BOISE, Idaho — Earlier this week Ridge to Rivers opened up some of the trails that have been closed because of the Claremont Fire and we rode a loop to check out what the area looks like now.
One of the most popular loops is the Crestline to Sidewinder across Fat Tire Traverse and down Freestone Ridge. All these trails opened earlier this week and scars from the fire could be seen in every direction.
WATCH| Check out the video to see the conditions on this mountain bike ride
The beginning of the loop took us up Crestline which made up the western flank of the Clairmont Fire. Everything to the west including the popular Lower Hulls Gulch did not burn, but many trails did as the Claremont Fire scorched more than 6,600 acres.
"Yeah, it is a bummer," said David Gordon with Ridge to Rivers. "Honestly we have seen a lot of fires and I’ve been here 24 years, but most of them have been caught relatively small."
Once we got on Sidewinder we really entered the burn area as the charred ground was on both sides of the trail. However, the trails remain in tact. The trails have really dried out, and they are loose and sandy. During the ride, it also felt like there was a lack of oxygen with the smoke
"99 percent of your experience will be what it was in terms of the trailhead; it’s fine," said Gordon. "You are in some black, it is going to be hot in places, hotter than you are used to, and the other one percent are structures that we have lost in the fire."
Gordon says the fire burned up signs, retaining walls, culverts, and one bridge that he knows of. However, Ridge to Rivers hasn't been able to check out all the damage because everything above Fat Tire Traverse remains closed.
"We are pulling out the burnt structures and just trying to make it safe for the time being," said Gordon. "We will have to come in at a later date when the weather cools off, and it will be a multi-year process to get everything reconstructed that we lost."
The Claremont Fire burned up the interpretive trail on Upper Hulls Gulch, Watchman, Curlew Connection, and Shane's over in Military Reserve. All these areas remain closed, and Gordon advises people to heed that warning.
"They are seeing a lot of trail users in the areas that are closed, so people should really respect those closures and stay out of them until we have permission to be in there," said Gordon. "You are not only putting yourself at risk, you are putting the rescue person at risk as well."
Ridge to Rivers has an interactive map that is a great resource to check current trail conditions, showing what trails are open and what trails are not. It's also important to stay on the trail to also avoid the unexploded ordnance.
