Hi friends!! As I write this post on my vacation in Florida, I reminisce and fondly think about one of the main reasons we moved to Boise, the 4 DEFINITE seasons. If you are thinking about moving to Boise and don’t have time to visit in multiple season, like we did, here is the “down and dirty” and some generalizations we have found being here for all four seasons now:
Fall: Because Boise is known as the “City of Trees”, as you can well imagine, the falls are GORGEOUS! Between the crimson red and yellow trees and the golden-wheat color backdrop of the foothills - the combination is inspirational! The smell of the dropped leaves decaying, the wood-burning fires and chili cooking on the stove…this is one of my favorite times of the year (although I think I have said it for each of the seasons, haha). The falls seem drawn-out and longer than what I experienced growing up in the northeast. The temps slowly lowering and with the desert environment, the mornings are chilly (40’s and 50’s) and the afternoons typically get up to the 60’s. Perfect time to layer up! Although the weather can be a little dreary, at times, typically there is still a lot of sun - which illuminates and spotlights the beautifully changing scenery. Expect for leaves to start changing in late September and peak around the middle of October (of course, weather dependent). Around Thanksgiving the weather becomes more “winter-like” with chillier temps and snow starting to sprinkle the tops of the foothills.
Winter: The scenery is as magical as it is serene. With Boise in a valley and slightly insulated, typical winters doesn’t have a ton of snow accumulation (but I guess it’s all relative - your talking to a born and raised Buffalo gal). The surrounding foothills are fully encapsulated in snow. A lot of times, there is just a dusting of snow on the ground in the “valley”. What I love about winter here is that unless you are going into the foothills or mountains, the snow is visible but not an encumbrance (again, this is generally speaking. They did have “Snowmageddon” a couple years ago). We have a shovel but rarely shoveled our driveway. We also have Bogus Basin up the foothills 30 minutes from our house and the skiing is awesome!! So lots of great benefits of living here and having access to Bogus Basin, Sun Valley and McCall for the fun mountain sports but without being in the thick of it. Boise’s coldest time of year is usually end of January and all of February. Although it can get down to the low teens, it doesn’t last for a super long time and remember, February is a short month!! March we start turning the corner!
Spring: Spring is arguably the most beautiful time of the year here! Come hear around May 1 and all of the Cherry Blossoms should be everywhere in the Treasure Valley! The foothills are green because of the snow / water they’ve just received and the wildflowers dot the sloping foothills. It’s just magical! Again, it seems like a longer shoulder season than what the East Coast has and temps gradually get warmer and hot summer heat doesn’t really become apparent until the end of June or first of July. Again, if you are looking to move here, the timing of the cherry blossoms coordinates nearly flawlessly with the Spring Parade of Homes (http://boiseparadeofhomes.com).
Summer: It can get hot here! Remember, we are in the desert!! But, what no one mentioned was that the mornings would always be so beautiful and temperate. Usually it starts in the mid-60’s or low-70’s and as the sun peeks out from the foothills each morning, the heat becomes stronger as the day wares on - it can get into the low 100’s, although high-90’s is typical. Remember, it’s a dry heat! It seems that most people have their strenuous morning exercise before the heat of the day and cool off by tubing in the Boise River or boating in the reservoir. Although the season can be hot, it tends to end right around September - so it’s not that long!! The foothills do brown out (not the prettiest) but because we are right on the edge of desert climate, head toward McCall and you will see the coniferous trees lining the Payette River and up in McCall, the weather is about 15 degrees cooler, so a lot of people head to the mountains and lakes to camp this time of year. The weather is perfection!
As you can see, there are 4 DEFINITE seasons to Boise and that makes it a fun place to be! If you are thinking of moving to Boise, remember to contact us here, we’d love to help you make Boise your home! They don’t call it Idahome for nothin’!
XO, Bridget
