Boise Greenbelt
Ester Simplot Park
When I first learned about Boise, Idaho, I wanted to know if there were any good running trails and areas that were popular for local runners. Pretty quickly I came across the Boise Greenbelt, a 25-mile path along the Boise River. It was one thing to read about it and an entirely different experience to run it!
Quinns Pond
My first outing on the Boise Greenbelt led me west of Boise along Quinns Pond and Ester Simplot Park. It was early morning and I was fascinated by the amount of traffic on this path. From commuter bikes to recreational riders, walkers and joggers, college running groups and dog walkers. Just about everyone seemed to be out getting in their exercise before work or simply traveling to work.
Not only was I impressed by the number of people on the trail but the beauty of it as well. The rush of the Boise River alongside you, the canopy of beautiful green trees that covers much of the path in this area, the magnificent sunrise over Quinn’s Pond while the spring flowers slowly opened and awoke for the day. It was breathtaking.
Deer crossing my path
Wildlife on the Greenbelt
Future runs and exploration along different areas of the Greenbelt throughout Boise have always led to amazing discoveries. In the heart of Downtown, I have come across Big-Horned Owls and River Otters. Just east of Boise State University I stopped as a family of three deer were munching on some plants then hopped right in front of my path.
The thing about the Boise Greenbelt is it truly runs right through the middle of the City of Boise, yet there are areas you feel like you’re all alone in the middle of some remarkable secret place no one knows about. The solitude, the scenery and the sound of the river are enough to bring a runner like me back time and time again, always looking for something new and different to discover.
