Nothing to do in Idaho? Think again.

I moved to Idaho in late 2020, and guilty as charged, I knew nothing about the state before moving there. However, my parents had lived there for nearly a year and always talked about how much they loved it so as an outdoorswoman, I went ahead and followed them.

Believe it or not, it’s the best decision I ever made so far and while it is true that most of Idaho is desolate, it has its good spots (most notably Boise, Sun Valley, and Coeur d’Alene). But either way, even those desolate areas have sights worth seeing, as Idaho is a hotspot for outdoor adventure lovers!

Below I provide a list of my favorite sights in Boise, where they are, and the audience that will be most interested. However, I have decided to start with a general summary of how great Boise is, because it’s true!

Boise (all of it!)

Before I first visited Boise, I was told that it would be a lot similar to Grand Rapids, MI, where I was living before coming to Idaho. Here’s the truth: THEY ARE NOTHING ALIKE. Sure, they’re a mix of a college town and a good place to raise families, but Grand Rapids is more industrial, there’s not much opportunities for outdoor adventure, it’s very flat, and I personally found it to be pretty boring. In Boise, there are an endless amount of restaurants for foodies, three indoor rock climbing gyms, a welcoming social scene, the annual Spirit of Balloon Festival, Bogus Basin Ski Resort, a plethora of hiking trails, etc…!

A few notable hikes in Boise include:

-Table Rock

-Jump Creek (a little ways away but in the Boise area)

-Adelmann Mine

-Camel's Back

-Stack Rock

-Dry Creek

And many more!

Freak Alley Gallery downtown!

City of Rocks National Preserve (Almo, ID)

Inside the unincorporated town of Almo is the City of Rocks, a state park known for its large rock sculptures, hiking, and rock climbing opportunities. I have done both of those activities here and loved it both times, especially the rock climbing! That might be a little biased since the first time I climbed outdoors was at the City of Rocks, but it was still fun! If you’re living in or near Idaho, you can definitely make a day trip out of this place in the middle of nowhere!

Me climbing up “a crack” at the City of Rocks!

Twin Falls

Along with City of Rocks, Twin Falls is another place my parents like to take my extended family from the Midwest to when they come visit. This city is known for the Shoshone Falls and the view is even better with a rainbow! This city is also a gateway to the Snake River Canyon and trails also lead to the second place my parents take our extended family: the Perrine Bridge. This is an ideal place for BASE jumpers and you can even kayak and paddleboard in the Snake River under the bridge! I have yet to do that, but here’s hoping someday I will!

Shoshone Falls from my visit in June 2020

Box Canyon (Wendell, ID)

A state park located about an hour and a half east of Boise, a steep hike into a canyon with a waterfall, then a hill, and then flat the rest of the way. However, at the beginning of the hike, there is a great view of Box Canyon Springs, and from above, you can see how clear the water is. When you hike down, not only do you get a closer look at the clear water, you also are able to see the waterfall in the canyon and it’s always a blessing to see a waterfall in Idaho!

The view from the top!

Lava Hot Springs

This is a small city in Eastern Idaho but home to world famous hot springs, an olympic sized swimming pool and mini waterpark, as well as a sunken gardens exhibit at the hot springs. It is open year round and has much more than just hot springs and pools! There’s also many restaurants and bars, ice cream shops that serve SQUARE shaped ice cream, and a river that people float down in the summer! Annually, there is a fire and ice winterfest at lava where people go down the river wearing snow gear! One more thing, Idahoans pronounce Lava as “LAV-ah” not “LAH-va” like most are used to.

The hot springs at Lava!

Bonneville Hot Springs (Boise National Forest)

Aside from Lava, Idaho is home to many natural hot springs and the reason why there are so many is because of the scientific formation of the Idaho Batholith. This produces energy that generates heat in Idaho’s natural waters. This is just one of the many Idaho hot springs but I loved it because I got to snowshoe to the location, undress, and then jump into the 100 degree waters! These hot springs are also part of a river, so if you stumble upon cold water, obviously that’s not a hot spring!

Me in front of the hot springs!

McCall

McCall is a resort town about two hours north of Boise and situated on the Southern shore of the Payette Lake. With McCall being a resort town, there are endless activities there year-round but winter and summer are the most common seasons for tourism. In the winter, there are a couple ski resorts as well as opportunities for snowshoeing and other winter activities. While in the summer, you can enjoy the beautiful lake, take a hike at Goose Creek Falls at Ponderosa State Park, and visit an ice cream shop in an alley! It is literally called Ice Cream Alley and it is only open in the summer! I have yet to go in the winter, but when I do, I’m hoping to visit the annual Winter Carnival held every February!

Goose Creek Falls! My first visit to McCall summer 2021.

