Trail Spotlight: Rainbow Basin Trail

11. September 2023 · Comments Off on Trail Spotlight: Rainbow Basin Trail · Categories: Public Lands, Ride Ideas


Our Trail Spotlight highlights day trips to multi-day hikes across Idaho. Trail conditions can change quickly- swollen rivers can become impassable, windstorms can knock trees down across trails, and snow can come earlier than expected. Please take these recommendations as a jumping off place and do additional research to understand current conditions and keep yourself safe if you choose to hike this trail. Physical guidebooks and maps are always good to have or check out some online resources like Alltrails.com for updated trail reports. If your trip is as awesome as you hope it will be, please share photos and feedback!

Recommended by: Kelly Hewes, ITA Communications Director

Duration: Day hike or multi-day backpacking

Area: Boise National Forest

Difficulty Rating: 3 out of 5- The trail is 4.4 miles in total not counting the the spurs to the lakes. A few steep climbs, with 1,600 total elevation gain over the four miles.

Road Considerations: This area is inaccessible until early July due to snow. Google maps is known to send people on a route that is more difficult than the more recommended route through Featherville, directions listed below. This way takes about 2.25 miles from Mountain Home. A standard passenger car is fine on this route. Cell coverage is spotty so plan to use offline maps for navigation. 

  1. From Boise, Idaho, travel 40 miles toward Mountain Home, Idaho.
  2. At Mountain Home, take exit 95, (State Highway 20) and proceed 35 miles to the Pine/Featherville turnoff.
  3. Travel north on Forest Highway 61 for 29 miles to Forest Service (FS) road 172.
  4. Proceed 15 miles northwest to FS road 129. Travel 3 miles south to the Trinity Recreation Area.
  5. The trailhead is at Big Trinity Lake Campground.

Total hiking miles: 8.8 miles out and back not counting the spurs to the lakes which would add on another four miles bringing the total to 12.8 to go to all nine lakes on the trail.

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Volunteer Spotlight: Dan and Marja Waugh – BCHI

11. September 2023 · Comments Off on Volunteer Spotlight: Dan and Marja Waugh – BCHI · Categories: Around The Campfire, BCHI /BCHA, Public Lands

Dan and Marja are Backcountry Horseman of Idaho volunteers who pack gear and supplies for ITA projects as well as other groups doing trail work in the Wilderness. We applaud their enthusiasm for protecting and maintaining Idaho’s trails and volunteering for seven pack trips across Idaho in 2023 alone! For our backcountry projects, their packing services are key to reaching remote places and getting the work done. Projects are always more fun when greeted by Dan and Marja’s smiles, treats at the trailhead, and getting to take selfies with their burro, Pedro!

“Our lands and trails in Idaho, especially non-motorized trails are quickly fading away at an alarming rate. Groups and even state and federal land managers can’t keep pace with maintaining our trails. We have to change our mindset and work with those managers to find unique and new ways to manage resources and improve our trails.”- Dan Waugh

Read their full Volunteer Spotlight here!

ITA named finalist in national contest!

As our 2023 trail season is slowly winding down, we are full of thanks for our volunteers, members, and supporters who have made this season an awesome one for trails and public lands! We still have a few projects left as well as some great events coming up:

  • ITA has been named as one of five nonprofit finalists in the Land Rover Defender Service Awards and has the chance to win a customized Land Rover and $25,000! But we need your help to win. See below for more details.

ITA has been named as one of five nonprofit finalists in the Land Rover Defender Service Awards and has the chance to win a customized Land Rover and $25,000! A large four wheel drive like this would be instrumental in allowing more volunteers (especially youth) to participate in projects requiring a high-clearance vehicle. Transportation to remote trailheads on rough roads has become a challenge as ITA grows and volunteers don’t always have their own four-wheel drive vehicle. Our goal is to make it possible for anyone to be part of a project, no matter how rough the road to the trailhead! The contest winner will be determined by public vote starting this Friday, September 15 and going through October 4 and we need your help to win. You can vote once per day and we need as many people as possible voting every single day! You can opt into this email reminder by clicking the button below or replying “opt in” to this email. Thank you for helping us win this awesome contest.