Staying fit in the Treasure Valley

There are plenty of places to exercise and enjoy the great outdoors in the Treasure Valley. A walk on the Greenbelt that winds along the Boise River is free. You can go hiking or biking on the miles of nearby Foothills trails. Most of the Treasure Valley is within minutes of a city park, and many subdivisions have walking paths or parks. Or simply stay at home and use a treadmill or other equipment to get your heart pumping, or work out to tapes or DVDs.

Meridian

1. H.R. Bud Porter Pathway is a mile long and connects Meridian Road to Tully Park at Linder Road.

2. Blackstone Pathway. This paved path, maintained by the city, connects Black Cat Road, south of Cherry Lane, to Fuller Park.

3. Downtown Meridian has diverse shops and restaurants, historical markers, pocket parks and updated streetscaping.

4. Pine Avenue is popular with cyclists because of bike lanes. This corridor offers safe and easy connections to downtown.

5. Locust Grove Road. This recently revamped road and its new overpass have new bike lanes for cycling commuters.

6. Park pathways. Several parks (including those listed below, such as Settlers Park) have loop paths, popular with walkers and joggers who don’t like the monotony of retracing their steps.

7. Settlers Park. This 56-acre park is at the corner of Meridian and Ustick roads.

8. Bear Creek Park. This spacious, 18-acre community park with a path is at 2400 S. Stoddard Road and serves south Meridian.

9. Tully Park, at 2500 N. Linder Road, has all the usual park amenities for walkers and runners.

10. Chateau Park. Walkers and joggers use this 7-acre park at 2640 W. Chateau Drive.

Source: City of Meridian

North and East Boise

1. The trail up Camel’s Back Park and behind Camel’s Back Reserve, which links to other trails in the Foothills.

2. Hulls Gulch Reserve, a 213-acre Foothills reserve with lots of trails, a hotspot for bicycle riders, runners and hikers.

3. Hulls Gulch Interpretive Trail, about 7 miles up 8th Street in the Boise Foothills, is for pedestrians only.

4. Table Rock, behind the Old Idaho Penitentiary.

5. The Greenbelt, a trail for all seasons.

6. Military Reserve Park is 479 acres of land in northeast Boise. Amenities include an archery range, cemetery, and hiking and mountain biking trails. There are several controlled off-leash trails in Military Reserve.

7. Ridge to Rivers Trail System. A network of roads and trails courses through the Foothills. There are more than 125 miles of trails.

Source: Taylor Neal, 22, a runner who works at Bandanna Running and Walking, Boise.

Eagle

1. Dry Creek Cemetery. With the purchase of Syringa Gardens Cemetery in 1990, the cemetery now encompasses more than 100 acres.

2. Seamans Gulch (Hidden Springs loop). Complete with bridge, drains, basalt gardens, and a rocky, pedestrian-only loop, this trail system now allows bikers after once being off limits to them.

3. Greenbelt next to the Boise River behind Merrill Park. You can get 4 miles out and back if you run east out and west back.

4. Eagle Foothills’ Little Gulch Loop on Willow Creek Road. Take Eagle Road north and don’t stop. It turns into Willow Creek, 3.5 miles from Floating Feather Road. There’s lots of parking on the right. There’s a loop trail on the right or left. It’s a lot of up and down, 5.25 miles for the full loop. There are shorter variations. It’s never crowded. ... It is posted as no trespassing, but the ranch owner said the trail is open to horses, humans and bicyclists. Motorized vehicles, including ATVs, are banned.

5. Idaho Velodrome & Cycling Park, on North Horseshoe Bend Road across from East Greenbrook Street. To get there, from State Street turn north on North Horseshoe Bend Road. Go 2 miles. There are six or seven interconnecting trails up there.

6. Eagle Island State Park. Take U.S. 20/26 to Linder Road, turn south and follow signs to park. It’s off Hatchery Road, west of Eagle. There are more than 5 miles of trails.

Sources: Richard Marks, co-owner of Athlete’s Foot in Eagle, and Mike Cole, co-owner of Studio E2 in Eagle.

West Boise area

1. Start at the West Family YMCA and Boise City Aquatic Center and take Cloverdale Road to Hickory subdivision. Pick up Hewlett-Packard trail and take it to Five Mile Road. Take Five Mile to McMillan Road to Cloverdale to the YMCA.

2. Go from the West YMCA to Cloverdale Road, down Joplin Road to the intersection with Chinden Boulevard. Cross Chinden to Garrett Street and take Garrett to McMillan to Cloverdale and back to the YMCA. You can stretch this out by running down the private lane to the Boise waste water treatment plant.

3. Laps around Discovery Park behind the West YMCA.

4. Loop through wetlands at McMillan and Maple Grove roads. Lots of waterfowl and dirt trails are here. Three laps is a pretty good workout.

5. From the West YMCA go to McMillan, from McMillan to Maple Grove to Goddard Road, and Goddard to Capital High School for laps on the track.

6. Laps at Settlers Park (in the Meridian area). There is usually a lot of activity there, so there’s plenty to watch!

7. Improvements along Five Mile have made this a better place for runners and cyclists.

8. It is always great to access the Greenbelt!

9. The best place, if it weren’t trespassing, would be to run along the New York Canal. There’s no traffic, and there’s dirt to run on. It’s perfect.

Source: David Duro, president and chief operating officer, Treasure Valley Family YMCA

Canyon County
1. Celebration Park, 5000 Victory Lane, Melba, along the Snake River, includes a petroglyph tour and historic Guffey Bridge, initially built in 1897 and renovated for non-motorized access to primitive trails on the south side of the river. Call 495-2745.
2. Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge. Hike the half mile nature trail at the visitors center. Hike or bicycle on roads and trails on the north, east or south sides. The watery oasis, which includes Lake Lowell, is a breeding area for birds and mammals. Call 467-927 for information.
3. Indian Creek Trail. Park along Taylor Street in Nampa. From there, head east or west. The developed trail is just over 1 mile long.
4. Rails to Trails. The trail stretches from East Iowa Avenue in Nampa to about one-half mile south of East Locus Lane. Park by Maple Wood Park, which is off Greenhurst Road.
5. The Wilson Greenway Trail is more than 3 miles long. Access is on Sunnyridge Road just north of the Stoneyridge Subdivision in Nampa. Parking is sparse so it may be necessary to park off the road or by Wilson Creek Park. The trail ends shortly past Roosevelt Avenue.
6. Whittenberger Park, Caldwell, on the corner of Chicago Street and Centennial Drive, includes part of the Oregon Trail Centennial Greenway, 3.2 miles of paved greenbelt along the Boise River.
7. Griffiths Park, at Griffiths Parkway off East Linden Street, Caldwell, has walking paths.
8. Brother's Park, at the corner of Indiana Street and Ustick Road, Caldwell, includes walking paths.
9. Curtis Park, on Channel Road off River Road in Caldwell, includes a wilderness park along the Boise River, with wildlife and nature trail.
Sources: Nampa Department of Recreation, Caldwell Recreation Department, Canyon County Parks, Recreation and Waterways, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.