I’m Kyle Mattson, a member of the service team here at Maverick Car Company, and I’m obsessed with mountain biking.
This obsession of mine started when I was a kid riding my cheap Walmart bike around Ponderosa State Park in McCall. In junior high, I started riding dirt bikes, but by the end of high school, I transitioned to mountain biking. I loved how mountain biking put me in a different zone. Mountain bikes are quiet compared to dirt bikes. You can stop and enjoy the views and sounds of nature when you’re not shredding down the trail.
These days, I ride on a team, but you don’t need to be a pro to enjoy mountain biking. To share my love of the sport, I put together this curated list of trails near Boise you can explore, no matter what your skill level may be.
Disclaimer: If you’re new to this, stick to green and blue trails at first. If you’re not sure how trail ratings work, here’s a helpful guide from the international Mountain Biking Association.
Easy Trails
Learning Curve (Bogus Basin)
Rating: Green
Distance: .87 miles / Descent: -325 ft
It’s not hard to imagine what this trail is like, given its name. For those looking to work on their downhill riding, this is an excellent choice. To access this trail, you need to ride the chair lift, which is nice when you’re not trying to wear yourself out.
Pura Vida (Tamarack Bike Park)
Rating: Green
Distance: 2 miles / Descent: -677 ft
This is a long, scenic ride with banked corners. There are great views of McCall Lake and the valley from the top of the trail. It doesn’t have many obstacles and you can ride fast. If you’re feeling bold, you can try out some of the rock features.
Hell Mary (Eagle Bike Park)
Rating: Blue
Distance: .3 miles / Descent: -128 ft
Even though it’s rated blue, this is a great entry level trail where you can get the feel of your bike, learn to ride terrain like berms, and get used to the flow of a mountain bike trail. Kids learn well on this, and it provides just enough challenge to help novice riders of all ages improve their skills.
Intermediate Trails
Flow (Eagle Bike Park)
Rating: Blue
Distance: .6 miles / Descent: -208 ft
As the name suggests, there’s some flowy terrain in this one. There’s also some jumps and you can ride this at high speed if you’d like. I like this trail because you can ride according to your skill level and still have fun.
Flow (Eagle Bike Park)
Rating: Blue
Distance: .77 miles/ Descent: -481 ft
There’s pretty steep berms and some great jumps on this trail, so you’ll have plenty of opportunity to practice. It’s a short and fast trail without any crazy terrain. It’s not too hard, but it’s just challenging enough to make your heart beat.
Super G (Tamarack Resort)
Rating: Blue
Distance: 2.32 miles / Descent: -1,200 ft
I’ve competed on this trail several times as it’s part of the race trail at Tamarack. What I like about this one is the length of the ride and variety of terrain. This one has a little bit of everything and is a really good time.
Advanced Trails
Shake n’ Bake (Eagle Bike Park)
Rating: Black Diamond
Distance: .5 miles / Descent: -218 ft
Think of this run as Flow’s older brother. It has way bigger features and has more technical terrain than Flow. There’s plenty of drops, berms, jumps, a ladder ride and some rock gardens to feed your adrenaline.
G-19 (Bogus Basin)
Rating: Black Diamond
Distance: .5 miles / Descent: -500 ft
This one is super technical: big rock gardens and some heart-stopping drops. This is one of the toughest runs you’ll find in the Boise area. I would not recommend this trail unless you’ve spent plenty of time riding and wear protective gear.
Double Shot/Stitches (Jug Mountain Ranch)
Rating: Black Diamond
Distance: 1.3 miles / Descent: -680 ft
With two road gap jumps on this trail, what more could you ask for? Well, a few more road jumps I guess. There are plenty of technical options on this trail with plenty of opportunities to get rad or get an ambulance.
We hope you found this article helpful and inspiring. There’s a wide variety of bike trails all over the Boise area and beyond, so get out there and explore some for yourself. If there’s a trail you like that Kyle didn’t cover, let us know. Our community loves swapping stories and info with other adventurers and learning from each other.