New to backpacking? We have some awesome ways coming up for you to learn the basics! This year we are excited to kick off our Backpacking 101 series. We'll be hosting webinars, in-person events, and trail projects to teach you how to feel comfortable, be safe, and respect ... Read More
On February 8, 2022, we were shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of John Platt. John was one of the leaders of the Idaho Trails Association. He served on our Board of Directors, volunteered to lead many of our trail crews, was a valued teacher, and ... Read More
About Tom Tom’s been fortunate to hike and climb in some of the most beautiful places in the world, especially right here in Idaho. To help others enjoy outdoor adventures, he’s led hundreds of hiking and climbing trips and served as an instructor for classes in rock, snow, ... Read More
By Jeff Halligan Clem Pope passed away on February 2, 2022. He led a life of true adventures, friendship, laughter and love and was a great and caring friend, brother, father, and partner to Diane. Clem leaves behind a huge number of friends and acquaintances throughout the world and will ... Read More
Did you miss our webinar about reducing waste in the backcountry? You can watch the recorded presentation here! We welcomed Ana Lucía, a thru-hiker who completed the Pacific Crest Trail in 2021, to share her zero waste journey with us. Her presentation included a lot of awesome recommendations for ... Read More
Dust off your boots and get ready for trail season! Join us the evening before our volunteer schedule launches to learn about this year's best projects and how you can join. Hear this season's highlights from our Trail Projects Director Alex Cravener, Executive Director Mel Vining, and Board President Tom ... Read More
What is orienteering? It’s simply navigating a course using a map and compass. Join the City of Trees Orienteering Club and ITA to learn the basics of this unique outdoor sport. You don’t have to be a cross country runner or an endurance athlete to have fun with it. It ... Read More
Learn the basics of using the navigation app Gaia GPS (https://www.gaiagps.com/) on the web and your phone from ITA Board Member and GIS guru, Pam Bond. During this one hour presentation, participants will learn how to plot and manage waypoints and routes, effectively use overlays and basemaps, download maps for ... Read More
Join us for an online presentation about going zero waste in the backcountry. We'll hear from Ana Lucía, a thru-hiker who completed the Pacific Crest Trail waste-free. Her love for the outdoors has made her develop a close and respectful relationship with nature, and she wishes to share and inspire ... Read More
John serves as Treasurer on ITA's Board of Directors. He is originally from rural northern Idaho and appreciates the region’s dark forests, abundant water and fluid weather. Since moving to Boise 26 years ago, he has enjoyed southern Idaho’s blue skies and year round outdoor recreational opportunities. If he is ... Read More
Join ITA for an evening sipping delicious Lost Grove beers, enjoying fun stories, and learning about how various types of pack animals are used in the backcountry. All ages welcome! Wednesday, January 5 @ 6pm MT Lost Grove Brewing 1026 S La Pointe St, Boise, ID 83706 Can't make the ... Read More
We are excited to introduce to you Alex Cravener, the newest member of our staff joining us as ITA’s Trail Projects Director! Alex will soon be working with volunteers and coordinating all things related to our trail projects. Alex grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and has been living in Boise ... Read More
Today I am thankful for you- our volunteers and members. I can see snow outside my window and, since trail folks are always thinking about trails, my mind wanders to my favorite wild places and how most Idaho trails must be blanketed in white by now. Here at ITA, if ... Read More
By Hobie Swan, ITA communications and trail crew volunteer The holiday season is upon us, and among the many things we at ITA are thankful for is our volunteers! We’d like to introduce you to two of them—one of our oldest, and one of our youngest. Meet Bruce Shaffer. Bruce ... Read More
By Liz Bridges, ITA Advisory Board Member and Youth Trail Program Cook Wilding, grubbing in the dirt, trail crew, fun…however you want to describe them, ITA’s Youth Trail Crews are all that and more. The first Youth Trail Crew took place along the banks of Big Creek in the Frank Church-River ... Read More
ITA's Fall Membership Drive starts November 1 and runs through the end of the year. We need your help to reach our goal of $35,000 to support the work of ITA in 2022. You can join or renew for $25, $50, $100 or more! When you become a member of ... Read More
Big news! We are proud to share with you our new logo as part of a larger campaign to refresh our brand! Our previous logo served us well over the past ten years and we wanted to keep many of the same elements and colors while creating an updated design. ... Read More
After much consideration, the Board and staff of ITA have decided it would be best to move ITA's End of Season parties online due to the current COVID-19 threat throughout Idaho and the strain that hospitals are feeling. The board and staff are disappointed we won’t be able to gather ... Read More
If you're lucky, you've had the pleasure of being on an ITA trip with Cindy! This year, she took volunteering as an ITA cook to a new level and planned out the meals for many of our trips. Thank you for taking on this new responsibility and keeping our crews ... Read More
After six years leading and organizing trail projects across Idaho, Clay Jacobson is leaving ITA for new adventures, including hiking the Continental Divide Trail next summer. We will miss Clay and wish him the very best! ITA is now advertising for a Trail Projects Director. This person will oversee the ... Read More
John is an ITA crew leader and board member. He retired to the McCall area after living much of his adult life in Boise. His professional career includes working in outdoor sports stores, teaching outdoor sports, and technical writing for a large bicycle manufacturer. His outdoor influences came from growing up ... Read More
The West is in the grip of a particularly hot, dry summer and a historically severe fire season. We all can do our part to be sure we and our loved ones enjoy our trails while taking precautions to keep ourselves safe and our forests green.Going hiking or camping this weekend? Stage 1 ... Read More
Check out part 1 and part 2 of Alexis's journey! On Sunday, June 6, I finished my personal challenge to summit all four of Boise’s Grand Slam peaks in one day. I started at Heinen at 5:20 a.m. and finished Kepros at 6:51 p.m. for a total time of 13 ... Read More
Training on in the rain on Kepros Training is coming along. We’re only a couple weeks away from my attempt at the single day Grand Slam challenge. I’m keeping an eye on weather, as it appears that this cloudy, rainy front will be passing soon and we’ll be expecting some ... Read More
May 26, 7-8 pm Mountain Time ITA's Pam Bond and Leave No Trace Ambassador Evan Worthington are teaming up to get down and dirty about how to deal with your pee, poop, and periods while you are exploring your favorite wild places. Get your free spot here!