Bruneau Sand Dunes (Bruneau, ID)

Who ever thought Idaho would have sand dunes?! It’s only found in Bruneau, Idaho and the views look like something straight out of a movie! Hiking up these dunes made me wish there were such things as sand shoes, kind of like how snowshoes make hiking in the snow much easier! Aside from the hike, I did get to experience sand sledding down the dunes, which was really fun! The hardest part about that was getting back UP the hill. Definitely stop by these dunes if you’re ever in the Boise-Mountain Home area!

The dunes + a pit of quicksand!

Blue Heart Springs (Hagerman, ID)

Not a hot spring but a natural spring along the Snake River near Thousand Springs State Park in Hagerman, only an hour and a half east of Boise. This is actually the 13th largest freshwater spring in North America and some of the bluest and clearest water I have ever seen! Also, when you look at the bottom of the springs, you will likely see sand bubble up as the spring water emerges from the ground below! My trip to Blue Heart was probably the first time I have ever seen sand bubble up underwater.

See how blue and clear the water is?!

Craters of the Moon National Monument (Arco, ID)

Another Eastern Idaho spot, Craters of the Moon is a preserve of volcanic ash, a series of lava flows, cinder cones, and sagebrush. Activities here include scenic hikes, cave tours (if they’re open, sometimes they’re not), exploring the craters, and running up a hill of volcanic ash. I loved my first visit and hopefully next time I go, the cave tours will be available!

Pic from my first visit summer 2020. Ash hill in the background.

Coeur d’Alene

Very similar to McCall being an Idaho resort town, but much further north. This city up in Idaho’s panhandle is only a half hour away from Spokane, WA and is known for its huge lake, water sports, and a floating golf course hole! The floating golf hole is located at the heart of the city, Coeur d’Alene Resort. There are also plenty of hiking opportunities most notably at Tubbs Hill and McEuen Park. In the summer, people come here to party on the lake, hike, and take lake cruises, while in the winter, this is a popular ski and winter sports destination. In addition, Silverwood Theme Park is right outside of the city in Athol, and I was so bummed I missed out on this during my first visit.

View of the lake from Tubbs Hill. July 2020.

Sun Valley

The Aspen of Idaho- an expensive ski resort town that attracts lots of celebrities yearly. Ernest Hemingway also died while residing here and there is a lot of dedication to him in this town. The honors include a Hemingway memorial, an exhibit dedicated to him inside the Wood River Museum, and a cocktail named after him served at the Sun Valley Lodge! This town also has many summer activities that include hiking either in Bald Mountain or nearby trails, checking out Native American themed shops and attractions, wine tasting, and touring the art and historical museums. Very quick, but there is also an opportunity in Ketchum to take a pic of an interesting looking Starbucks! As someone who is fascinated with unique-looking McDonalds' and Starbucks' and made a previous travel goal to assess those locations, I enjoyed being able to see the Starbucks in Ketchum. But the bottom line is that there are three common themes of this town: skiing, Ernest Hemingway, and Native American history.

The Starbucks! You'll also find this on any list of crazy looking Starbucks locations around the world!

Sawtooth National Forest (Stanley, ID)

A beautiful mountain range in the heart of Idaho, this is where I had my first backpacking trip. It was in late September so I was able to see all the fall colors coming out and enjoy the trip without it being too hot or cold. My group and I took the route to Alice Lake, and I believe it was the right choice. Although we were hiking on rocks for a good portion of the six mile trek, nothing could stop us from enjoying the views and being able to see how red and orange all the leaves were turning, how pretty the mountains were, and how clean the lakes were. This is definitely a must if you are in Idaho! However, if you are not into camping or backpacking, there are hotels in Stanley you can stay in while still being able to hike in the Sawtooths!

An all in one photo: Fall colors, lake, and mountains!

After reading this article, I hope you are convinced that Idaho isn’t just potatoes and rednecks. If this wasn’t what you originally thought, I’ll add in that it is not the same thing as Iowa, a state in the MIDWEST nowhere near as beautiful. Funny how people get those two mixed up!

Idaho is one of the fastest growing states in the 2020s with people moving to mainly Boise and Twin Falls, and I think they are making the right choice! Not only because I’m one of those people but because my world has opened up since I have moved to Idaho. Since moving there, I have gotten into backpacking, rock climbing, been inspired to hike more, and spend more time outside! Even if you adapted those skills from living in another state, I still suggest visiting Idaho whether you’re trying to reach all 50 states or you want to visit the underrated destinations listed in this article. Idaho is more of a “passing-through” state but even that being the case, I still believe Idaho deserves a better rap than just the “potato state”. Even though I’ll be traveling around for awhile, Idaho will always be my home!

Questions about visiting and/or moving to Idaho? Feel free to contact me!