World-class outdoor recreation is right out everyone's back door in Idaho ... my presentation is meant to be motivational for folks to get out and see and experience the mountains, canyons and rivers in Idaho ...

1. IDAHO -
THE
BEST BASE CAMP
IN AMERICA

2. WE ARE BLESSED!

3. IN IDAHO, WE ARE
BLESSED
FROM PARKS, TO GREENBELTS TO
WHITEWATER RIVERS,
MOUNTAINS AND CANYONS – WE
HAVE IT ALL!

4. 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
 Steve skiing Montana Snowbowl …
circa 1978 …

5. UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA - A PERFECT CHOICE
 Played #1 singles for the varsity
tennis team and earned a scholarship
– still remember, tuition was $110
per quarter
 Took Wilderness & Civilization …
discovered my passion for writing
about Nature and discovering Nature
on a personal level …
 Got a history and journalism degree
from Montana and focused on
environmental journalism for
newspapers in the West

6. LIVING IN THE WEST – OUTDOOR JOURNALISM
 First job in La Grande in Eastern
Oregon – Got to know the Wallowas
and the Grand Ronde River
 Colorado Springs, Colorado –
Covering the outdoors, I had a
season pass to every ski area in the
state – loved that! But too many
people in Colorado!
 Boise – Covered natural resources
for the Idaho Statesman and later,
the New York Times

7. MAXIMIZE ON YOUR FREE TIME
 In the meantime, I had a HUGE
passion for everything outdoors.
I still do!
 In my free time, I wanted to go
biking, 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.
 Brag to my friends about it!
Entice them to go with me!

8. PLUS! BEING 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 - sunshine
 Strengthens heart
 Tones muscles
 Burns calories
 Improves focus – blue sky
thinking
 Refreshes the soul
 Wonderful feeling of freedom

9. MY MOTTO – NO EXCUSES!
 Because of all the wonderful outdoor amenities we
have close to home, it’s easy for anyone to get out
and experience them …
 But not everybody does …
 Are you picky? Are you opinionated?
 Do you make excuses?
 Not sure where to start?
 Maybe need to meet outdoorsy people?

10. LET’S TAKE A TOUR OF IDAHO –
SEE WHY I CALL IT, THE BEST BASE CAMP IN AMERICA

11. LET’S START WITH OUR LOCAL PARKS
 Local parks are a treasure in our
communities – Boise has 110
parks serving 250,000 people
 Rest and relaxation close to
home
 Pools and playgrounds
 Ball fields for soccer, baseball
and softball, tennis courts
 Open space for dogs and disc
golf

12. MERIDIAN PARKS & RECREATION
 Meridian has 20 parks serving a
population 76,000 people
 Meridian has big families, so
they need lots of ball fields
 Community pools and
amphitheaters
 New, 58-acre Julius Kleiner Park
… cool park that has just about
everything … fishing ponds,
bocce ball and community
garden

13. POCATELLO PARKS AND RECREATION
 Pocatello has over 40
parks serving a
population of 55,000
people
 Neighborhood parks,
community pools, and
ball fields
 Golf and tennis
 Portneuf Greenway – 14
miles of pathway

14. BOISE RIVER GREENBELT 22-MILE PATH TIES PARKS TOGETHER

15. LOCAL PARKS AND FITNESS – EVEN CHORES AROUND THE
HOUSE … WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

16. LOCAL PARKS AND FITNESS – BENEFITS PER HOUR

17. BOISE FOOTHILLS – A HUGE PLAYGROUND & FITNESS CTR
 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
 200+ miles of hiking,
running and biking trails.
Easy access!
 Start with lower loops
and work up to big loops

18. POCATELLO HILLS – AWESOME TRAIL SYSTEM
 City Creek Trails – Great for hiking
and biking
 Gibson Jack - Ditto
 Sterling Justice – Connects Gibson
Creek to City Creek over 12 miles
and 1,500 vertical feet – Cool ride!
 Mink Creek Trails – tons of more
hiking, biking, motorcycle and ATV
trails
 Trails are close enough to do quick
outings before work, at lunch time
and after work

19. HIKING, TRAIL-RUNNING, MOUNTAIN BIKING = GREAT WORKOUT
 The best part is you barely
even know you’re burning
calories because you’re
having fun being outdoors!
 Try to get out 3-4 days a
week, hiking, trail-running or
mountain biking on your local
trails …
 Hint: Climbing in the hills
increases your workout. You’ll
feel great afterwards …
 Why? Endorphins … beauty
of the setting, maybe you had
a chance sighting of wildlife?

20. MOUNTAIN RECREATION = SECOND PAYCHECK
 Former Gov. Cecil Andrus
coined the phrase
 Mountain Recreation close to
home increases our Quality of
Life
 Second paycheck isn’t money
per se, but many would say it
makes us rich in terms of how
we feel after a great trip!
 Makes you feel blessed … and
more productive at work!

