By Mariah Cannon
Mores Mountain is without a doubt one of the best hikes near Boise! It’s short, family and dog friendly, has amazing views, and depending on the time of year you go; it’s incredibly abundant with wildflowers or fall foliage! This was actually my first hike I did as an Idaho resident, so it holds a little sentimental value for me and Maverick!
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Remember: To always bring your 10 Essentials to prepare for any emergencies you might encounter while hiking and leave no trace!
Where is Mores Mountain?
Located just North of a popular ski lodge – Bogus Basin – in the Boise National Forest -it sits at 7,237 feet and has views of the surrounding Sawtooth and trinity mountains, along with the whole Treasure Valley and the Owyhees and Oregon’s Blue Mountains.
From Boise, start up N Bogus Basin Road and follow it up the windy narrow road for 19 miles and then turn right onto forest road 134EE and continue up for 1.3 miles before taking a sharp left to continue on this forest road. In 0.1 of a mile, you’ll see the campground, picnic area, and parking lot for Mores Mountain Trailhead.
You will need to pay a day use fee of $5, so be sure to carry cash with you!
Things to Know Before You go
- As I mentioned above, it is a fee area – so bring $5 in cash with you! There is not a card fee station at this trailhead.
- Be bear aware – it is not uncommon to find black bears along with many other territorial or predatory animals along this trail. Bring bear spray and make noise so you don’t spook any resting wildlife.
- Dogs must remain on leash! Which also means you need to pack out their waste, don’t be that person that leaves a trace!
- During Summer, this can be a particularly busy trail and since the parking area isn’t huge (max 15 cars) it can be crowded. Definitely go early in the morning or later for sunset.
Best Time to Visit the Trail
I have visited this trail in both late Summer and Fall time and both were beautiful! During late June-mid August, there’s an abundance of Lupine, Indian paintbrush, and other wildflowers.
During mid September-mid October, the Fall foliage is popping! You’ll get golden yellow from the Aspen trees and a mix of reds and oranges from left over foliage and mixed in trees.
As far as time of day, I highly recommend early morning or late afternoon to catch the golden hours of the day. This trail is quite popular due to its easier climb for epic views and its proximity to Boise.
Although during any season and time of day, it will be absolutely beautiful. I would love to do this one as a snowshoe eventually!
Hiking Mores Mountain
Distance: 2.1 miles
Elevation: 508 miles
Hike Type: Loop
Difficulty: Moderate
I have gone both left and right sides of the loop up the mountain and the left side is much more steep and rocky versus the right side up the mountain is more of a gradual incline with less rocky/rugged ground and views – it’s more desert(y). If you have knee problems or trouble with going down steep rocky sections, I would definitely go up the left. If you want the less intense way to go up, go up the right side. So pick whichever way sounds better to you, you can’t go wrong either way!
Enjoy this guide to hiking Mores Mountain? Be sure to save it for future adventures!
Let’s Get Adventuring!
Mariah 🙂
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