Be prepared before going out and possibly being the only person. There are some dry camping spots…read morethere which I had planned to camp at. I decided against it just because I was by myself and there was no one else there. An absolute must if you are in Eastern Oregon.

I wish I could give this 20 more stars. This is one of the most beautiful places I have been to in…read morethe state of Oregon. The entrance is kind of sketchy but once you get on the main road it's pretty straight forward. The road is paved, has gravel, and is ok for all types of vehicles. There are different paths that veer off of the main road that require 4x4 so keep an eye on which one you get on. They are super fun for off-roading if you're equipped for that kind of adventure. While the canyon is beautiful, Leslie Gulch is the real gem here. Take the time to drive through and soak in the beauty of all the rocks. When you get to the lake (if you can call it that anymore) relish in the fact that you can park your car on what used to be the bottom of the lake. There is no trash service so PLEASE pack it out!

Love this interesting park full of things to do!…read more You can park outside the park for free and walk or pay a few bucks for car entry. Dog friendly! There's walks along the water which has great views. You can also cross the bridge and do some hikes in the valley. Plenty of benches, picnic tables, and bathrooms. The hieroglyphic rocks were pretty cool but most are hard to see due to erosion over the years. We came in the winter so the park was almost empty! Must visit if you've never been. Great park for kids and pets.

Beautiful spot on the Snake River. Not crowded. Dog-friendly and lots of birding opportunities.read more

Fun, super short trail (takes about 15 minutes) to get to the Falls where you can take a dip in the…read morebeautiful little lake if you're not afraid of the freezing cold! The trail was super picturesque. I loved how because it's in a gorge, it is almost all shaded. We chose it since we have young kids and needed a short trail. I had read that this was super kid friendly and do be warned there are some short steep dusty slopes, and ledgy areas, that made us very nervous with our 5 year old and our 83 year old relative. It's kid friendly in terms of it being short, but there are some nerve racking spots for sure! The best type of shoes for this would be something like hiking sandals that you can get wet since there are areas you need a good grip for hiking, and others where you literally have to hop over stones. The waterfall is breathtaking and we sat there for some time enjoying the view.

Nice 20 minute hike to the water falls once you get to the creek…read more Here are a few suggestions from a First Responder that assists when needed. Wear appropriate foot wear!! DO NOT WEAR FLIP FLOPS!!!!! Trail can have poison Ivy along the path. Do not veer from the trail. You will probably get your feet wet. You will have to walk over wet rocks and can fall into creek. Not handicap accessible. If you become injured, expect that it can take over an hour to get volunteer Ambulance and Fire personal to get you to the ambulance, then another 30 minutes to a hospital. the Volunteer EMS service can not give pain medications, so better be tough butter cup!! If you decide to take a path that goes above the falls and you get injured, expect an extra long recovery. Intermountain search and Rescue *IMSR) will have to respond from Boise assist you off of the hill. In the case of severe injury, Life flight will probably be dispatched to expedite transportation to a hospital. I have every thing from a broken wrist, broken legs, ankles, to severe injury from a person falling 30 feet from a cliff. That recovery took over six hours, IMSR, four wheelers, and life flight. Please remember that if you do call for emergency services, we are volunteer community Fire/Ems personal that respond. We take time out of our day to assist in your worst time. Please treat us with respect and if you feel you can donate to our agencies, it is greatly appreciated.

Come out and see some Nature and nice walks. The formation…read morecenter is nice too. Friendly staff.

Deer flat wildlife refuge is a beautiful area to visit and walk. They have a building along the…read morepath for birdwatching. The visitor center was open and the workers inside were very nice and informative. The visitor center educates you on the nearby wildlife you can expect to see. Definitely recommend you stop by for a little hike.

