I love to hike with my puppy after work, but I don't have time to go very far afield on weekday afternoons. Thankfully there are many wonderful trails nearby, making it easy to go for a hike even when you only have a limited amount of time. Below is a list of ten hikes within half an hour of Moscow, Idaho!
(All time estimates are from Friendship Square in downtown Moscow, ID.)
1) Arboretum and Botanical Garden (4 minutes)
Though it may be a stretch to call the walk through the University of Idaho's Arboretum a hike, this is a wonderful place right in town to stretch your legs and see some beautiful landscape. You can either park in the lot on Palouse River Drive or along Nez Perce Street, across from the water tower. If you walk all of the paths, including the ones up the hill toward the golf course, this can honestly be a pretty decent workout. Sadly, though, no pets allowed.
2) Headwaters Trail (11 minutes)
The loop itself is 5 miles, but the walk from the Headwaters Trailhead, down the road and around the gate, and then along an old logging road to the beginning of the trail itself, adds about 1.5 miles. This trail has been well marked by the Moscow Area Mountain Bike Association (MAMBA) and is easy to follow. It winds through thick forest, across ditches and streams, all the while climbing up the mountain in long, gradual switchbacks. While there are no outlooks per se, you do get several wonderful glimpses of the Palouse through the trees. And right now the forest is looking particularly dazzling with all the golden tamaracks!
3) Virgil Phillips Farm (12 minutes)
This is my go-to spot for a quick and easy afternoon hike. The 160-acre park has several miles of trails, through forest and meadow. In the fall you can munch apples and plums from the old orchard, and in spring you can hunt for turtles and frogs in the two ponds.
4) Robinson Park (14 minutes)
Though the trail is a short one, this is a great spot to go if you’d like to wander in the large, open meadows or explore along the streams. It also has a bathroom and playground, so it’s a nice place to take kids.
5) Idler's Rest (15 minutes)
I love to lie on my back in this nature preserve and watch the cedar trees sway far overhead as they creak and sigh, the wind whistling through the forest. Walk the loop (just over a mile) and you’ll pass from the cedar grove into a stand of Douglas fir, thick vegetation growing beneath.
6) Gnat Creek Parking Area - Moscow Mt. (17 minutes)
Follow Google Map directions for Gnat Creek Winter Parking Area, then continue up the road for about one minute until you come to a parking area on your right. There is an entire network of trails accessible from this spot, though some are a long hike away. Gemini is the closest: follow the road until you come to a trail on your right, then dip into the forest and continue on the path that takes you over multiple bridges, around large boulders, and in a circuitous path up a portion of the mountain.
Because there are so many trails, it’s best to have a map for hiking in this area. Check out MAMBA’s website or get the Trailforks app. The free version allows you to download one region, so you can have access to a map of the entire Moscow Mountain trail system without paying for a premium subscription.
7) Spring Valley Reservoir (26 minutes)
Just beyond Troy, Idaho, tucked into an evergreen forest at the end of a long, winding road, is Spring Valley Reservoir. With many docks, an approximately 2-mile loop trail, campsites, and, of course, water, this is a great place to fish, hike, camp, and swim. It’s accessible year-round and, once the lake is frozen solid, you can walk straight across. Just watch out for all the holes where people have been ice fishing!
8) Kamiak Butte (26 minutes)
If you don’t mind sharing the path with other people, Kamiak’s Pine Ridge Trail is a popular and well-maintained 3.5 mile loop that provides good views of the Palouse and is steep enough to be a great glute and quad workout.
9) Tamarack to Moscow Mt. Cedar Grove (30 minutes)
When you step into this old growth cedar grove on the east side of Moscow Mountain, it feels like walking into a fairy forest. The silence is absolute and the ancient trees give you a humbling sense of smallness. Reaching this serene spot is a little tricky, though. You can drive straight to it if you take the northern route through Viola, but the road is quite sketchy. It's honestly something of a miracle that we didn't get stuck doing it in our little Honda Civic this past Sunday. And we ended up with a flat tire later that evening... Coincidence? Probably not.
I suggest parking at the Tamarack Rd. Parking Area and walking up the road, which is basically undrivable and is gated off most of the time anyway. This adds 1.8 miles each way—perfect if you’re looking for a hike (the path through the grove itself is just a short stroll). At the second fork as you’re walking up the mountain, keep right to stay on Moscow Mt. Rd. The cedar grove parking area will be on your right, with the trailhead just beyond. Follow the path through the forest and into the quiet of these beautiful old trees.
10) Tamarack to East Moscow Mt. Peak (30 minutes)
Throughout college, this was the spot I thought of as The Mountain. The road was better maintained then (or maybe we were just more reckless) and my friends and I drove to the peak regularly. Since then I’ve come to love many other places along the Palouse Range, but this overlook still has a special place in my heart.
Follow the above directions for the cedar grove, but go LEFT at that second fork. It’s two miles from the parking area to the peak, where you can sit on the rocks and look out over miles and miles of Palouse. Try to spot the Kibbie Dome to the west and the silvery waters of Spring Valley Reservoir to the east! And if you go exploring up there, you just might find a cave…but you didn’t hear it from me.
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In these last days before the snow settles in and the mountain roads close for winter, I hope you are able to find time to wander amongst the ancient cedars in the mountain grove or at Idler's Rest, to bite into an apple picked at Virgil Phillips, or to circle the reservoir before the geese fly south.