Top Things to do in Idaho
Top Hotels in Idaho
- 1. The Riverside Hotel, BW Premier Collection
- 2. La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Boise Towne Square
- 3. La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Coeur d Alene
- 4. Modern Hotel
- 5. My Place Hotel-Twin Falls, ID
- 6. Hampton Inn & Suites Boise-Downtown
- 7. Best Western Plus Coeur D'Alene Inn
- 8. The Grove Hotel
- 9. La Quinta by Wyndham Pocatello
- 10. La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Twin Falls
Countries
Top 10 Canyons in Idaho, United States
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.
Restaurants in Idaho
1. Hells Canyon National Recreation Area
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 153 reviews
The deepest river gorge in North America, Hells Canyon is accessible by jet boat or raft. Those who explore this rugged wilderness will find ancient tribal carvings in the rocks, deserted ranches and closed-up gold mines.
Reviewed By chrisn521 - Seattle, United States
An outstanding white water rafting trip with ROW Adventures out of Lewiston, Idaho. Water is dam controlled so there is always plenty of water. This company had the best river guides, accommodating the wide variety of folks in a group of sixteen. Beautiful scenery, good food, very thorough trip with knowledgeable guides. The only downside to the trip was sharing the river with the loud jet boats that also have access to the water after day two of the trip. Somehow jet boats do not equate with wilderness.
2. ROW Adventures - Salmon River Canyons
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 91 reviews
Welcome to the Riviera of the West! A Salmon River rafting dreamland come true. This is the legendary Salmon River of No Return where beautiful white-sand beaches glisten in the warm sun. Where 70-degree water beckons swimmers of all ages and whitewater rapids splash and make everyone beam with big grins from ear to ear. No other rafting river in the West is such a perfect combination of fun, intermediate rapids, awe-inspiring western scenery and gigantic white sand beaches with idyllic camping conditions. Daytime temperatures are typically 85 to 95 degrees and this, coupled with the warm river water, make for a rafting vacation like no other.
Reviewed By megdvm - Mystic, United States
The best part was knowing that our grandchildren were with a team that made sure the experiences the children had were safe, enjoyable (very), educational, and ones they might not have ever had before. I have never seen such consistently smiling and laughing children, ages 7 - 16! Heartwarming. In total, our group was composed of 18 guests, 6 adults and 10 youth, with 7 guides. The age range was from 7 - 76! Smiles were abounding on everyone. My husband and I have been lifelong campers and travelers, including some river rafting trips. We love what our country offers and the magic of being in nature. We looked for a company that provided a rafting trip for families to give our grandchildren and their parents a very different experience, sharing our love of the outdoors with them while offering our grandchildren some new challenges. ROW Adventures Salmon Canyon Family Magic rafting accomplished that and more in so many ways. Our five days were filled with fun experiences, smiles, making new friends, and enjoying each other's company. I cannot say enough positive things about the guides. The company ethos is one of the guests first, and this shows through in their caring, safety, and education about our role in the environment, with fun, great company, and excellent food added to the mixture. The guides all interacted with all age groups equally and happily. They seemed to effortlessly manage 18 individuals, each with their own needs, personalities, likes, and concerns. COVID interjected a potential worry into the mixture, but they had it well thought out. Their protocols emphasized safety, especially in confined areas, so were reassuring without being restrictive. If you are still looking for an experience that your family won't forget, no matter what the age, rafting with ROW Adventures will be the ticket. If you have younger kids or older "kids" that have never experienced being on a river, this is THE trip. It will introduce them to the magic sounds of the river, pristine white sand beaches on which to camp, eat, and then sleep on, under the stars looking up at the Milky Way. We sat around a campfire singing songs, and water fun far beyond that any pool can give them. And best, they will bring home memories that will last them a lifetime.
3. Snake River Canyon Overlook
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 10 reviews
Reviewed By 268louisr - Spanaway, United States
A very rugged canyon overlook into the Snake river, Idaho. You can drive down a very nicely paved road to the bottom. Their is a small grassy area to have a picnic.
4. Snake River
5. Hiawatha Mountain Bike Trail
Overall Ratings
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.
Reviewed By gottavaca - Yorktown, United States
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.
6. Owyhee Canyon
7. Owyhee Uplands Backcountry Byway
8. Bruneau Canyon
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 22 reviews
Reviewed By heartsandhumor - Caldwell, United States
Bruneau is true surprise. You have to drive through the desert, where there is nothing but sage brush. I believe the drive is 18 miles of nothing. On my first visit, I set my odometer. My wife and grew concerned. We were close to the miles on the directions, but we could not see a canyon. We climbed a small hill and the world opened in front of us. It was like someone used a large sword to split the earth open. I pulled into the parking lot. My wife kept yelling, "Stop!" She had her feet on the dash, ready to plunge to her death. I inched forward closer to end of my parking spot. Now in panic, she screamed at me, "I said stop!" We walked to the overlook. The view took our breath away. It was stunning. All a person can do stare in amazement at one of nature's most beautiful work.
9. Black Magic Canyon
10. Box Canyon Spring Nature Preserve
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By roadtripper54 - Ogden, United States
On a recent visit to the Hagerman area, my husband and I hiked to Box Canyon and down the steep, rocky trail to the bottom. This is a self-pay state park site - please fork over the $5 fee which helps to pay for maintenance and port-a-potties. Envelopes with instructions are located in the yellow box on a post near the kiosk. The small parking lot fills up quickly on spring weekends, so go early. There is about a 1/2 mile gravel trail to the edge of the canyon, and a viewing platform that looks down onto the two large springs which feed the creek. These are part of the Snake River aquifer, an underground river that percolates through the porous lava of the Snake River plain from rivers far to the north. A walk down the narrow path into the canyon (there is a cable to hang onto, but we recommend using trekking poles) leads to a gorgeous waterfall, and then to a small meadow and a pond. The hike down to the falls and back takes approximately 1.5 hours if you're reasonably fit. Us old folks with bad knees took about twice that, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Dogs are welcome but please be courteous - pick up after them and don't let them jump on other hikers. This is one of the most picturesque side canyons in the area, There are port-a-potties at the canyon overlook, but bring plenty of water since no drinking water is provided and springs, although they look pristine, may harbor giardia or other microorganisms which can cause intestinal problems. Have fun and hike safely!
