Does Anybody Ever Vacation in Idaho? And Why?
 

I've begun plotting our next couple of vacations, and one of the destinations I'm thinking of is Idaho. This is partly because of Yellowstone, since it will be a 2-week trip. Also, we were sent a great bottle of wine from an Idaho winery (yes, I was surprised), and we love good wines. Our son-in-law is working right now in the far southern part of the state, so perhaps we will plan a visit. We look for opportunities for day hikes, visiting National Parks, viewing wildlife, mountains (we live in Florida), wineries, historic sites.

I haven't seen much posted specifically for Idaho. So the question: Would you vacation there? And if so, what attracts you to any particular part of Idaho?

Of course people do. Idaho has some of the best skiing in the country.

Lots of people from the Rocky Mtn states and the northwest vacation in Idaho! Can you say "Sun Valley"? The Sawtooths are fabulous summer or winter.

There was a great trip report on a Sawtooth vacation last year. Search by state and it should come up.

There is some great fly fishing in Idaho....probably the best in the nation.

I had a fabulous vacation at the Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch this past July. It was one of the best trips of my life. I posted a trip report on this site which I have topped for you. Go!

We do all the time, but most trips are family related. We spend a lot of time in central and northern Idaho. We camp every year near the Lochsa on the Selway river.

Sandpoint is a gorgeous area both in the summer and in the winter. You can ski, hike, pick huckleberries, shop, boat, etc.

There is great biking and boating in and near Couer d'Alene.

Rafting the Salmon (Main, Middle Fork or Lower) is another great vacation.

The Sawtooths are stunning and Sun Valley is a fun town (although expensive).

I really like the area around Driggs and Lowman, too, but I haven't spent as much time there.

We drove from Yellowstone through Idaho stopping in Sun Valley, Stanley and Boise. We LOVED Idaho. It's amazing how much wilderness area is set aside in that state. If you love nature, you will love Idaho. We were there in early September and the weather was perfect during the day and cold at night. It snowed up in the Sawtooths when we were in Stanley. What a beautiful sight that was, especially because we too lived in Florida at the time.

Have a great time!!

We lived in SE Idaho for 8 months and loved it! So much nature to go see and explore. I think Idaho is one of those great little secrets:)

Oh, cmcfong, what a WONDERFUL trip report! This is exactly what we are hoping for. Thank you so much for sharing your trip report.

kureiff, thanks for the suggestions, I'll use them. AustinTraveler, where in Florida did you live??

Thanks, everyone!

Craters of the Moon (ice caves in 100 F heat!)and interesting volcanic scenery in the southeast; then on to the gorgeous mountains. Many petroglyph areas and other archaeological sites. Idaho is a fabulous state.

Like others said, many people in the NW take vacations in Idaho. They tend to be hiking-camping-skiing-fishing vacations. With your interests it sounds like you'd have a great time. And, there's the added advantage of being able to go in the height of summer, since fewer tourists go there than other nearby places in the West like Yellowstone and the Tetons. It would be great combined with these parks, too.

If you like historic sites check out this list of Idaho's National Historic Landmarks:
http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/result.cfm

sludick, I am so glad you enjoyed it. We LOVED the IRMR and would go back in a minute!

Ok I live in Idaho (Boise) and think its just wonderful. So many things to do and see. Just like everyone has said. You have the desert, the country and the mountains all in one state. Its just fabulous!

You could check out the Red Rock Lakes area of MT (its almost in ID).

http://redrocks.fws.gov/rrl3.htm

We drove the Lolo Motorway this past summer. The Motorway drive is different if you are up to it. Forest Road (500) follows the path of Lewis and Clark.

http://edbrenegar.typepad.com/photos...e_camp_11.html

Another interesting place to visit is Weippe ID in the ID Gold Country. This is where Lewis and Clark met up with the Nez Perce.

http://www.weippe.com/

fishing

Idaho? Never heard of it. Must be nuthin' but a bunch of mosquitoes there.

Shhhhhhh......

Naa, just spuds.

http://totl.net/Spud/

Wow. Ok, thanks, THAT'S settled. Now I just have to figure out where to fly into... Southwest Airlines, usually, for the free tickets. Maybe Boise?...

All in all, it looks like we have a lot of ground to cover. Course, it's not a vacation for DH unless we drive at least 2,000 miles... :-p

We've been many times----Boise is a great secret but some of the nicest land we've seen is to the north. We've stayed in McCall and absolutely love it!!! Did a 5 day trip on the Salmon River, camping on pristine sandy beaches along the way. Great place and great times!

Be careful not to go during hunting season: the governer of Idaho would like to kill 500 of the 600 gray wolves currently in Idaho (wants to get one himself), as soon as the U.S. takes them off the endangered species list.

Just make sure that the Idaho wines you buy are really from Idaho, or properly labeled if not. In 1986 one winery, Ste. Chappelle (then owned by the family of Sen. Steve Symms) was caught falsely labeling its wines made from grapes brought in from Washington state as "Idaho" wine.

Ste. Chappelle has since been acquired by Cananduigua, and is making very good wines. And the Idaho wine industry is now very strict about labeling the wines as to origin. Not that there's anything wrong with Washington grapes; but if you want something grown in Idaho you should be able to rely on the label of origin.

I flew into Spokane and drove through Idaho and Montana, Glacier Natl Park and flew home from Calgary...Idaho was lovely and a highlight for sure....

Great trip for us was rafting trip on the Snake River. And the drive from Boise to the outfitters was a beautiful and scenic trip. We too are from Florida and this was a welcome change of scenery.

We LOVED it there. Visited Coeur d'Alene while staying in a lovely community called Black Rock.

It was August and the weather was quite lovely. We spent a day on the Lake, a day walking the quaint city, DH got some great golfing time in. We had a lovely dinner at a place called The Cellar. Homemade pasta with a great Caymus.

