My mind is filled with images
Of saw-tooth bridges
Where the snow melt forms
Cold mountain creeks
Flowin’ through the valley down below

~ Younger Mountain String Band

Oh Boise! I could not think of a song about Boise so this will have to do!!
I just finished up a 10 day or so trip hanging in in Idaho’s capital city, Boise…During my stay I had a last 4 friends ask me about Boise because none have ever visited but were interested what Boise is like….and as I said about that Sawtooths in another post, Boise is sorta of a secret, but the secret is getting out!!

All in all I thought Boise was super cool….I stopped there on my way back from CO and thats why I went back….the city is over 200,000 but feels more like 25,000….I felt it’s laid back and has a slowness of a smaller town. Everyone is super nice and helpful….there is a lot going on downtown with restaurants, bars, many breweries (I hit 4, plus a cindery) art, culture and activities. There was a beer festival, free music and minor league baseball, plus many weekend activities including Pride while i was in town. Being local and healthy seems to be a theme for the town and because of that does have a good sense of community.

If you like the outdoors there are many trails one can easily access from town or very close to town….If you want something a bit more, a short trip to the ski report will provide some hiking and elevation, and of course Boise sets at the base of the Sawtooth area…one of my favs!!!

I was told its still an affordable place to live, but that is changing like many places are. Many of the CA people who used to go to WA to OR are now coming to Boise, and bring those others with them….they do have a traffic issue, which my Uber driver said was not an issue 5-10 years ago.

One thing Boise does have going for it are the strict marijuana laws of Idaho. I feel if they allowed recreational marijuana the population would double over night!!

So, I highly recommend a trip to Boise….check out downtown, Hyde Park neighborhood (be sure to visit Camel’s Back Park and climb the hill….see photo to left). Go hiking at Hulls Gulch and The Military Reserve and finish it up with food and a beer at Highlands Hollow…..oh, if you want to learn some stuff and get some history stop by the Old Penitentiary. Where you have it, you are all set!!

Get out and explore!!

Last modified: June 29, 2017