{"id":972,"date":"2026-01-17T19:29:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T20:29:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.missioncommons.com\/?p=972"},"modified":"2026-01-19T09:50:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T09:50:31","slug":"mountain-review-bogus-basin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.missioncommons.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/17\/mountain-review-bogus-basin\/","title":{"rendered":"Mountain Review: Bogus Basin"},"content":{"rendered":"
MOUNTAIN SCORE<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n #7 in the Northern Rockies<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n 67<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n #42 Overall<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n See our criteria<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n 6<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Snow:<\/strong><\/p>\n 6<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Resiliency:<\/strong><\/p>\n 6<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Size:<\/strong><\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Terrain Diversity:<\/strong><\/p>\n 6<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Challenge:<\/strong><\/p>\n 8<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Lifts:<\/strong><\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Crowd Flow:<\/strong><\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Facilities:<\/strong><\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Navigation:<\/strong><\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Mountain Aesthetic:<\/strong><\/p>\n 1-Day Ticket: <\/strong>$59-$89<\/p>\n Pass Affiliation: <\/strong>Powder Alliance<\/p>\n On-site Lodging: <\/strong>Limited<\/p>\n Apr\u00e8s-Ski:<\/strong> Limited<\/p>\n Nearest Cities:<\/strong> Boise (45 mins)<\/p>\n Recommended Ability Level:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Diverse terrain<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Modern lift setup<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Affordability<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Expansive night skiing operation<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Most difficult runs are south-facing<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Busy weekends and holidays due to proximity to Boise<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Smaller than advertised<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Skiable Footprint: <\/strong>1,733<\/a>\u00a0acres<\/p>\n Total Footprint: <\/strong>2,600<\/a>\u00a0acres<\/p>\n Lift-Serviced Terrain: <\/strong>100%<\/p>\n Top Elevation: <\/strong>7,572 ft<\/p>\n Vertical Drop: <\/strong>1,794 ft<\/p>\n Lifts:<\/strong> 10<\/p>\n Trails: <\/strong>90<\/p>\n Beginner: <\/strong>11%<\/p>\n Intermediate:<\/strong> 59%<\/p>\n Advanced\/Expert: <\/strong>30%<\/p>\n Located under an hour from Idaho\u2019s capital city of Boise, Bogus Basin has flown under the national radar for ski areas for a long time. But with a modern lift network, diverse terrain, and a claimed 2600 acres of slopes, should you plan your next vacation to the Gem State?<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Bogus Basin features terrain areas facing multiple aspects around the central Shafer Butte.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Bogus Basin claims a 2600-acre skiable footprint, however, based on our measurement, we only found around 1700 skiable acres. This is still incredibly large for a local hill, but pushes it down a notch on the national stage.<\/p>\n Bogus Basin is generally laid out around Shafer Butte with a few other peaks. There are five general terrain pods, those being: Deer Point, Morning Star, Bitterroot, Superior, and Pine Creek. <\/p>\n Deer Point is the main face you see from the base served by a high-speed quad, with some nice, but busy, blue cruisers, competitive terrain parks, and some steeper groomed black runs. It\u2019s also home to the beginner area, served by a dedicated fixed-grip quad and carpet lift. Morning Star loads right next to Deer Point, and is a high-speed quad that serves an expansive beginner-focused area of green runs and easier blues, with some easy glades between runs. <\/p>\n From the top of Morning Star, you can access Bitterroot, which has some more open blue runs and some ski-in-ski-out lodging and parking. There\u2019s also a connector to the Superior pod, which hosts some of the longest blue and black groomers, some great spaced glades, as well as some of the best snow quality due to its north-facing slopes. <\/p>\n Finally, we get to the Pine Creek pod, which is home to some of the best advanced and expert terrain, and can be accessed from a long cat track from the Deer Point chair, or the Superior pod. Between the tops of the Superior or Pine Creek chairs and the base are expert runs on the Face of Shafer Butte, which are the longest expert runs on the mountain and feature steep, open bowls, but their south facing nature makes for less than ideal snow conditions.<\/p>\n For beginner skiers and riders, Bogus Basin is a great place to learn. There are multiple carpet lifts for first timers, and the Coach quad serves longer beginner runs, though the main green run is a bit narrower than typical beginner hill slopes. The next step up is the Morning Star lift, which provides fast laps on a multitude of green and easier blue groomers, and some more adventurous folks may duck into the trees here for some easier tree skiing, though the south facing slopes here can mean snow cover off-piste may be a bit lean.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Intermediate skiers will have plenty to explore at Bogus Basin, though in comparison to more destination-focused mountains, it\u2019s just not big enough to compete. Every mountain pod hosts blue groomed runs, though the most standout intermediate terrain is found off the Deer Point and Bitterroot chairs. Some intermediate glades and bowl-like runs can also be found in these pods, though options for those aren\u2019t as extensive as for the groomed runs.<\/p>\n Bogus Basin is best for those who are confident on advanced terrain, as just about the whole mountain is skiable for that ability. The Superior and Pine Creek pods are home to the best advanced terrain, including steep, fall line groomers, well spaced glades, and some steep, albeit short, bowl terrain. The Pine Creek terrain is especially interesting due to the multitude of ravines in the area, but if you get in one of those on a deeper snow day it can be a bit tiring to get out.