I would buy property there in a minute. I agree with Nora, it kinda is a secret, Shhhhhhhhhh!

Nora_S, the wine we were given was from Carmela Vineyards. Do you know of them?

We spent a memorable day in Driggs, Idaho. Were visiting Grand Teton and Yellowstone and since we had never set foot in Idaho and are keeping track of visited states, we made a spur of the moment decision to drive thru a mountain pass and see where we ended up - had a large map of the state, but not much else.

Drive thru mountain pass from Jackson Hole was beautiful - stopped several times for photos. Ended up in town of Driggs, where we found a small cafe at the local airport. Had one of the best meals on our trip - everything made to order, fresh, creative without being weird. After lunch discovered airport had a small museum of vintage planes, so took a free walk-thru, watched some planes take off and land, and then meandered thru area.

I am sure there was more in the area we could have seen or done, but headed back thru mountain pass and back to Grand Teton.

Sludick---I have not encountered Carmela wines, but th ewinery looks very interesting---a vineyard and golf course above the Snake River:

http://www.idahowine.org/Carmela.htm

Sounds like it's worth a vist---only about an hour's drive from Boise.

Sounds like they are owned by a native Idahoan, and committed to Idaho-grown grapes. I'm going to look for this one---thanks for the recommendation!

As for your trip---will you fly into Boise and work your way east towards Yellowstone? Be sure and include the Ketchem/Stanley region if you love mountain scenery.

I will just mention that on our last trip we flew into Hailey and spent the night there before heading up to Stanley. We stayed at the Inn at Ellsworth Estate, which is very nice with a really good breakfast. Dined at CJ's which was fabulous. I love Boise and Coeur d'Alene, but if your time is limited, Hailey may work for you. Whereever you go, Idaho is a treat!

Sorry, it is CK's not CJ's.

We have not actually vacationed in Idaho, but we stayed overnight and drove through it as part of a larger vacation trip from Rocky Mountain N.P, to Glacier to the Grand Tetton last September. Idaho is beautiful (especially from Ketchum north) and will be on a planning schedule for a longer stop in the near future. The Craters of the Moon National Monuement was facinating and well worth a side trip. If you stay in Stanley you must go to dinner at the Pioneer Saloon on main street and have the blackan Idaho trout and potato. Its almost worth the trip in itself. The drive from Ketchum, through Stanley, and along Hwy 93 and the Sawtooth National Recrecation area to the Montana border at Lewis & Clarks Lost Pass was beautiful. Any stays along this area for trout fishing, etc., should be great...
Enjoy the planning and have a great vacation.
Lee

Well Dick Cheney goes to Idaho & Jackson Hole to fish & shoot at his friends... It can't be all that bad. Seriously though there is quite a bit to do. The fishing truly is world class, and even if you've never fished you can take a lesson and be a pro in a day. If you look in the Victor & Driggs area you will see affordable lodging options and easy access to Yellowstone & Teton National Park without paying Jackson Hole prices. Depending on your taste there is the Teton Springs Lodge & Spa which is a brand new lodge and a Super 8.

S_T, thanks for the post. Since I'm no friend of Dick Cheney, I should be safe enough...on second thought, better to stay alert.. <):)

We'll be in Idaho this fall for a short time, as we're traveling to and from Yellowstone. Have a couple of nights that we can spent near the Tetons, and were wondering about Victor & Driggs, actually.

If you fly into Spokane, it's an easy drive to Coeur d'Alene, which is just gorgeous, and then you can go north to Sandpoint or south towards Sun Valley. I was there in the autumn and just blown away by the high desert south of Boise, and the beautiful Snake River, with fly fishermen in waders and no-kidding cowboys on cattle drives. Huge canyons, ruts from wagons traveling the Oregon Trail still clearly visible and knee-deep in places. On the other hand, Pend Oreille lake outside Sandpoint is also fantastic, as is the fabulous Schweitzer Mountain ski resort, which few people seem to know about. What a great place! Enjoy!

A year old post resurrection?

Yes, and it's ok. I plan for vacations a couple of years out, and we are finally just getting around to our first trip to Idaho. Probably next year will be a longer trip. All this is good information -- thanks, everyone!

Awesome places to see in EYE-DE-HO

1. Sawtooths- Red Fish Lake, Numerous day hikes and backpacking; check out great mtn biking
2. White Clouds and Boulder Mountains
3. Sun Valley- Skiing (XC/Alpine), Hiking, Mtn. Biking; faboulous art gallerys; fishing in Wood River Valley
4. Hagerman- Check out hot springs, beautiful canyon, box springs
5. Owyhee Mountains- Ghost town: Silver City; lots of desert hikes and canyons; remote areas to hike, bike, and camp
6. McCall Area: swim, hike, mountain bike
7. Boise: to numerous to list; we have great mountain biking in foothills, artwalk for first Thurs. ;of month, vibrant downtown; cross country and downhill skiing 16 mi. from town
8. Frank Church Wilderness
9. Seven Devils
10. Gospel Humps Wilderness
11. Rafting on the Salmon River
12. Craters of the Moon Park: great lava hiking and XC skiing in winter
13. Great fresh potatoes
14. N. Idaho: 75 mi. bike trail by Lake Cour D'Alene, lots of lakes, Sandpoint, Moscow and the Palouse, Hobo Grove Cedar Trees, Bonners Ferry, the Selkirk Mountains

Enjoy.

From an Idahoan.

EIPelar, what a great list! Thank you so much. I will have a couple of days this fall for eastern Idaho, but want to plan a dedicated 2 weeks, allowing plenty of time for western and northern Idaho. Do you have some suggestions as to time of year? We normally vacation in early autumn, but could go any time.