USDA Forest Service Celebrating Wildflowers
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Intermountain Region Viewing AreaLOCATION and PHOTOS
Mores Mountain (Shafer Butte Recreation Area) Viewing AreaForest: Boise National Forest District: Mountain Home Ranger District Description: Mores Mountain, located 20 miles north of Boise at 6,600 feet elevation, is a perfect destination for hiking, biking, camping, and picnics in a scenic mountain setting. Here, visitors will see an abundance of wildflowers that become an artist’s palette of color from mid-June through August. Black bears, mountain lions, elk, deer, and numerous birds and butterflies also call this area home. An interpretive brochure is available for the 1-mile long Mores Mountain Nature Trail. The 2-mile “Mores Mountain Nature Trail Extension” completely encircles Mores Mountain. The trail takes walkers past expansive views including the Sawtooth Mountains to the east and Oregon’s Blue Mountains to the west. A 1.5-mile mountain bike trail also begins at the trailhead. Viewing Information: The hiking trails at Mores Mountain wind through old-growth forests dominated by Douglas-fir and Ponderosa pine, and traverse lush meadows of wildflowers including sticky cinquefoil, scarlet gilia, sulphur buckwheat, lupine, and several species of penstemon. Where the trail skirts near the top of Mores Mountain, a large subalpine meadow filled with blue and purple lupine flowers presents a dazzling display of color in mid-summer. The Mores Mountain area is one of the closest forest getaways to Boise. Day-use fee for the picnic area and trailhead is $4. There are also 7 campsites at Shafer Butte (reservations 1-877-444-6777). Vehicle access to the Mores Mountain trailhead is generally permitted from June to October, depending on weather and snow conditions. In winter, the road from Bogus Basin’s Nordic Center to the Shafer Butte recreation area is groomed for Nordic skiing and snowshoeing, and is not accessible to vehicles or snowmobiles. Safety First: Hiking at Mores Mountain is not recommended during thunderstorms due to the possibility of lightning strikes. A jacket and hiking boots are recommended. Hypothermia can be a hazard throughout the year. Walking or bicycling off trails or cutting switchbacks causes damage to the soils and vegetation. Please stay on established trails and walkways. Directions: From Boise, drive up Bogus Basin Road 16 miles to the Bogus Basin ski area. Keep going through the parking lot to the Frontier Point Recreation Center (also known as the Bogus Basin Nordic Center). Continue out on the dirt road for 3 miles to a junction. Turn right at the junction and proceed about 1 mile to the Shafer Butte picnic area/campground. The Mores Mountain trailhead is near the entrance to the campground. Ownership and Management: USDA Forest Service, Boise National Forest; Mountain Home Ranger District (208-587-7961). Closest Town: Boise, Idaho. |
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U.S. Forest Service
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Location: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/regions/intermountain/MoresMountain/index.shtml
Last modified: Tuesday, 24-Jun-2008 21:56:11 EDT