Owl’s Roost – Gold Finch – Red Fox Trail Loop
Spring means wild flowers in the Boise foothills, and that means beautiful hikes, but also heavy traffic. In the Ridge to Rivers trail system alone, there are over 190 miles (305.78 km) of trails, with many hundred more outside this trail system. Despite the massive number of miles and trails, you will usually encounter a lot of people using them no matter where you go, especially on the weekends. Don’t let this dissuade you from using them, though. The trails are well managed and a delight to travel upon. For dog owners, most trails are on-leash, but there are some that allow off-leash with limitations. Owl’s Roost Trail is one of those off-leash trails with limitations, but the other two trails that make up this loop are on-leash only.
Challenges:
Stairs can be, but are not necessarily, a part of this hike.
The elevation gain can be steep where the stairs are located and declines generally are not too steep, but without good hiking shoes you might find them slippery when dry and dusty.
Ticks and snakes may be a concern depending on the season.
NOTE: There is a new pilot program running right now on many of these trails. I would suggest researching before going to any of the trails in the Ridge to Rivers area. The information available is not great right now, but do your best.
To find the trailhead, you actually drive in further than you might think. The actual trailhead is on the map to the left. Once you park, the trailhead starts at the northeast corner of the parking lot. It takes you back towards Boise, and the majority of this trail is flat and easily traveled.
Once you get to Gold Finch trail, you’ll start gaining elevation as you climb up to the peak of Camel’s Back. Along the hillside you’ll find lots of wildflowers in the spring. The flowers and views from the climb make it easy to excuse frequent stops along the way to catch your breath and get some water, if you feel so inclined.
The trail takes you along the hillside, not to the top of Camel’s Back, but if you take the stairs as we did then you can get the best views from the top of Camel’s Back. The trail meets up again with the original trail a short distance further down. Once you’ve reached the top of Camel’s Back, the rest of the journey is pretty much downhill. Once you reach level ground again, you’ll be on Red Fox trail. This trail quickly turns into a gravel road, which was a bit of a disappointment, to be honest. There are still a few wild flowers to take in, but it was pretty bland compared to the rest of the hike. It appears there is a trail you can take instead back towards the creek, then a left, and it will take you parallel to the roadway, but it might be more of a trail with better vegetation. The last 1/4 mile is on the gravel road, no matter which path you take.