21. SAWTOOTHS AND WHITE CLOUDS – WORLD CLASS!

22. SAWTOOTHS – BEST FOR HIKING AND BACKPACKING
 High Mountain Lakes –
Galore!
 Loop hikes
 Cross-wilderness hikes
 Fishing
 Camping
 Scenery
 Quietude

23.  New wilderness
areas protected last
year.
 Spectacular scenery
 Better fishing than
the Sawtooths i.e.,
bigger fish
 Remote, harder to
access
WHITE CLOUDS – BACKPACKING & MOUNTAIN BIKING

24. White Clouds – Mountain Biking – World Class!
• Fisher-
Williams
Trail
• Little
Boulder-Big
Boulder
Loop

25. BIG LOST RANGE – IDAHO’S 12,000-FOOTERS

26. PIONEER MOUNTAINS – BIG & BOLD

27. FRANK CHURCH – RIVER OF NO RETURN WILDERNESS
LARGEST IN THE LOWER 48 … VERY REMOTE, SOLITUDE GALORE

28. CITY OF ROCKS NATIONAL RESERVE

29. CITY OF ROCKS – MORE THAN ROCK CLIMBING
Mountain
Biking
Horseback
riding
Hiking
Fishing
Camping

30. FITNESS BENEFITS – HIKING & BACKPACKING
 Backpacking is strenuous!
 Could burn 3,000-5,000
calories a day, depending
on how far you go …
 Makes your body hurt
 You know you’ve worked
hard
 Big payoff when you reach
the high mountain lake or
mountain peak

31. WHITEWATER BOATING IN 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!

32. 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

33. WILDERNESS WHITEWATER VACATIONS - WORLD CLASS
 Middle Fork Salmon River
 Salmon River
 Selway River
 Hells Canyon
 Dream vacation for
families and friends
 Go with an outfitter or
get your own raft and do
it yourself

34. WILDERNESS RIVER VACATIONS
 Live it up!
 Scrumptious Dutch oven
meals
 Boats carry all the gear
 Beer, wine and cocktails
available on ice
 Quality family time
 Seriously off-the-grid
 Become one with the river

35. OWYHEE AND BRUNEAU RIVERS – WORLD CLASS

36. OWYHEE RIVER – A HIDDEN GEM

37. BRUNEAU IS MY ULTIMATE FAVORITE

38. SUP – FASTEST-GROWING PADDLE SPORT IN AMERICA
Stand Up
Paddle
Boarding
(SUP) is all
the rage!
Huge growth
in last 3 years
…

39. SUP’ING ON LAKES AND YOGA – PLACE TO START

40. SUP’ING ON RIVERS

41. FITNESS BENEFITS – KAYAKING, SUP’ING, RAFTING

42. SOUTH FORK SNAKE RIVER

43. HENRYS FORK

44. IDAHO STATE PARKS – HARRIMAN STATE PARK
Hiking, biking, xc skiing, birding and wildlife-watching

45. PONDEROSA STATE PARK – MCCALL

46. BRUNEAU DUNES STATE PARK - BRUNEAU

47. ROAD BIKING – IDAHO IS A GREAT PLACE TO RIDE
 Many local rides, from greenbelt
pathways to hill-climbs and everything
in between
 In Boise, the place to test your strength
is riding to Bogus Basin – 16 miles,
4,000 verts, 5,000 calories burned, it’s a
tough one but very doable with practice
and training.
 Rural roads in Meridian, Nampa and SE
Idaho are excellent for road biking.
 Ride Idaho – Week-long ride that
usually covers 400 miles … good one to
do with a group of friends. Ride hard
during the day and party at night.

48. WINTER ACTIVITIES – SKIING AND XC SKIING
 Bogus Basin – Quick access
to great skiing in Boise
 Pebble Creek – Excellent
local mountain in Pocatello
 Brundage Mountain and
Tamarack in Valley County
 World-famous Sun Valley
 Tubing hills
 Parks and Pipes

49. PEBBLE CREEK ROCKS!
Pocatello also is within reach of:
• Grand Targhee
• Jackson Hole
• Snow Basin
• Alta
• Snowbird

50. SUN VALLEY – WORLD CLASS SKIING

51. XC SKIING IN WOOD RIVER VALLEY – WORLD CLASS
Over 200 K’s
of xc trail

52. YURTS, XC SKIING AND SNOWSHOEING
 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

53. MINK CREEK XC TRAILS

54. SNOWSPORTS = CALORIES BURNED + FUN FUN FUN!
• Cross-country skiing
500 – 1,000 calories
burned/hr
• Snowshoeing
450 – 700 calories
burned/hr
• Downhill skiing
350-700 calories
burned/hr
• Backcountry skiing
500 – 1,000 calories
burned/hr

55. WHAT ELSE? WHAT DID I LEAVE OUT?
 Bird watching
 Disc golf
 Bocce ball
 Pitching
horseshoes
 Find your
passion!
 Find what works
for you!

56. ONCE YOU CONVERT TO AN ACTIVE LIVESTYLE, YOU’LL BE HOOKED!

57. AND THEN IT’S TIME TO GET YOUR KIDS INVOLVED

58. YOU’LL MAKE MEMORIES THAT LAST A LIFETIME!

59. OBESITY AND VIDEO GAMES
 Sad but true … there are many kids in
Idaho 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!
 Opportunities are endless!

60. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE!
Idaho ranks 28th out of the
50 states … We can do
better than that!
One option is for parents to
set the example and get
their kids engaged in some
kind of active lifestyle
activity …
Tons of activities right out
the back door!

61. STILL WONDER? HOW TO PLUG IN?
• Join an outdoor club
• Facebook Meet Up
Groups
• Idaho Outdoors Yahoo
Group
• Idaho Hiking Club
• Boise State Outdoor
Recreation Program
• Idaho State University
Outdoor Recreation
Program

62. GO ON GROUP OUTINGS WITH YOUR LOCAL OUTDOOR RETAILERS
• Many outdoor shops
have regular
mountain bike or
road rides each week
• Another good way to
meet new people
• Good way to get
started

63. 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 …

64. 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 HAVE FUN!