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Bogus Basin has plenty of terrain for advanced skiers and riders.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Experts may be wishing for more at Bogus Basin. The best expert terrain is off the Pine Creek chair and down the south face of Shafer Butte toward the base area. In the Pine Creek pod, some rocky faces and tight trees can test your mettle, but they\u2019re pretty small in the grand scheme of things. The south face of Shafer is the largest expert oriented zone, home to consistently steep, treeless lines and a few rocky outcrops. This area does face directly south, however, and takes at least two lifts with a long catwalk to lap, making it not the best for repeating over and over.<\/p>\n Like many other metro-adjacent ski areas, Bogus Basin hosts a pretty competitive terrain park setup. There are a few places to find a built park, one served by a carpet lift at the base, and the larger park up off the Deer Point chair. Here you\u2019ll find jumps, jibs, rails, and boxes ranging from small to large, and due to the night skiing scene, these become the most popular trails after schools get out.<\/p>\n NOTE: We may receive a small affiliate commission if you click on the below links. All products listed below are unisex.<\/strong><\/p>\n Salomon QST 92<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Recommended all-mountain ski<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n V\u00f6lkl Kendo 88<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Recommended carving ski<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Faction Prodigy 2<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Recommended glade ski<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Black Diamond Helio 95<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Recommended expert\/touring ski<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n For a more locally oriented ski area, Bogus Basin hosts an exceptionally modern lift fleet. All terrain pods except for Bitterroot area are lappable via a high speed lift, making for fast laps across the mountain. In addition, the few fixed grip chairs at Bogus Basin are all less than 5 years old, and are much shorter, taking less than 6 minutes to ride. The one exception is the Showcase double chair, which only runs on busy days to relieve the much more popular Deer Point chair.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Most of Bogus Basin\u2019s terrain pods can be lapped via detachable lifts.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Being the only ski area largely serving the fast-growing Boise metro area, Bogus Basin can get busy on weekends, though a few things make the crowds quite manageable. For one, a long ski day with a large Night Skiing footprint drives many people to show up later in the day. This, combined with a variety of day pass timing options, means while there may be a lot of people over the day, there aren\u2019t too many peaks when crowds become unbearable. The busiest chairs, Morningside and Deer Point, can have lines upwards of ten minutes, but outside of those areas lines are much rarer, even on the busiest days.<\/p>\n Bogus Basin\u2019s base elevation of almost 6,000 ft is comparable to other Idaho areas like Sun Valley, but its location in Idaho\u2019s Rocky Mountains is much more favorable than that popular destination. Snow totals are typically between 200 and 300 inches, which, combined with a snowmaking system that covers many popular trails, makes Bogus Basin a generally consistent bet for snow. Bogus Basin does have a few issues when it comes to snow, however, as its position on and surrounding Shafer Butte means it has terrain facing in every direction, including directly south.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Bogus Basin has views of mountains, valleys, or even the city of Boise depending on what direction you\u2019re facing.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Bogus Basin is easy to get around with just a bit of studying of the map, but some people who don\u2019t like traversing may get a bit annoyed getting to further parts of the mountain. Getting to the Superior or Pine Creek chairs require long traverses, which, while well graded and you can keep your speed up, can be frustrating. Getting back from these areas is a bit more direct, but if you\u2019re lapping on the back side and need to stop in at the base lodge, it can turn into a somewhat lengthy endeavor. On the other hand, one positive of the lift set up is that traversing is generally not necessary when lapping the terrain served by the lift, so once you\u2019re on the side of the mountain you want to be on, you can make a ton of laps.<\/p>\n Bogus Basin hosts some great views down into the Treasure Valley and the surrounding mountains in the Boise Range. The 360 degree skiable footprint off Shafer Butte means you can have varying views depending on what pod you\u2019re on, with views into the wilderness from the Pine Creek area, and down to Boise almost 5,000 feet below from the peak. However, a multitude of radio and TV towers on top of Deer Point and Shafer Butte may take away from some of the views. The long operating hours also allow for views of some incredible sunsets over the valley to the west, making for a unique experience for those who haven\u2019t skied that late in the day.<\/p>\n NOTE: We may receive a small affiliate commission if you click on the below links. All products listed below are unisex.<\/strong><\/p>\n K2 Raygun Pop<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Recommended intermediate board<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n CAPiTA Defenders of Awesome<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Recommended advanced board<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n WRITTEN REVIEW
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\n MOUNTAIN STATS
\n <\/a><\/p>\nCATEGORY BREAKDOWN\u00a0<\/h3>\n
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GOOD TO KNOW<\/h3>\n
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MOUNTAIN STATS<\/h3>\n
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\nMountain Review<\/h2>\n

Size and Terrain Layout<\/h3>\n
Beginner Terrain<\/h3>\n
TRAIL MAP<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nIntermediate Terrain<\/h3>\n
Advanced Terrain<\/h3>\n

Expert Terrain<\/h3>\n
Terrain Parks<\/h3>\n
RECOMMENDED SKIS FOR BOGUS BASIN<\/h3>\n
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Lifts<\/h3>\n

Crowd Flow<\/h3>\n
Snow and Resiliency<\/h3>\n

Navigation<\/h3>\n
Mountain Aesthetic<\/h3>\n
RECOMMENDED SNOWBOARDS FOR BOGUS BASIN<\/h3>\n
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