Backyard Boise Trips: Owyhee Wilderness

I wear my love for Boise on my sleeve. I love the city, the culture, and the geographic setting of southwest Idaho. 5 years after moving to Boise, I am a little surprised by that last point. Similarly, I am surprised with how frequently we are still stumbling onto new beautiful areas to explore within an hour of our house that I was previously unaware of.

When we first came down from Seattle to assess whether Boise could be out future home, I had visions of a beautiful mountain city. However, my first thought when we pulled onto the “Connector” en route to downtown Boise, was that everything was so brown. I have learned to find Boise to be an attractive city, but it is not anywhere near as obviously stunning as Seattle, San Francisco, Portland, or many other Pacific Northwest Cities. My bias against the high desert setting of southwest Idaho led me to focus my in-state travel on visiting the areas surrounding McCall and Stanley. You know, where the real mountains are.

Over the years, the need to find places to make a last-minute day trip from Boise have forced me to search locally in search of hikes and areas to photograph. That search has entirely shifted my view on the beauty of the Treasure Valley. I have seen some of the most spectacular sunsets from the top of Bogus Basin. One of my favorite dirt roads to explore juts straight out the back of town. Lucky Peak reservoir is a blast to take my boat out on. My favorite area to explore within an hour of town, however, is the Owyhee Wilderness.

The Owyhee Wilderness, or “the Owyhees,” are a gargantuan unexplored wilderness region with towering mountains and cavernous canyons. The Owyhees occupy large swaths of southeast Oregon, southern Idaho, and northern Nevada. I have taken quite a few trips into different access points of the Owyhees. However, I did not realize that there were access points so close to Boise as this one!

Last month, a local photographer friend, Brad, suggested that we check out this area. We cruised out on a Sunday evening, and after meandering through farm country, we took a road that passed by several trail access points. Brad found a dirt road that came to an end atop a cliff that looks out on a desert canyon.

This day trip was an additional reminder of how special of a place southwest Idaho is in its own right, and that every day trip does not need to be an all-day trip to see something spectacular.