Completing the 35.7 miles with 11,493 vertical feet elevation gain that is the Boise Grand Slam is no small feat in itself. Especially, Heinen. Blessed, Heinen. For those unfamiliar, the Grand Slam is made up four hikes in the nearby Boise area. All are gnarly in their own right. Completing ... Read More
As an organization that cares about Idaho’s wild places, we want to let you know about an opportunity to speak up for a special area of Idaho. The Payette National Forest is seeking comment on a travel management plan for Rapid River, which includes the Rapid River Wild and Scenic River ... Read More
April 1, 7-8 pm Mountain Time Are you as excited as we are to get out on the trail this year?! Join our Trail Project Director Clay Jacobson and Board President Tom Dabrowski as they share about this year's best ITA projects. We'll go over some trail maintenance basics and ... Read More
March 24, 7-8 pm Mountain Time Join Idaho Trails Association for this fun webinar about learning to backpack and adventure in Idaho’s backcountry. Betsy Mizell and Haley Robinson are two women who got into outdoor adventure as adults. They will share their stories of mistakes, adventures, learning opportunities, and tips ... Read More
ITA is planning to transition our bookkeeping activities to a professional outsourced service or volunteer resource over the next 3-6 months. Since ITA’s inception, we have leveraged an ITA volunteer to perform these tasks that will allow us to support our continued growth and complexity. We are seeking services from a ... Read More
Dear Idaho trail users and friends, Happy New Year! Here’s to remembering the challenges of 2020 but looking with hope to 2021 and time in our beautiful Idaho backcountry, accessed of course by Idaho’s extensive network of public land trails! As I begin my tenure with Idaho Trails Association, I ... Read More
January 27, 7-8 pm Mountain Time Join us for a webinar about some great winter walks with John Platt, hiking guru and ITA Advisory Board Member. As a winter safety trainer for Search and Rescue, he will also cover some winter safety basics. Beat the winter blues and get inspired ... Read More
February 24, 7-8 pm Mountain Time Registered Nutritionist and Backpacking Meal Planning Expert Aaron Owens Mayhew of the website Backcountry Foodie will share with us some tips for cooking in the backcountry. She will focus specifically on avoiding bonking, aka crashing and burning, the all-too-familiar problem to anyone who backpacks! ... Read More
https://www.youtube.com/embed/iyRzeqdJsgg It takes a lot of work to keep some of our treasured trails open. Some would say that trail maintenance is "men's work," but that simply isn't true. Over the years, the number of women out there working crosscuts and swinging Pulaskis has continued to grow. The skills needed ... Read More
We had an awesome 2020 season of trail work! Thanks to all of our volunteers that gave so much to make Idaho's trails better for everyone. https://www.youtube.com/embed/NeWMYLdQScw Dear ITA friends, 2020 presented many new challenges this year. A big thank you to our volunteers who helped us navigate this unpredictable ... Read More
Dear Idaho trail users and friends,Our membership drive is underway and goes through the end of the year! We need YOUR help to preserve and maintain vulnerable trails in Idaho’s backcountry. Trails take us to our state’s most beautiful places, providing access to unique landscapes and Wilderness areas.Unfortunately, decades of inadequate funding ... Read More
Join us November 1- December 31 for our membership drive! When you renew or become a member of Idaho Trails Association, you are joining an organization and community that cares about Idaho’s wild places. Not only do we need volunteers to make our projects succeed, but also members to financially ... Read More
This blog is part of our series honoring ITA's 10-year anniversary! There is one thing that all of the members of our board and staff have in common- a passion for trails! Here are 10 hikes hand-picked just for you. Kane Lake Trail (#66) in the Pioneer Mountains east of ... Read More
This blog is part of our series honoring ITA's 10-year anniversary! By John Plat, ITA Advisory Board member John Platt has been backpacking for over 50 years, mostly in Idaho. He is a climber, backcountry skier, an Eagle Scout, and a volunteer with Valley County Search and Rescue. He has backpacked ... Read More
November 10, 5:30 pm PT/ 6:30 pm MT Join Idaho Trails Association and partners for a virtual conversation with author and thru-hiker Derick Lugo. The Unlikely Thru-Hiker is the story of a young black man setting off from the city with an extremely overweight pack and a willfully can-do attitude. What follows ... Read More