Idaho Matters

Headed for the Boise Foothills? Here's what you need to know about new trail schedules

As Boise continues to attract new residents eager to live in a community where a trail is just minutes from downtown, those same trails are getting crowded. After a 2021 pilot program, trail managers have put together a new schedule strategy to alleviate stress on the system.

Broadcast on:: 07 Dec 2021

Signage at Polecat Loop Trail in Boise giving directions for trail users. The trail is one of several that have new scheduling strategies to alleviate pressure on beloved resource. (Ridge to Rivers / via Facebook )

As Boise continues to attract new residents eager to live in a community where a trail is just minutes from downtown, those same trails are getting crowded.

To try to give trail users a little more space, the Ridge to Rivers program tested a new idea in the Foothills in 2021. After testing the new idea — which sets schedules for when and where hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders can use trails — the pilot program is now official. (You can find out trail scheduling specifics by clicking around on the map here.)

Idaho Matters learns more about this new scheduling strategy from Foothills and Open Space Superintendent Sara Arkle and Boise Parks and Recreation Director Doug Holloway.