Top Places to Visit in Idaho

Idaho's visitor attractions are centered on natural wonders — Hells Canyon, the Sawtooth Wilderness, Sun Valley's alpine resort, and the remarkable Craters of the Moon volcanic landscape.

Sawtooth National Recreation Area
The most spectacular mountain scenery in Idaho — the Sawtooth Range's jagged granite spires (over 40 peaks above 10,000 feet) rise above the Stanley Basin (elevation 6,243 feet), the headwaters of the Salmon River. The Sawtooth Wilderness (217,000 acres) and the White Cloud Peaks contain over 300 alpine lakes. The scenic drive from Sun Valley (Ketchum) north through the Wood River Valley to Stanley on ID-75 (the Sawtooth Scenic Byway) is one of the finest in the Rocky Mountains.

Hells Canyon National Recreation Area
The deepest river gorge in North America — accessible by jetboat from Lewiston upstream to the canyon depths or by road (Hells Canyon Dam access road from Cambridge). The canyon walls rise nearly 8,000 feet from the Snake River. Bighorn sheep, black bears, and mountain goats inhabit the canyon walls. The prehistoric Nez Perce and Shoshone peoples used the canyon seasonally; petroglyphs mark the canyon walls. The Hells Canyon Wilderness is designated wild and scenic river.

Sun Valley
One of America's first and finest destination ski resorts (opened 1936, developed by the Union Pacific Railroad to attract wealthy train passengers). Bald Mountain (9,151 ft, "Baldy") is one of the finest ski mountains in the US — 3,400 vertical feet of sustained top-to-bottom runs. In summer, Sun Valley becomes an outdoor music and cultural destination; the Sun Valley Music Festival (August) attracts world-class orchestras. The town of Ketchum adjacent to Sun Valley is an upscale ski town with exceptional restaurants.

Craters of the Moon National Monument
One of the most extensive lava fields in the continental US — Craters of the Moon preserves a volcanic landscape little changed since the last eruptions 2,000 years ago. The Craters of the Moon Loop Drive (7 miles) passes cinder cones, spatter cones, lava tubes (open for exploration May–October), and lava tree molds. The landscape was used by NASA to train Apollo astronauts in volcanic geology.

Shoshone Falls (Twin Falls)
Called the "Niagara of the West" — Shoshone Falls drops 212 feet across a 900-foot-wide basalt lip on the Snake River, 36 feet taller than Niagara Falls. Best in spring (high water), dramatically reduced by irrigation diversions in summer. Twin Falls is also famous as the site of Evel Knievel's attempted Snake River Canyon jump (1974).