A mixture of forested mountains, alpine peaks, wildflower meadows, deep river canyons, and high plains deserts, Idaho is a paradise for golf, skiing, fly fishing, and river rafting. Boise, the capital, is the state's largest city and airline hub. North of Boise are golf, lake, and ski resorts from McCall in the south to Sandpoint and Coeur D'Alene in the north. East of Boise are the ski slopes of Ketchum and Sun Valley. East of Sun Valley are Craters of the Moon National Monument, Pocatello, Idaho Falls, and the small town of Island Park just across the border from Yellowstone National Park. Boise's Basque Museum and Cultural Center reflects having the largest Basque population in the U.S. Reflecting Idaho's diverse heritage, near the Idaho Historical Museum in Boise's Julia Davis Park is the Idaho Black History Museum's chronicle of the slave York who served the Lewis & Clark Expedition. After a family visit to the Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey and an outdoor performance at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, the next stop after Boise is likely to be Payette Lake in McCall or Sun Valley and Ketchum. About 100 miles north of Boise, past Cascade Lake, McCall takes you to the shores of Payette Lake. Go golfing, fishing, hiking, biking, waterskiing, sailing, boating, or whitewater river rafting. Ski or snowshoe Brundage Mountain or Tamarack Resorts, as well as Ponderosa State Park in winter. Ice skate year-round at Manchester Ice & Event Centre. About 450 miles north of Boise, there are resort lakes near skiing and golf at Coeur d'Alene, Hayden Lake, and Sandpoint. Golf, tennis, mountain biking, hiking, fishing, rafting, and hunting are popular in Sun Valley and Ketchum. Sockeye salmon may no longer do much spawning in Redfish Lake, but the boating and mountain scenery in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area make the short trip north to Stanley worthwhile. When the snows come the whole family will head for the slopes of Soldier Mountain, Bald Mountain, Dollar Mountain, or the Sun Valley Resort. A tiny forested town of about 250 people, Island Park has a large reservoir with fishing and boating, as well as Henry's Fork of the Snake River for fly fishing. It's only 15 miles from Yellowstone as well.
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5.0 based on 18 reviews
Winding through the foothills of the White Cloud Range, this scenic bike trail provides magnificent views of the Sawtooth Valley with a toboggan-like downhill return after the arduous climb.
This is my favorite mountain bike look in the area and is a must ride at least once every year. The climb is up a gravel road that is very scenic with streams and mountains all around. Once hitting the top the single track starts and it is game on. The downhill feels like it never ends and is super fast and flowy. Don't let the big climb scare you off, it is worth it.
5.0 based on 137 reviews
The trails were great and you could see so much beautiful scenery. We only hiked a short trail, but look forward to going back.
5.0 based on 116 reviews
Best Trail I have been on. We rode up to Mullan, down to Harrison and got some ice cream, continued down to the old train trestle across the bridge and back to our vehicle. We got 130 miles this day! We saw at least 9 moose, 2 beavers, 2 muskrats, birds (maybe some pelicans in the mix? We didn't know what these albatross looking birds were.) There is little drinking water on the trail. There is water at the maintenance facility, and Heyburn State Park.
5.0 based on 46 reviews
This trail network is a wonderful way to explore the Wood River and then take the spurs and connecting trails into Sun Valley, Trail Creek, and Elkhorn.
4.5 based on 175 reviews
This 22-mile paved trail is part of the Idaho Centennial Trail, which passes through 11 national forests and extends 1,200 miles from Nevada to the Canadian border.
Beautiful bike trail that runs through the heart of Coeur d'Alene. We picked it up in the heart of downtown and rode all the way to the south end. (About 15 miles round trip). There is a section where you have to go through a neighborhood but it's well marked and easy to follow. Loved the scenic views. (Warning: There are some hills, so be prepared). Well worth it though, and you can rent bikes in town. We rented ours from Coeur d'Alene Bike Company, which is about one block off the trail.
4.5 based on 360 reviews
Originally the route of the Hiawatha train, this trail was constructed on the old railbed and was completed in 2001.
Based on recent reviews that I have read, folks have different expectations of trails. We TOTALLY loved this trail! We went the last day of the season (Sept 23) and loved everything about the trail and views. It was all down hill, very easy ride, super scenic and just down right run. A couple of mule deer even decided to pop out of the woods and join us. We traveled to Wallace from the east coast for two nights just to be able to experience this and we are so glad we did. I have a lot of allergies and my eyes were burning at various times because of the strong cedar/pine smells but I didn't care. It was great to be outside and witness such beauty. We rented our bikes/helmets and shuttle/trail passes online from the ski lodge. The only negative was the unfriendly attitude of several young female workers at the lodge. Everything else was an A+++. We thought the trail was perfect and really didn't see much repair needed.
4.5 based on 47 reviews
VERY well maintained trail. Any bumps are in areas with trees, and that happens anywhere. You can see where they periodically fix them. Every 5 miles there is a bathroom, one of which has a bike service station complete with tools and pump! Scenery is diverse and beautiful. Mild chills make it appropriate for all levels. Ignore the posts about maniacal riders and dog poop. I've ridden the trail dozens of times and like any trail there are occasional poops, but they are rare and the cyclists, runners, and walkers are almost always polite. I've ridden thousands of miles on multi purpose trails in all parts of the country and for an area as rural as this, it stands with the best of them.
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