Why Boise Needs Trails Like Sideshow

The newest trail in the Boise foothills, Sideshow, is officially open, and if you’ve spent more than five minutes online lately, you’ve probably seen the complaining. The complaints were loud, overly simplistic, and miss the bigger picture.

I'd like to address the bigger picture in this blog post and encourage you to go ride the trail for yourself! It's a great addition to the network and one that the mountain biking community has been asking for, and R2R actually built it!

Yes, Sideshow is a mellow blue square trail, it's not Pick Your Poison. It’s smooth, directional, and beginner-friendly. But instead of seeing that as a flaw, we should be celebrating it as progress. We've waited years for a trail like this, and we were often told it would never happen here! But it has and Sideshow is a good trail!

Boise’s trail network has long lacked trails that help new riders progress with confidence. For years, the leap from Bucktail to more advanced riding has been steep, both literally and figuratively. Sideshow fills that gap in the Boise foothills. It’s our first professionally built, MTB-only, downhill trail that’s built to help riders progress. That alone makes it worth celebrating.

But the negativity surrounding this trail has exposed something else. As a community we are not always great at seeing the big picture. Some in the community seem to believe that if a trail isn’t tailor-made for their personal skill level or riding style, it has no value. That mindset is short-sighted and, frankly, harmful to progress.

We can’t build a better trail system if we are unwilling to support the foundation.

Sideshow is a trail that opens the door for more directional trails in the future, including the technical, jumpy, and advanced trails that many riders say they want. But those things don’t come without trust, momentum, and demonstrated success. Trail builders, land managers, and city planners are watching how this trail is received. If we tear it down without context or understanding, we risk stalling that progress entirely.

If we want more trails, better trails, more MTB-only trails, we need to be a community worth building for. That means showing up, riding what we have, giving feedback that’s constructive, and supporting the efforts that move us forward, even if they weren’t built just for us.

Sideshow isn’t perfect. But it’s a start. And a pretty damn good one at that!

Let’s stop dragging it, start riding it, and keep pushing for the kind of trail system Boise deserves. One that includes everyone, from brand-new riders to seasoned rippers. Boise's MTB scene is growing and this trail is proof that the City and Trail management is aware and doing something about it!

This trail isn’t the end goal. It’s step one. And I am thankful we've taken it! Thank you to the City of Boise, Ridge to Rivers and Integrated Trail LAB! The community has long asked for a trail like this and we now have it!

Forever Two Wheels!

-Myles

Here is GoPro footage from 8th Street road over to Sideshow and down.