BOISE -THE

BEST BASE CAMPIN AMERICA

I FEEL LUCKY TO LIVE IN THE MOUNTAINS

I was born and raised in Minnesota.

The Allure of Skiing in the Mountains is what brought me to the Rocky Mountain West

I got a journalism degree from the University of Montana

I landed a job as an environmental reporter and I wanted to Save the World

MAXIMIZE ON YOUR FREE TIME

I had a HUGE passion for everything outdoors. I still do!

On any free day, I wanted to go biking, kayaking, rafting, backpacking, camping, you name it!

I’d mark the calendar to keep track of how many days I skied, went rafting, camping, backpacking, etc.

And brag to my friends about it! Entice them to go with me!

IN IDAHO, WE AREBLESSED”

FROM PARKS, TO GREENBELTS TOWHITEWATER RIVERS,

MOUNTAINS AND CANYONS – WEHAVE IT ALL!

SPRING IS A TIME WHEN WE FLOCK TO OUR LOCAL PARKS

Local parks are a treasure in our communities – Boise has 110 parks!

A place for rest and relaxation close to home

Pools and playgrounds for kids

Ball fields for soccer, la crosse, baseball and softball

Open space for dogs and frisbee golf

BOISE RIVER GREENBELT 22-MILE PATH TIES PARKS TOGETHER

BOISE FOOTHILLS – A HUGE PLAYGROUND

The Boise Foothills are a vast open space reserve … From the top of Bogus Basin to the Boise River.

It’s called the Ridge to Rivers Trail System

135+ miles of hiking, running and biking trails. Easy access!

Start with lower loops and work up to big loops

EAGLE FOOTHILLS

The City of Eagle and mountain bike volunteers have been instrumental in building the Eagle Bike Park.

The Bike Park has a number of gap jumps for riders who like to catch BIG AIR, a dual slalom course and a pump track for kids.

It’s a great place for kids to build their mountain biking skills close to Home.

Lots of singletrack trails too …

WHITEWATER BOATING IN SW IDAHO – LEGENDARY!

The Payette River – North Fork, South Fork, Main Fork and Middle Fork – Great learning river …

Boise River for the masses

It’s a thrill to run big rapids and survive! Surf the holes!

You become an adrenaline junkie!

WHITEWATER BOATING OR SURFING IN BOISE

Boise River Park

Best for kayaking and surfing

Wave-shaping technology makes the play wave fun at different water levels

Allows boaters to play and build skills close to home

WILDERNESS WHITEWATER VACATIONS - WORLD CLASS

Middle Fork Salmon River

Salmon River

Selway River

Hells Canyon

Dream vacation for families and friends

My kids can’t even remember all the Salmon River trips they’ve done …

HIKING AND BACKPACKING – WORLD CLASS

Sawtooths and White Clouds near Stanley

Payette National Forest – McCall

Hundreds of high-mountain lakes for camping and fishing

Awesome scenery

WINTER ACTIVITIES

Bogus Basin – Solid local hill

Brundage Mountain and Tamarack in Valley County

World-famous Sun Valley

Tubing hills

Parks and Pipes

WINTER ACTIVITIES

Idaho City Park n’ Ski Areas & Yurts

1.5 hours from Boise

50+ miles of xc ski and snowshoe trails

6 backcountry yurts available for rent

Reasonably priced

Accessible for all abilities

BOISE ROCKS!

It’s no wonder Outside magazine named Boise its No. 1 "Dream Town"

We’re consistently in the top 10 of Forbes lists as a GREAT place to work, live and play

But someone has to show people how to tap into all of these wonderful resources …

MY OUTDOOR BOOKS AND MAPS SHOW PEOPLE WHERE TO

GO AND HOW TO GET THERE …

•First guidebook published in 1992•Many editions published since … •Tens of thousands of people have bought my books over the years …

CONSERVATION – GIVING BACK As an outdoor leader, I felt some

responsibility to give back …

Founding president of SWIMBA in 1992.

We worked on trail maintenance and building new trails in the foothills and beyond …

Worked on trail etiquette …

In partnership with REI, we got hundreds of people involved …

CONSERVATION – GIVING BACK My proudest achievement: $10M open

space levy to buy more land in the foothills, protect wildlife habitat and create more trails.

We kicked butt – Big grass-roots campaign … Door-to-door, I gave a million speeches to groups, engaged school kids …

Since then, 11,000 acres of land have been protected; $12 million positive economic impact for the city of Boise

OBESITY AND VIDEO GAMES

Locally, there are still many people in Boise who don’t get outside very often, if ever …

One in three children or 30% in Idaho are overweight or obese.

Our kids are spending too much time in front of the TV or the computer, playing video games or using electronics …

We need to get our kids OUTSIDE and let them be KIDS!

SPENDING TIME OUTSIDE IS GOOD FOR YOU

It’s uplifting – it’s inspiring – it’s fun!

What if you carved out time to play outdoors every week? Benefits?

Vitamin D from sunshine

Strenthens your heart

Tones your muscles

Burns calories

Improves focus

Refreshes the soul

Wonderful feeling of freedom

NATURE’S GIFT

So, in my opinion, We have the best base camp in America! It’s all easy to access! No excuses!

It’s a GIFT from NATURE that we all can enjoy …

Take your kids!

Introduce your friends to your favorite places!

And remember to GIVE BACK!