You guys remember that scene in the classic movie "George and the Dragon" where they stumble upon…read moresome dragon pooty and George has to stick his hand in to see how old it was? Well, that stack of pooty is this rock. In a good way. Honestly, our total hike was 11 miles and that killed me a little. A lot. But, it was overall a shady, pleasant hike with a great view at the end! I maybe would've go alone, just because you'd be hiking 4 hours by yourself. There's a parking lot at the trail head or street parking below that if the lot is full. Bring water and a snack!

Wow, oh, wow. This hike is a gem. The signs posted throughout the trail refer to it as "Freddy's…read moreStack Rock Trail", and this is considered an intermediate hike. To Stack Rock and back from the trailhead, this hike is just shy of 9 miles. I went with a group of friends and it took us roughly 6 hours from start to finish. How to get there: You'll find the trailhead about 13 miles up Bogus Basin rd on the left hand side. There's a larger gravel parking area on the side of the road. If you're going in the summer months, there is likely to be a lot of cars there. If you're not sure you're at the right spot, take a look at the map posted at the trailhead to ensure that it says "Freddy's Stack Rock Trail". I went with someone who had been before, so we made it there and back with no trouble. However, if it's your first time going, I recommend you read up on this loop or go with someone who has done it before. The loop breaks off into lots of other trails and it appears that it could be easy to get lost if you go into it ill-prepared. Scenery: STUNNING. There are gorgeous Ponderosa pine, and Douglas Firs surrounding the trail, as well as plentiful amounts of wildflowers. There are also lots of spots that overlook the forest and give you the opportunity to take in its grandeur. The photos I've posted give you an idea, but don't do it justice. From start to finish, this hike is beautiful. Stack Rock: I mean the trees and wildflowers are gorgeous, but this is what you do the hike for! After hiking 4-5 miles, you'll arrive at the stack rock formation. It's a bit daunting to climb, so take your steps wisely and consider how you'll get down before you go up! The views from here are truly remarkable though and absolutely worth the climb. Other things: - It's about 20 degrees cooler up here than it is down in Boise (and it's a bit windy). Bring a jacket, you'll probably want it at some point. Even if it is in the middle of the summer. - Also, bring snacks, bug spray, and sunscreen! - I had (limited) cell service for a good amount of the hike. - Lastly, for the sake of safety...don't do this hike alone. You go pretty deep into the forest. Bring a buddy. Better yet, bring 3 or 4.

So much fun and quite the adventure for my teenager and I. This was only an hour and 10 minute…read moredrive for us from our doorstep to the Hot Springs and it was a very beautiful scenic drive and the Hot Springs were way bigger than we expected an extremely warm.

Fun day get away. Some homeless camps here and there, but overall a good day. Fishing and hiking…read moreavailable.

Spanning 25 miles and connecting several towns, the Boise River Greenbelt is an absolute marvel of…read morea public park. I just love how everyone is doing their own thing, whether that's walking, strolling, biking, fishing, kayaking or even surfing! Yes that's right, there's a section where you can actually surf the stream.. how cool is that?! There a signs at the entrances that remind people not to be a "speed demon" and also signs warning about blind curves, which I very much appreciated. We rented those Lime electric scooters and were able to scoot nearly the entire path, which felt so epic and fun. Of course, we were mindful of pedestrians, bikes and foot traffic. One of my favorites parts of the path was when went past the Boise Zoo and saw not just one, but too giraffes poking their heads up at the trees. They were ginormous and even seems to acknowledge us with curious eyes and ears. What a special treat to have such an open, accessible and convenient public space right in the heart of a city!

Oh how I long for a great bike ride or run down the Greenbelt. The Greenbelt is an absolute gem and…read moreI am a firm believer in getting as much time on the Greenbelt as possible. It quite literally runs along the river and is absolutely stunning all the way through. From parks like Ann Morrison to Boise State's campus to where you drop in the river for floating at Barber Park. There is plenty to do along the Greenbelt. It is always fun to plan days going from hot spot to hot spot on a bike or on foot. It's also great to spend some time kicking it by the river at one of the Greenbelt's many hang out areas, especially during the summer.

