BOISE, Idaho — Last summer Bogus Basin opened its new Basin Gravity Park giving mountain bikers a chance to make laps on expert, intermediate and beginner trails with lift service utilizing the fairly new Morning Star Express.
We took the lift up and tried out Berm Baby Berm, an intermediate trail with a lot of flow and a lot of berms, and this non-profit mountain recreation area continues to build new trails.
"We are adding trails every year and for the most part all the way through the summer so when you come up you will probably see a trail you haven’t ridden before, said Bogus Basin General Manager Brad Wilson. "I see a lot of people that will do Around the Mountain cross country ride and then jump in the park and ride that for a few hours."
Mountain biking used to be an adult sport, but with the Idaho Interscholastic Cycling League putting together a racing series at venues all over the state the kids are really getting into it as the series concludes with the state championship at Bogus Basin in October.
"Ten years ago, twenty years ago it was pretty much an adult sport," said Wilson. "With a lot of help from the Idaho Interscholastic Cycling League to participate, man we are seeing more families and more kids out there riding."
That has helped spur growth for Bogus Basin's free race series that features a trail running race on Tuesday night, a cross country mountain biking race on Wednesday night and a downhill mountain bike race on Thursday night.
"It’s hard to convince a kid to ride up the hill, but it’s not to ride down the hill so we are seeing a lot of young kids in the Basin Gravity Park and they are getting pretty good," said Wilson.
But this non-profit offers more than mountain biking with some really cool free events like Yoga on the Mountain on Thursday nights and both weekend days, a free concert series called Music on the Patio that happens on Saturday and Sunday plus people can find trails for hiking.
"We are here for the community and we know they like to get out of the heat and be up in this beautiful alpine setting," said Wilson.
Other activities include the Glade Runner Mountain Coaster, summer tubing, the bungee trampoline and an outdoor climbing wall.
People can also enjoy a scenic chair lift ride up and down the mountain as Bogus Basin utilizes the summer to bring in revenue, but at the same time providing cost effective recreation right in our own backyard.
"It is really important to us because our mission is to provide affordable and accessible mountain recreation to the Treasure Valley and this helps us fulfill that year-round obligation," said Wilson.
Bogus Basin is open from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. every day during the summer, the Deer Point Express is open on Saturday and Sundays as the weekend features the most activities during the week.
