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I'm going to take the family to the Ice cave this year and then pack into Bloomington Lake.
I have never been to either place before and am looking for information on how to get there, Best time to go, worth taking a fishing pole in, other interests around the area to see.
I'm looking around the end of June or after the 4th of July.
Those are some good places to go, although I can only speak for Bloomington Lake, because I still want to see the Paris Ice caves.
Well, I did a search for "paris" in the bar above, and I found these two trip reports both made by accadacca.
First one is found in the motorcycling section: TR -- Paris Ice Caves, Little Valley Res., and Preston, ID
Second one is found in the caving section (depending on the conditions of the activities): TR -- Paris Ice Cave
Then, I did a search for Bloomington and came up with this link in the fishing section: Bloomington Lake (Idaho)
I've been up to Bloomington lake, but I've never fished it. It's a cool little lake to go see, at least. Accadacca did a little fishing up there though. Some basic directions will be to drive into bloomington, and you'll see the road up Bloomington Canyon. The post office is on the corner that you turn west on. It's roughly 10 miles(?) from the main highway, most of it decent dirt road, but there are a few places you may want a high clearance vehicle.
I've attached the Google Earth location tool below. Click on it and you can navigate your way around.
Oh, one more thing, your family may want to check out Minnetonka Cave. I believe it's west of St Charles, which is closer (coming from the south) than Bloomington or Paris.
They have guided tours ONLY there, so make sure it's open. It actually is a pretty big cave.
Here's some info on that:
http://www.bearlake.org/cavexplore.html
http://www.ohwy.com/id/m/minncave.htm
I don't think they'll let you take pictures in there, maybe because the flashes will harm the formations? :ne_nau: But if they do allow it, be sure to bring them here! This forum wasn't around when I went there, so I didn't do a trip report. :haha:
Anyways, have fun.
I took my son to Minnetonka Cave last year, and yes, they let you take pictures. Its definatley worth visiting.
On the way, in Logan Canyon is a neat little pull-off called Rick's spring. There is a tiny 'cave' there you can let your kids climb in
Yup, the boys above are covering some of the highlights of the area. None of it is hard to find. Just off the highway and signs posted. Fun stuff for the kids. Be sure to take some pictures of Minnetonka. We need a trip report in the caving section. I get dragged through it at least once a year.......but never take pictures.
Thanx for the info. Thats awesome! :2thumbs:
It has been many years since I have been to Bloomington Lake. The rope was the best part of that year's trip to Bear Lake. I heard it was taken down. What is the story? Will it ever reappear?
Jason
Yup, I heard some anal retentive ranger took it down. Everything is about lawsuits and safety now days. I never had a seat belt on growing up. I am fairly normal still. For the love.... :bootyshake:
I used to swing on that rope too...
http://uutah.com/forum/files/acca2.jpg
Yeah, my bro was even up there a couple of years ago swinging on it. The rangers had built a fence around it, but it ended up being used as a platform to swing from :haha:
The ranger came up to them and made them quit swinging on it.
There's still some fun little "cliffs" to jump off of, if you pass the swing and keep going to the back of the lake.
Here are a couple more pics, with Chivato jumping off of the little legde.
I hiked into Bloomington Lake from Danish Pass again last year. It seems like every other time hike that trail I get reminded by some large, slow moving mammal that you don't have to hike six miles to get there. There are a few campsites between the parking area and the lake but I wonder if they're "officially approved." The road ends within a mile of the lake and the area sees a lot of foot traffic.Quote:
Originally Posted by accadacca
There are few decent sites on the west side of the parking area but most of them have been occupied on Saturdays when I hike through the area. I've thought about seeing Minnetonka Cave and spending one night in the nearby Campground(s), packing in near the top of Snowslide Canyon, and then hiking into the lake, up Paris Peak, and to whatever other attractions I can find from there.
I actually approve of their taking down the rope for most of the year. The bank that surrounds it is totally and completely denuded save for the tree they hang the rope from and the area was surrounded with yellow tape when we were last there. Maybe they could leave a rope up for the 30 hottest days of the year and let the vegetation recover the other 11 months.
I can understand if they're trying to rebuild the area, or let it revegetate, but I think fences and yellow tape look a lot worse than a worn away bank.Quote:
Originally Posted by cachehiker
Plus, it was a major reason that people went up there. I haven't been up since they took it down.
Bummer about the closure. It is still a beautiful place, but the rope...that was worth the drive.
The Ice cave is pretty cool. Its about 10 miles up Paris canyon, well marked turn off in Paris, ID. You can walk around the side, through the main entrance, over a little walkway and into what was the main cavern. The roof collasped long ago and so its all open. I actually climb there a lot. If your more adventurous and have light you can continue into the cave. It's not very big but will be damp. If you do head in, it drops down and then turns up and exits through a chimney. You can also walk up around it but be careful with your little ones. Its a big hole in the ground and the chimney is north of the cave. Bloomington lake is beautiful too. Check out Minatonka cave as well.
^^ike
Thanks for the responces and pics. They are great. Looking forward to the adventure. :2thumbs:
Any camping near Bloomington Lake? I remember driving up there a few years ago, coulda sworn I saw some camp sites along the road. I'm sure there is none around the lake, but maybe somewhere up the canyon?