With more than 200 miles of trails surrounding the city, it’s no exaggeration to say that Boise is a haven for hikers. It’s also a great way for families to explore the rugged beauty of our high-desert ecosystem. Below, we highlight some of the best trails in and around Boise, from easy paths that double as great nature walks for kids, to challenging day hikes. All you’ll need to pack is your sense of adventure, sunscreen, and plenty of water.

Mountain Cove

Difficulty: Easy
Length: 2 miles, 175’ elevation gain
Estimated time: 20 minutes (location)

Mountain Cove is the most accessible trail in the Military Reserve trail complex, which is located in Boise’s East End neighborhood. The mostly flat trail parallels a creek and culminates in a

Home prices in the Treasure Valley continue to break new records. No better example of that is Ada County, where home prices have hit a median of $400,000 for the first time in August. This represents a 12.7% increase in price over the previous year. It also means home prices have officially doubled in Ada County since late 2013.

Ada County is not an outlier – Canyon County and the cities of Boise, Meridian and Nampa all set new record sales prices last month. For instance, Boise’s price hit $379,900, beating last year’s median sales price of $337,767. In Canyon County, the median sales price hit $309,900 in August, whereas last year it was $250,000 – that’s a nearly $60,000 increase in one year.

To further put record price in perspective, homes

The story of Boise's Harrison Boulevard has been in the making for more than 100 years.

Imagine being part of a city’s living history – taking tea in the same sunroom once used by one of Idaho’s first governors, or cooking in the same kitchen where J.R. Simplot may have had a billion-dollar epiphany about flash freezing Idaho potatoes, or walking your kids to school down a road that was once lined with the tracks of Boise’s electric trolley car.

Living on the stately, tree-lined street of Harrison Boulevard in the North End is as close as you can get to stepping back in time to Boise’s early days as a fledgling city. When viewing its eclectic homes, most of which were built between 1901 and 1942, you might not guess that the street was Boise’s

If you’re shopping for a home in the Boise area, you already know your decision hinges on a lot more than updated appliances or square footage; you’re vetting more than just four walls to sleep in.

You’re also examining how the particular neighborhood, community, and school district fits your family’s needs, and that’s a bigger task than taking a quick home tour. When you choose a new home, you’re also selecting a broader community to be a part of, including your child’s future school. If you plan to stay in an area for several years, you could be determining their access to every school they’ll attend throughout their K-12 education.

This means home shopping is also school shopping, and it’s time to do some homework. As with looking for a new

For decades, Boise and the surrounding suburbs were the Northwest's best-kept secret, however, with the area's population growth projected to hit one million residents by 2040, it's clear the secret is out. Whether you crave expansive desert solitude, big-city bustle, tranquil farmlands, sleepy suburbs, or rolling foothills, there's a home in Boise, or a nearby suburb, waiting for you.

The Boise metro area, also known as the Treasure Valley, includes small towns and big cities. Each offers unique strengths and vastly different housing options (and prices). Whether you're relocating from another state or considering a local move, the biggest question on your plate is likely, "where is the best place to live in the Boise area for me?"

You're in

A family-friendly guide to the City of Trees.

Boise may have a national reputation as an outdoor recreation city with a flourishing craft brewery scene, in other words, an adult's paradise. As you probably already know, it's also one of the best places to raise a family. Kid-friendly trails, acres of parks, and a healthy array of science centers and museums designed to spark curiosity and inspire young minds are just a few of the reasons families plant roots in the Treasure Valley.

And it must be said: one of the best ways to explore a city is through a child's eyes. So whether you're a Boise native or just visiting for the weekend, we've compiled a list of the best activities for families with kids, as recommended by the locals who love them.

July brought continued great news for home sellers in the Treasure Valley: record-high home prices in both Ada and Canyon Counties, combined with record-low inventory, is making home buying in these markets more competitive than your favorite extreme sport.

While we are seeing the strongest seller’s market ever recorded in the Treasure Valley, there is a silver lining for home buyers. Thirty-year mortgage rates continue to hit new lows, most recently 2.88%, offsetting some of the record high selling prices we’re seeing.

Let’s take a closer look at the numbers before we jump into what is driving this current market:

• The biggest gains we’re seeing is in Canyon County, which hit a median sales price of $300,000 for the first time ever,

From the remote desert of the Owyhee Mountains, to expanding vineyards and family-run farms, to bustling metropolitan areas ringed by national forest, there is no other place in Idaho – or perhaps even the Northwest – that contains the diversity of the Treasure Valley.

In addition, job opportunities are plentiful, housing prices are reasonable, and national rankings show everyone from millennials to retirees think it’s a desirable area to live. So it’s no surprise that the Treasure Valley, also called the Boise Metro Area, is currently consistently ranked as one of the fastest-growing in the nation.

But all that diversity can sometimes cause confusion. For instance, what exactly do we mean when we’re speaking of the Treasure Valley? Is the

Buying a foreclosure can be an excellent opportunity to save money on a new property purchase. The key is to do your homework and go in with your eyes open.

In most parts of the country, home prices seemingly increase by the month. Despite the fact that there are fewer Boise foreclosures for sale today than there have been in the past few years, there is still very strong interest from buyers considering buying a foreclosure. With the potential to save some hard-earned money, it probably doesn’t come as a surprise.

So what exactly is a foreclosure and how do they work? When different people mention foreclosures, they are not always referring to the same type of foreclosure. Let’s review the five main types of foreclosures, how they differ, and

New listings took a nosedive across the Treasure Valley in June, driving home prices up and setting new sales records in Boise, Ada County, and Canyon County.

Despite the continuing pandemic, demand for homes has not lessened – it has grown – as sellers postponing listings, and new construction delays are now compounding an already critical lack of supply in the valley.

To get a better idea of just how sudden and dramatic the change was, let’s look at the numbers:

• In Ada County, available listings plunged from 1,353 in May to 985 in June – a more than 27% drop. When compared with last year’s available listings (1,715), we see a 42.6% decline. For context, we haven’t seen so few listings on the market in any June since the ‘90s housing