Idaho Snowboarding: Maverick Snowboarding in Mackay, Idaho

Mackay, Idaho is an unpretentious little town nestled in the peaceful valley of the Lost River. The town was founded by ranching, agriculture and mining. The town has successfully preserved it's western image and is home to the "Wildest Rodeo" in Idaho. It's not uncommon to find a cattle drive going on while you are in town. It is also home to many deer, elk, moose, wolves, bears and cougars. In Mackay you won't find any upscale resorts or shops here but, you will find a wild untamed setting perfect for maverick snowboarding and the perfect starting point for unlimited and uncrowded snowmobiling and cross country skiing.

Mackay is located about an hour and a half drive from either Pocatello or Idaho Falls, ID. After the snow falls and winter settles in, the town of Mackay regularly plows the road that winds up into the mountain behind the town. About three miles above the town is an abandoned mine with buildings still standing from a century ago and a few mine shafts as well. Drive about two miles up the road and there is a small parking space. From here you can find many good maverick snowboarding spots, snowboard down the hill or start your snowmobiling adventure!

Off of Highway 93 at the Burnt Lemon turn left and drive through the main street towards the mountain. This road takes you up into the wilderness behind Mackay.

The people of Mackay are always happy to have you here and while you are in Mackay, stop into the Burnt Lemon or Ken's club for authentic western hospitality and great food!

Idaho ranch life in winter

I and my two sons were recently invited to visit a working cattle ranch nestled in the desolate and gorgeous back-country of southeastern, Idaho. The snow covered country is rugged and beautiful with rolling hills, rivers and cottonwood trees. It was freezing out but sunny and a bit windy. In this country you see very few houses and the ones you do see are log houses or made of hand made brick and hand hew basalt from over a century ago. The ranch that we visited was a generational ranch founded seven generations before. When they founded the ranch there were Native American tee-pees dotting the landscape.

The ranchers walked into the barn wearing chaps and warm clothing and brought three teams of black and white draft horses out and hitched them to two sleighs and a wagon. They loaded massive bales of hay on to the sleighs and we jumped on top of them and rode the horse drawn sleighs out to where the cows were in a herd out on the range. We passed by a small river and the rancher had placed wheat flour out to feed the wild turkeys to help them through the winter and we saw many ducks and an Osprey fishing out of the river. Elk and deer herds also make this ranch their home.

The land on this ranch has remained the same for over a hundred years. Here you won't find the urban sprawl of housing tracks and discount stores just the quite peaceful symbiotic preservation of the ranching way of life and the wild life that make this area their home.

We went out and tore off the massive flakes of hay and threw them to the cows. It was hard work but, OMG we had a good time doing it! After we fed we rode back and the cowboys made a campfire and we drank hot chocolate and ate dough-nuts.

I took the pictures over to show my mom and the second picture was the first one that she looked at and she goes,"why is this man wearing shorts in the middle of winter?" She thought he was wearing some bizarre hot pants and leg-warmer combo! She didn't realize that he had a pair of leather chaps over his Wranglers. Yes folks he's not only a rancher but a Chip-N-Dales dancer!