Idaho's Most Scenic Overlooks and Viewpoints

Idaho's overlooks operate at the scale of geological enormity — Hells Canyon's seven-thousand-foot drop, the Sawtooth Range's jagged horizon, and the volcanic Snake River Plain's volcanic geometry.

Galena Summit (8,701 ft — Sawtooth Scenic Byway)
The single most dramatic mountain view in Idaho — from the pullout at Galena Summit on ID-75, the entire Sawtooth Range is arrayed across the horizon with the Stanley Basin and Salmon River headwaters in the foreground. The range's jagged granite spires rising above green meadows and the winding river is the defining image of Idaho's mountain scenery.

Heavens Gate Lookout (8,429 ft — Seven Devils Mountains)
The highest point accessible by road in the Seven Devils Mountains above Hells Canyon — the view from Heavens Gate encompasses 7,000 feet down to the Snake River, across Oregon's Wallowa Mountains, and north and south along the canyon. The scale of Hells Canyon is only comprehensible from this elevation. The access road from Riggins is unpaved and requires high clearance.

Bruneau Overlook (Bruneau Canyon)
Southeast Idaho — the Bruneau River has carved a canyon 800 feet deep through basalt. The Bruneau Canyon Overlook on C.J. Strike Road gives a vertiginous view of the sheer basalt walls and the river far below. The canyon is undeveloped and rarely visited.

Shoshone Falls Overlook (Twin Falls)
From the Canyon Rim Trail above Twin Falls — the view encompasses the Snake River Canyon (400–500 feet deep), Shoshone Falls, the Twin Falls proper, and the basalt plateau of the Snake River Plain. The BASE jumping from the Perrine Bridge is frequently visible.

Redfish Lake Overlook (Sawtooth NRA)
From the hillside above Redfish Lake — the combined view of the clear glacial lake, the red gravel beaches, and the Sawtooth Range spires (particularly the Thompson Peak massif) is the most photographed scene in the Idaho Rockies.