Idaho Code | Basic Bicycle Safety | What Ride Idaho Expects From Its Cyclists
What Cyclists Can Expect From Ride Idaho | Riding a Bike in Idaho | Safety Website Links
What Cyclists Can Expect From Ride Idaho | Riding a Bike in Idaho | Safety Website Links
The following are some unique, and not so unique, experiences you may encounter when cycling in Idaho:
Dry weather
It's dry out here, meaning there's very little moisture in the air. What does this mean to you? Well, sweat evaporates almost immediately. Your skin and hair will feel different. Your skin will become dry, especially your lips. It's important to hydrate, drinking lots of replenishing liquid (beer and soda don't quite count) such as water and “power” drinks. You may want to pack some extra moisturizer and lip balm with SPF.
Heat
Why is it so dry? Mainly the sun. It's big and bright and in the summer will be overhead for almost 16 hours. Idaho receives little rain; the average annual precipitation in Idaho is 19 inches (precipitation being rain, snow, hail, etc.).
Two major side effects of extreme exposure to the sun include sunburns and heat exhaustion. Warning signs of heat exhaustion include: heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, tiredness, weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea or vomiting, and fainting. The skin may be cool and moist. Your pulse rate will be fast and weak, and breathing will be fast and shallow.
When riding in hot weather, take a drink every ten to 15 minutes, whether or not you're thirsty. Wear thin, loose, light colored, vented clothing that covers against the sun. We found that cotton becomes drenched and sticks to the skin while some of the better synthetic travel shirts allow air to flow through vents in the back. Of course, don't forget your sunscreen!
Wind
Average Wind Speed across the Idaho.
Cattle Guards
Cattle guards are steel structures placed in the road bed to confine cattle to selected areas. They are usually marked with a warning sign and, if not, can be recognized well in advance by an angled steel support on each end.
It is best to stop, dismount, and walk across cattle guards. The steel rails are usually slippery. If your wheel fell between rails you would experience a nasty fall.
Runaway Truck Ramps
Run away truck ramps are constructed on down hills to provide truck drivers a way of safely stopping if their brakes fail. On very long down hill stretches there could be several of these specially constructed ramps. They are well marked. Please remember, when standing on the side of the road for whatever reason do not block a runaway truck ramp.
Dogs
Dogs live in Idaho! We're sure you've encountered them when riding. Idaho dogs are no different from other dogs (paws, slobbery tongue, and wagging tail), just know that in some rural, ranchland areas dogs may be roaming free (not on a leash). Here are some things to consider:
- Make sure you do not hit the dog; you will fall and you could kill the dog.
- Stay in control of the bike; if you panic then you might lose control and fall.
- Continue pedaling and ride past the dog; he is protecting his territory and should stop.
- Remember that some dogs bark and chase for fun with no intention of attacking.
- The faster you and your feet are moving, the less likely you are of being bitten.
- Yelling at the dog or sounding an air horn will usually startle the dog enough to get him to disengage.
- Spray water from your water bottle into his face.
- Physical violence and pepper spray should only be used in extreme cases.
Open Range Animals
What is open range? According to the Idaho Transportation Department Drivers Manual (2007), open range means “almost all areas outside of city limits and herd districts upon which livestock by custom, license, lease, or permit, are grazed or permitted to roam.”
So what kind of livestock might you encounter? Mainly the basics: horses, cattle, sheep, or goats. It's important to know that these animals have the right-of-way. Try to avoid them by going around them or stopping until they move out of the way. Do not attempt to pet them.
Chipseal & Subsequent Gravel
Chip Seal is a pavement surface treatment that combines a layer of asphalt with a layer of fine aggregate (rocks). In the United States, chip seals are typically used on rural roads carrying lower traffic volumes. In some states, chip sealing is used in conjunction with new road construction to make the road bed more durable and longer lasting.
Chip seals are constructed by evenly distributing a thin base of hot bitumen or asphalt onto an existing pavement and then embedding finely graded aggregate into it. The aggregate is evenly distributed over the seal spray, and then rolled into a smooth pavement surface. A chip seal surfaced pavement can optionally be sealed with a top layer which is referred to as a fog seal or cape seal.
What does this mean to you?
