovery with an Idaho Trails Association Membership? Idaho Trails Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization so membership dues and any end of […]

The Idaho Trails Association would like to introduce a new monthly addition to its website starting in 2015. Steve Weston, the local Idaho author of “In the Wild Chef”, will be providing valuable monthly cooking tips for your outdoor adventures. He will also provide blogs ranging from in-the field cooking instructions to yummy recipes! We […]

  A couple of ITA members spent the weekend of 12/6/14 in the City of Rocks south of Burley Idaho camping and hiking the trails.  The weather was in the 50s with cool nights and great hiking!  The trails were open and soft, only a little ice in the deep shaded areas, but overall a […]

OK, So the weather got the best of us and we had to cancel the 2014 Volunteer Appreciation Party that was to be held at Sockeye Brewing in Boise.  We are planning on rescheduling for the Spring of 2015, maybe late April where we can be outside, have a BBQ, fun, and Great Raffle Prizes!  […]

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Wilderness Act, so it was only appropriate to spend National Trails Day in the Bruneau-Jarbridge Rivers Wilderness. Last year we carried out trail work on Roberson Trail West and this year we continued that work by tackling Roberson Trail East. This was our fourth […]

Where: Idaho Panhandle National Forest When: Wednesday, July 9th Distance: 6 miles round trip Elevation: 1600′ gain/descent Location: West Cabinet Mountains Level of Difficulty: Moderate Volunteers: 15 Project Description Come join ITA for a one-day project in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest on July 9th. We will be constructing a puncheon walkway to go over a bog hole  about a mile from the […]

Where: Sawtooth National Forest When: Monday-Friday, June 16-20th Distance: Elevation: Location: North Fork Big Wood River Level of Difficulty: Moderate Volunteers:   Project Description This will be a fun project! ITA volunteers will car camp at a beautiful site and travel each day to the following trails for this early-season trail opening project! Murdock Creek, […]

Our 2014 Project List is now posted! Stay tuned for future updates and further information. To sign up for an event, follow the details/join link associated with each project. This link will take you to a sign-up page that also has more details about the specific project. Once you sign-up, an ITA representative will be […]

The Idaho Press-Tribune recently finished an article about the Idaho Trails Association. It’s a great Q&A on what ITA’s mission is and how it is accomplished. Read more here.

As 2014 has already seen a month come and gone, let’s take the chance to recognize the work that was completed in 2013 as we look forward to the 2014 season. Projects in 2013 included maintenance completed on National Trails Day and National Public Lands Day. Work was completed in the Sawtooth National Forest, Salmon-Challis […]

This was our second year helping maintain the Alice-Toxaway Loop in the Sawtooth Wilderness. We worked for a week with some guidace from the USFS and were able to cut out 24 downed logs and carry out work  on 247 water bars, either cleaning them out or installing new ones. In total, we were able […]

This year ITA teamed up with the US Forest Service in July to repair one of the highest-traffic trails in the state: the trail to the summit of Mt. Borah, Idaho’s highest peak. With funding from REI, ITA was able to support four volunteers who in total committed 83 hours of work towards the first project in a two-part series […]

Waking up to cool mornings (low-20’s)  was well worth it to our volunteers. The morning sun painted the summits of the Boulder Mountains with icy hues of rose whilst Baker Creek greeted us with its babbling brooks. On June 22nd and 23rd, ITA and the Forest Service teamed up to complete some much needed maintenance […]

  ITA celebrated National Trails Day with REI-Boise and the BLM by repairing Roberson Trail West.  ITA Volunteers were greeted with unforgettable views of the Bruneau River during the project. Purportedly constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930’s, the trail received much needed attention. The project was very successful due to our great […]

ITA partnered with the Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation to knock out the Marble Creek Trail Project. Six volunteers worked through 100-degree heat until 6 or 7 at night. With the leadership of Leo Hennesey, they built and reconstructed crib walls, cut out 190 trees, cleaned 6 waterbars, and dismantled 3 fire rings. A total of 6 miles of trail were reconstructed and maintained.

“You are part of a legacy,” said Mark Bingman to the group of volunteers as we gathered for the Wewukiye (Wa-woo-kia) Trail Project. Mark is the North Zone Recreation Manager for the Boise National Forest, where there are few non-motorized trails. The Cascade Ranger District is leading the charge to construct a new 16-mile hiking and mountain biking trail that will connect Warm Lake, Stolle Meadows, Vulcan Hot Springs and other landmarks.

Four eager volunteers turned out to perform maintenance work on the Hum Lake Trail from August 17th through 19th on the Payette National Forest. The Hum Lake Trail is a very popular backpacking trail outside of McCall, which ascends over a small pass from Duck Lake.

Magdaline, one of the SCA interns learned several positive lessons while working in the wilderness. As she proclaimed, “The first lesson is that backpacking with tools is really hard. The second lesson is that the Backcountry Horsemen sure know how to cook. The last lesson is that if you are going to be doing stream crossings during work you should definitely have a spare pair of shoes.”

July 7th-14th was one of the hottest weeks of the summer. Nonetheless, several volunteers gathered to help maintain the Pistol Creek Trail in the Frank Church – River of No Return Wilderness. Working in eight-hour days, they contributed a combined 208 hours of volunteer service. Volunteers maintained 11 miles of trail and cleared an astonishing 129 logs and trees from the trail!

As our group grew closer through the days of hard work, we gave our tools nicknames that could easily have been mistaken as crew member names. Our crosscut (AKA Mick Jagger) was named because we liked the way it moved. A saw from the 1930’s, it astounded us that it was in such good shape. But the other crosscut needed a name too. Because both saws were so similar, the second one was named Roxanne. However, they needed one more friend, so our loppers soon became Cindy Lopper. And that is how we gained three more crew members.

Your contribution will help keep Idaho’s hiking trails safe, sustainable, and enjoyable.