The aptly named Around the Mountain trail wraps around the backside of Bogus Basin, providing sweeping views of the Treasure Valley and the mountains to the east, including the Sawtooths when it’s clear.

It’s rated the No. 1 mountain bike trail in Idaho by MTBProject.com.

But quickly, it has developed a fan base among runners and hikers, too. The 7-mile trail is the centerpiece of a loop from Simplot Lodge that covers 9.5 to 10.5 miles, depending on the route chosen.

“There’s just something about circumnavigating the entire Bogus Basin,” said Lynne Wieland of Boise, an avid mountain biker and skier. “It’s neat to be riding it and think, ‘Here I am on Paradise … Hi, Wildcat.’ There’s really something special about being able to ski the entire mountain, the whole 360 degrees, in the winter, and now we can do the same thing in the summer.”

Why is the trail so appealing? Cooler weather and terrific views, for sure. But there are other reasons, depending on the user perspective.

Mountain bikers

Patrick Cusick, of Boise, began riding Around the Mountain (ATM for short) before it was finished because he was so eager to experience it. He appreciates the trail’s construction, which was done with mountain bikers in mind. The project cost about $100,000.

“The construction and the design were really well thought out,” he said. “You can appreciate that they took a lot of time and got it right.”

That’s particularly important to mountain bikers, who want manageable climbs and descents that flow down the hill. The recommended direction of travel is counter-clockwise from Simplot Lodge in part because of the way a key section of Around the Mountain was built.

“They’ve built berms where you can let off the brakes and let the bike track and get some good grip through those turns,” Cusick said. “But climbing out on those sucks. It’s very steep for climbing. They’re not made to be climbed on.”

The trail includes enough technical elements, such as that downhill section and occasional rocks, to keep the interest of better riders. But the challenges are sporadic enough for the trail to suit most riders.

“It’s not so difficult that a strong beginner can’t go ahead and have a go at it and have a lot of fun,” Cusick said. “There’s really a little bit of something for everybody on it.”

The trail’s popularity has created the inevitable conflicts between user groups. On a recent weekday late morning/early afternoon, hikers and runners outnumbered bikers.

Cusick said he rides with two bells on his bike and yields to foot traffic as etiquette dictates. But he has watched from afar as bikers zipped down Around the Mountain at high speed with hikers in front of them.

“It’s really crowded now,” he said. “I have to say, ATM really feels like it was designed for mountain biking. … There are more hikers than I anticipated.”

Trail runners

Trail runner Stephanie Heimberg of Middleton worries about the conflict with bikes, too. Her solution: Go early.

She notices an influx of mountain bikers around 10 a.m.

“My favorite time to run that trail is in the early morning,” she said. “You start at 6 o’clock, you come around the corner, the sun is coming up — it’s beautiful. You can see all the way out to the Sawtooths. For me, it’s an easy trail; it’s not technical, there’s not a whole lot of big rocks or stumps or anything like that. You can get out there and run and go off to your happy place.”

Nearly half of the climbing while doing an Around the Mountain loop comes from the opening mile on the Deer Point trail, which is necessary to access ATM, and the final half-mile, which is a cat track. The 6.5 miles in between rises a little more than 500 feet and drops a little less.

“There’s not a lot of up and down to it,” Heimberg said. “That’s part of the reason I like it.”

Hikers

Loop trails are a popular option for hikers, who often travel in and out on the same trail — primarily going uphill one way and downhill the other.

Around the Mountain allows for a loop hike of 9.5 miles or more. The only extended hilly stretches are on the trails you need at each end of ATM that connect to Simplot Lodge: Deer Point on the way up and one of several routes coming back down.

“This is a good distance, and it’s cooler on the hot days,” Arlene Bell of Boise said.