Lucky Peak is located just northeast of Boise. It offers a beautiful view of the whole valley especially at sundown. There are several jeep trails leading there. My favorite access point is off Highland Valley Road. From there you can access the jeep trails which are open to ATV’s and motorcycles. A dirt parking area is located about ½ mile from Hwy. 21 on Highland Valley Road. The area has space for about 5-6 vehicles with trailers in a squeeze. Fortunately I have never seen over 2 at a time here. There is a forest service bulletin board on the edge of the parking area which have the rules and regulations on them. It would be wise to read these.. Stay on the trail marked “8” for about 10 minutes until you reach trail “E”. This takes you up to Lucky Peak. This trails winds through the foothills consisting of rocks dry grass. There are several abandoned gold mines scattered throughout the area and are no longer on the maps sold to the public. Boise State University has maps of the areas with the mines still marked. It takes about 45 minutes to drive up to Lucky Peak. You will know you are there when you run into a large pine grove. These are the first trees you will come to. There is a large camping are here under the trees. If you look due south about 50 feet you will see a metal gate theta is usually open. The top of Lucky Peak is through this gate and up the hill about 1,000 feet. There us an antenna and also a Geological Survey market up top.
About 30 minutes in you will start to round corners and Boise City will come in to view. You may even able to see airplanes at your level coming in for a landing at BOI in the distance. Looking back east you will also be able to view Lucky Peak Lake. Farther northeast you will see the beginning of the Sawtooth Mountains. I have viewed the snow on these mountains as late as June. The area on top of Lucky Peak is open enough to enjoy a picnic and camp if you like windy conditions. There are birds of prey up here that enjoy the air currents. After dark on the way down we have seen several owls in the road. I have also viewed deer and in one old gold mine area we watched a couple of looked liked porcupines playing on the rocks at dusk. The sunsets up here are magnificent. All in all a good short trip from Boise.
Direction: take Hwy 21 north from Boise about 3-4 miles past Lucky Peak Dam. Look for Hidden Valley Road on the left. The dirt parking area is about 1/2 mile in from Hwy 21.