Ginny's Horse Product Review

If you’re looking for a beautiful trail riding destination near Mountain Home or Boise, Idaho, check out Long Tom Reservoir. I’ve been there before to hike, but this is the first time we took horses. I know it’s a popular hunting destination during the hunting season, so we wanted to wait for the spring/summertime to check it out. Overall, it has great footing and beautiful views!

Getting to The Trail

To get from the parking lot to the trail, you have to cross a stream. It was the highest I’ve ever seen it, and also it was moving somewhat moderately. The gravel/dirt road area that leads down to it was badly washed out too, so it was fairly steep and a little slippery! The horses were unsure about crossing, so I got off and walked Bamboozal down to show him it was safe. I actually slid a little on the gravel hill walking down, and it gave me some perspective on how sure-footed our horses are!

I walked him back up, because I didn’t want to risk getting back on him in the slippery sloped gravel area right beside the water. Max was continuing to try to coax Monkey in at a different spot that he felt looked less threatening. I got back on Bamboozal and he marched right down to the water like it was no big deal! What a good boy, and it was just what Monkey needed to see that it was safe.

The water wasn’t as high as I though it would be once we got in. I know that hunters take 4-wheelers in there, so I was relatively certain that there wouldn’t be anything crazy under the water there. Max was looking at a different area to cross, which I wasn’t totally comfortable with, because at least if you use the common crossing area, you pretty well know that there won’t be any surprise holes, boards, trash or something underneath to get caught or tangled in.

The Trails at Long Tom Reservoir

Once you cross the water, it’s smooth sailing! The trails are mostly wide dirt roads. There are moderate elevation changes in the form or rolling hills. Bamboozal is a 24-year-old Morgan gelding with a little bit of mild arthritis, and he was fine with these hills. I don’t like to make him do anything too steep, and will occasionally get off and hike if there are CRAZY steep climbs or deep sand which can be hard on his older joints.

We went off trail as soon as we got to the reservoir with hopes of meeting up with friends. We rode around the front of the reservoir, which we should have realized was steadily going up in elevation. We reached the top of what appeared to be a small canyon where the river/stream met up with the reservoir. We were way to high to cross there, it was like a cliff face. We thought about going down to where the river actually met the reservoir, but it would have been a REALLY wide crossing. Not knowing how deep it was, we didn’t want to risk it. Maybe another time, we will untack and swim the horses!

We turned around and got back onto the trail, which takes you all around the reservoir. We didn’t plan to be out for more than a few hours, so we turned back after getting to a scenic spot on the other side of the reservoir.

The Views are Incredible at Long Tom Reservoir

Not only do the trails have great footing, the views are absolutely spectacular at Long Tom Reservoir! Everywhere you looked was a gorgeous vista! From the rock dotted hills and landscapes to the serenely blue water of the reservoir, there is no shortage of beautiful scenes. This ride is only about a half hour from Mountain Home, and probably only about an hour and a half from Boise, so it’s a great trail riding destination for anybody looking for a fun day-ride. I have no doubt that you can go just about as far as you want on these trails.

We had a wonderful time at Long Tom Reservoir, and we will definitely be going back. Until next time, Happy Trails!