Bogus Basin - Boise, ID
Drive
Bogus Basin is around 20 miles northeast from Boise, ID. It is through a small, 2-way-road mountain pass, and it takes around 40 minutes (depending on snow and traffic) to arrive in the parking lot. Quaint, secluded, and beautiful, this is a hidden gem for alpine + nordic skiing, snowboarding, tubing, and fat tire biking.
Where to Stay
Bogus Basin has no overnight lodging of their own, but they have partnership with Pioneer Condominiums, with ski in/ski out access to the lodge. There are also several privately owned rentals available, mostly through Airbnb. We opted to stay at a hotel in downtown Boise as it was a lower cost, we weren’t bringing our own ski gear to make the ski in/out access worth it for us, and we had more restaurant access for a night out before the slopes. We opted for the Anniversary Inn, which was a great unique stay for our celebration. For family friendly stays downtown, I would recommend the Grove Hotel or the Riverside Hotel.
Parking
Okay, this was the hardest part of the trip. The parking situation on Bogus is very challenging. There are several parking lots but they get increasingly further from the mountain + lodge, and since they are uniquely shaped, many spaces were double parked.
Lodge Store
We purchased socks for Jeremy since we forgot long socks for him, and a face cover for me since my scarf was not working with me. As expected, higher prices for being in the lodge, but not beyond expectation. Decent selection but not a large store.
Simplot Lodge Restaurants + Amenities
The Simplot lodge is small but workable. The in-lodge restaurant, Bogus Creek Grill, is all American, simple classic foods at a very affordable price. Plenty of variety, including fresh fruits + yogurt, which was a welcome surprise post skiing. There is a separate bar area, JR’s T-Bar, inside the lodge with additional adult seating. There is also Double R Ranch BBQ Smokehouse just outside the Simplot lodge. We did not eat here but it smelled amazing.
Skiing
Jeremy and I went skiing for our anniversary here. I had never been before so we paid for beginner passes. We rented all the gear from their rental office as well and it was incredibly affordable skiing, especially for the beginners we are. The beginner hill is well set up for getting one’s bearings for any age, including children. There are private and group lessons available for all ages, and also there is a complementary group lesson with a beginner pass (see schedule on their website).
