Boise shines in summertime 

BOISE, Idaho (CN) — The sun was getting low as local band Menagerie took to the stage at Julius M. Kleiner Memorial Park west of the city.

From the park’s outdoor amphitheater, they began a spirited rendition of dance hits. A crowd of a couple hundred watched on, singing and dancing along or just lounging in the shade of tall trees. The entire scene was bordered by food trucks — a modern-day circling of the wagons, if ever there was one.

No major news broke at Kleiner Park that night. It was just a typical, peaceful weekend summer evening — and for many in Boise, that alone is something worth writing about.

“This is the kind of thing we wait all year for around here,” local resident Alex Martinez said as he sat in the grass waiting for a friend to return with food and drinks. “To enjoy the outside and the people: That’s the summer for you. What’s not to love about that?”

Nature is branded into Idaho’s identity. It must be a compelling pitch, as the state regularly ranks among the fastest-growing in the country.

The outdoorsy lifestyle is a big draw for many who move here. And while months of cold offer plenty of snow-based activities, it might be summer when the Gem State really shines.

Sara Ward, another resident enjoying the evening at Klein Park, said it was days like this that convinced her to move to Boise.

“Summer is actually really important to me,” she said. “My husband and I actually moved here from California a couple years ago, if you can forgive that.”

Ward laughed and rolled her eyes, well aware of the teasing that California transplants get here.

“We wanted somewhere quieter with lots of nature,” she said. “We really feel that during this time of year, when everyone is outside and loving life.”

Evenings in the park are only the start of it. The Boise River runs through the city’s center. When things get really hot (as a high-desert city, Boise summer temperatures regularly top 90 degrees), residents of all ages head for its wooded banks to swim or tube. In a typical year, the official floating season runs from around June to September, when river flows get high enough for recreation.

When Courthouse News visited, temperatures were creeping into the 100s. “It’s hot as hell,” resident Coop Murphy said as he finished a trek down to the water. “When you’re out on the river, you forget about heat after a while and wish you never had to leave.”

“I live, like, 10 minutes from here, and to think I can go from home to the river in a city like this is the best,” Murphy added. “You can’t get that everywhere, and I think people around here are super grateful for it, especially during the summer months.”

Still, as the heat sets in in Boise, there are inevitably some residents who wish summer would get a move on.

“Summer is great until you’re sunburnt,” Liz Henderson said as she lounged in the shade near the riverbank. Asked for her thoughts on the city, she said: “Come back and ask me again in six months, when all this is covered in snow and Christmas lights.”

All of this is still just scratching the surface. Boise is surrounded by mountains, and hiking opportunities beckon all around.

Sitting just outside the city and part of the Rocky Mountains, the Boise Foothills offer nearly 200 miles of trails spread over more than 80,000 acres. Sadly, day trips including this reporter’s have recently been disrupted by the Claremont Fire. At press time, it has burned more than 6,500 acres and is 85% contained. Thankfully, no lives have been lost.

Another mountain destination — and one just a mile or two from downtown — is Camel’s Back Park. Officially opened in the 1960s but acquired decades before that, it offers visitors a launching point into the larger 63-acre Camel’s Back Reserve.

For better or worse, Camel’s Back gets far less crowded than the Boise River on hot summer days.

It still has its devotees. Resident Walter Marcus, said he regularly walks Camel’s Back with his Labrador retriever, Boot. The park, which offers views of the downtown skyline, reminded him of the city’s core DNA as a rustic town in the shadow of the Rockies.

“You have to remember: Before Boise got to the size it is now, before all the expansion and the traffic and the Californians, this was mostly all Boise was,” he said as he stood atop Camel’s Back Hill. “Outdoors and foothills and stuff you can only find in nature. That’s the foundation for all this.”

Like much of Idaho, Boise is booming. The population here has exploded from the 30,000s in the 1950s and ’60s to more than 235,000 in the latest census. Looking out over the city’s expanse, it was clear its charms had worked on Marcus. “I’ve seen lots of beautiful places in this country,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade Boise in the summertime for any of them.”

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