Recreation

Recreation

Hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing are great ways to explore the forest's roads and trails. Visitors are encouraged to explore trails at the Upper Hatter, Hemlock, Basalt Hill, and Big Meadow Creek Special Management Areas (SMAs), as well as a network of smaller SMA parcels with unique conservation value that support research and teaching throughout the UIEF. We welcome any and all who would like to spend some time in the woods. Please follow signs or contact the Experimental Forest Manager to make sure you do not interrupt research activities.

No motorized recreational access of any kind is permitted on the Experimental Forest. No target shooting is permitted. All hunting on the Experimental Forest requires a no-cost permit. Permits and more information can be obtained by emailing Experimental Forest Administrative Assistant Axel Wall at cnr-uief@uidaho.edu (for hunting permits) .

Because of their small size and heavy recreational use, hunting is not allowed at the Roger Guernsey Outdoor Classroom (Pinestia), Blodgett Outdoor Classroom, or Big Meadow Creek recreational area.

Cross-County Skiing

Grooming of cross-country ski trails on the Flat Creek unit of the UIEF is again being done by students in winter 2024-2025! To ski on the UIEF, please complete the Cross-Country Skiing Permit form. Grooming is made possible by your generous support. Please make a donation when filling out the form. You can also download a trail map for the Flat Creek unit that is compatible with Avenza Maps phone app.