Chip seal that is fresh rock that has not been swept or oiled: This can be a loose surface and cause loss of traction for an accident, especially on shoulders and turns at cross-streets. It also tends to be dusty. Cars kick up the rocks when they pass you and can cause you to get pelted by the flying rock.Snakes
Chip seal that has been smashed down by a steam roller and swept, but not oiled: This isn't too bad, but can be a little dusty.
Chip seal that has been freshly oiled: This can be messy with oil getting all over your bike and components.
Chip seal that was oiled a few days ago but the lines have not been put down: Can be confusing to motorists and bikes as to where the lines really are.
Chip seal that has been restriped: Messiness is gone. It tends to be a rough ride for the first year, depending on the volume of traffic that is smashing it down. Leads to cyclists preferring to ride in the first wheel track instead of on the edge of the road because it is smoother in the first wheel track. Cars don't always like us when we do that. After about 1 year, most busy roads seem relatively smooth again.
Chip seal on quiet country roads: Rural areas tend to use bigger size rock chips that are slower to wear down. This situation means a steady vibration coming through the frame of your bike leading to fatigue of your butt and wrists. Country roads may have been chip sealed 2 or 3 years ago and still have these attributes.
It's unlikely that you'll encounter them on the road, but be mindful that Idaho does have snakes. The Western Rattlesnake is our only poisonous snake.
Puncture Vine
Puncture Vine is also affectionately called Caltrop, Yellow Vine, and Goathead. The plant produces a fruit that easily falls apart into four or five single-seeded nutlets. The nutlets or "seeds" are hard and bear two to three sharp spines, 10 mm long and 4–6 mm broad point-to-point. These nutlets strikingly resemble goats' or bulls' heads; the "horns" are sharp enough to puncture bicycle tires and bare feet.
Motorists Unfamiliar with Cyclists
- As part of a large group of bicyclists, you present an upset condition to Idaho drivers. Remember that you are disrupting their daily driving routine.
- Be sure motorists see you when you are turning, moving in and around parking lots, biking in towns.
- Don't ride two or three abreast on roads with narrow or no shoulders.
- Use bike lanes when available.
- Signal your intentions.
- Give the right-of-way to emergency vehicles.
- Be courteous and predictable: don't weave in and out of line of traffic.
Annual Precipitation and Temperature for State
Idaho Average Temperatures and Precipitation
Central Idaho
to be updated in the future.
Southwest Idaho
| August: 30-yr average (1971 to 2000) |
|||||
| City | Elevation Feet |
Latitude | Longitude | Daily High | Daily Low |
| Boise (Air Temrminal) | 2814 | 43° 34N | 116° 14W | 88.0 | 59.8 |
| Parma | 2290 | 43° 48N | 116° 57W | 91.4 | 52.0 |
| Payette | 2150 | 44° 05N | 116° 56W | 89.6 | 57.3 |
| Weiser | 2120 | 44° 15N | 116° 58W | 89.6 | 57.8 |
| Cambridge | 2650 | 44° 34N | 116° 41W | 89.8 | 25.7 |
| Council | 2950 | 44° 44N | 116° 26W | 90.8 | 54.3 |
| New Meadows | 3870 | 43° 58N | 116° 17W | 83.1 | 40.4 |
| McCall | 5025 | 44° 53N | 116° 06W | 80.1 | 41.0 |
| Cascade | 4896 | 44° 31N | 116° 03W | 79.3 | 42.0 |
| Garden Valley | 3100 | 44° 06N | 115° 58W | 88.3 | 45.2 |
| Lowman | 3920 | 44° 05N | 115° 37W | 84.7 | 42.2 |
| Idaho City | 3965 | 43° 50N | 115° 50W | 85.6 | 43.0 |
Southeast Idaho
| From the Pocatello Reporting Station | ||
| degrees, F | Date | |
| Record high temp | 104 | 8-Aug-90 |
| Record low temp | 30 | 25-Aug-92 |
| August 2007 at Pocatello station: | ||
| Actual high | 99 | 12-Aug-07 |
| Actual low | 40 | 25-Aug-07 |
| Average maximum temp | 89 | |
| Average minimum temp | 53 | |
| Number of days >90 degrees | 15 | |
| Average daily humidity, %RH | 42 | |
| Average morning humidity, %RH | 63 | |
| Average afternoon humidity, %RH | 22 | |
| Data compiled July 2008 | ||
North Idaho
To be updated in the future.
