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
Top 10 Hiking Trails 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. Boise River Greenbelt
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,436 reviews
Flows through Boise and provides more than 25 miles of scenic paths for biking, hiking and jogging.
Reviewed By marmot3 - Boise, United States
The beautiful Boise River flows through the heart of the city. Flanking the river on one side or the other or sometimes both, is the gently winding Boise River Greenbelt, a paved path that runs for 25 miles, from Lucky Peak Dam upriver to the town of Eagle downriver. Along the way, there are many entrances and exits, so you can make your Greenbelt experience as long or short as you wish. Previously, it was totally non-motorized, though recently e-bikes became admissible--with a speed limit. When my family gathered for a reunion in Boise in June, we loved our "bike hike" on the Greenbelt. Some people had brought their own bikes; others rented from bike shops downtown. One family rented a bike trailer/carrier for their little kids. Off we all went, our ride taking us through four leafy city parks, past the zoo, the Anne Frank Memorial, the Fallen Firefighters Memorial, Quinn's Pond and the Whitewater Park and beyond. On the return we stopped off for play time in one of Ann Morrison Park's playgrounds. Many cities are built on rivers, and many cities capitalize on these fortunate features. But I know of no other city that has been as successful as Boise in incorporating their river into the life of the city while preserving its natural beauty. Boise River Greenbelt is an extraordinary gift for the people of Boise and the Treasure Valley, as well as visitors. Just a word of caution: The Greenbelt is extremely popular for recreation, exercise, bike commuting, fun runs, photo shoots, etc. It's busy! The posted "rules" for use state that pedestrians always have the right of way, but many people are oblivious or careless. The yellow stripe down the middle of the path is there for a reason. Treat the path as a highway and stay on the right unless passing. Watch for children or the ubiquitous geese and squirrels straying into your path. Be reasonably careful, share the path, and enjoy this Boise treasure!
2. Roman Nose Lakes
3. Bald Mountain Trail
4. Pulaski Tunnel Trail
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 92 reviews
Reviewed By 918brucef - San Antonio, United States
Very scenic with great history lesson from sign boards along Trail. 2 mile hike with quarter mile markers. Along Creek that flows year round. Plan on 3 hour total experience. Bring a camera.
5. Giant Cedar Grove Trailhead
6. Wood River Trail
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 46 reviews
Reviewed By belawler1
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.
7. Elk River Recreation District
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5 reviews
Family Fun in the BackCountry ATVing, Snowmobiling, Hiking, Huckleberry Picking, Fishing, Hunting, Camping, Events, Mushroom Hunting, Wildlife viewing, Scenic Byway, and much much more!!!
8. Iron Creek To Sawtooth Lake
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 13 reviews
Reviewed By CraigH08 - Cincinnati, United States
Hiked on July 22, 2019. Parking lot can squeeze about 35 spaces, at 8:30 am there were 25 cars, at 1:00 pm there were 35 cars with about 10 more pulled off the road. Plenty of room for parking off the road leading to the parking lot if soil is dry enough. Hike is 5 miles out and 5 miles back the same trail (total 10 miles). Trail is well used and easy to follow. The trail was not too hard at all, but seemed like more than 1,700 feet of elevation gain. More switchbacks on trail than I expected. Several creek crossings along the way, but there were good boulders and logs to step on. You come to "Alpine Lake" first. It is not big, but is pretty. If short on time, don't need to walk down to it, as you get great views of it on up the trail. Second lake is really just a small pond that is maybe 1,000 feet from the outfall of Sawtooth Lake. You need to hike to left of this pond to get to Sawtooth Lake. Still a decent amount of snow on Mt. Regan. Two patches of snow on trail at top were less than 100 feet long. The Sawtooth's are beautiful. No litter anywhere. Let's keep it this way! Enjoy!
9. Route of the Hiawatha
10. North Idaho Centennial Trail
Overall Ratings
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.
Reviewed By 752jefferyg - Gainesville, United States
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.
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