This is a quiet, hidden place for a nature walk off Maple Grove and McMillan Rd. Lots of ducks,…read morewater views, Mountain View's and well established paths to walk on. They also have some benches and clean accessible bathrooms. No dogs allowed unless they are service dogs.

Boise has more than 90 developed parks. Last week I visited Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve. It's a 53…read moreacre park that serves as a sanctuary for birds, bats, and animals. If I had known about the bats, I would've visited sooner. This park has stocked ponds and fishing. I was there for almost 2 hours. All of these photos are taken in sequence with the intention of giving you a sense of what it's like to walk through the park and loop around to the sidewalk that runs down Maple, then re-enter the park and exit. I've included a couple of short videos for your Moment of Zen. Enjoy!

Just moved near the neighborhood, and this was our very first hike here. It was a safe, easy…read morechoice! We went in early December, so it was definitely chilly and muddy from the rain the day before. However, we wore good hiking shoes, so we were dry at least. Trail took about 2 hours round trip, and the trail was dirt/rocks but easy enough for kids. Bring: water, snacks, appropriate clothes depending on the weather, dog! I brought a beanie, gloves, and warm clothes for the hike in December. I would avoid going on rainy days or if it recently rained. Mud will slow you down. There are little info boards posted along the trails - nice read. Great trail for a short walk. I hear it gets crowded during the weekends and good weather days. Go early!

3.39 miles of decent incline. Nice benches up top to sit on. We started hike at 5:50am and we're…read moreable to watch the sunrise it was beautiful. Plenty of parking down below at trailhead.

Oh man, oh man, oh man--all of the heart eyes! (Not the easiest thing in the world to get to, but…read morelike a hidden treasure, once you find it, the hunt is so worth it!) How to get there(ish): 1. Head up ID 55 like you're going towards McCall 2. Hang a right on Banks Lowman Highway 3. Drive for 28 miles and then you'll see Pine Flats Campground on the right 4. (Now getting to the hot springs is a bit tricky. Side note: I definitely would NOT recommend attempting this in snowy weather, that just would not be smart or safe.) Anyways, you're going to take a trail that runs sort of by the river and is towards the rightmost part of the campground. You'll walk for what I assume to be a quarter mile, and then voila! You'll arrive at a beach along the river with massive boulders and pools stacked against the hillside (this is all natural by the way)! The Campground: Parking is $5/day, and I am not sure about the cost of overnight camping as we only made a day trip here. They have one bathroom here, and, well, it's totally a public park bathroom. The Views: We went on an October weekend, so we had a view that combined all things beautiful that Idaho has to offer in one--snow on mountains in the distance, lush green hills, stunning fall foliage, a rushing river running along the hot springs, and clean mountain air. The Hot Springs: A good amount of the pools of water were warm and I would only recommend sitting in them if the weather is above 80 degrees, or else you'll get chilly real quick. But for the most part, they were toasty, especially if you sat underneath the ones with waterfalls--those will heat you right up! Pro Tip(s): 1. Make sure you have more than enough gas in your car--you're out of service up here and out of luck if you run out of gas. 2. Bring a big water bottle! Sitting in hot water will dehydrate ya real quick.

For anyone feeling super adventurous and spontaneous. Maybe even wanting to just get out and…read moreexperience something new this beginning of spring Pine Flats is definitely the perfect spot. When you arrive it can be a little confusing but don't be overwhelmed with the long walking trail! Overall our experience for first timers was great. We did have to walk a little and if your a first timer also like us you may want to be ready with some hiking shoes, warm clothes/swimming clothes if your using the hot springs and a happy motivation(: The hot springs pool overall is pretty smaller then expected but good maybe for couples if you need a nice date idea. The temperature is perfect if you land in the right spot. (Lower ones are better) would we do this again ? 10/10 yes.