Idaho may be famous for potatoes, but recent news of Californians massively moving to Idaho has caught my attention. Have I misunderstood Idaho so far? I set out to find out this past memorial Day.
I decided to do a giant loop starting from twin falls, going all the way up to Stanley, coming around to the East, and then coming back down through Idaho falls.
First off are the Shoshone falls and the twin falls. While Shoshone falls were incredible even though the water levels weren’t the highest yet. However, the twin falls were a bit of a sad letdown. You will also realize that twin falls are managed by the Idaho hydraulic power company. There were many signs warning tourists not to stay past 10:00 p.m., something of an ominous sign that perhaps explained why the twin falls became “mono-fall” when I was there. Something else that we can educate ourselves on. Both Shoshone Falls and Twin Falls are located on the Snake River, which also houses an interesting variety of leisure activities such as golfing and bass jumping from the nearby Perrine Memorial Bridge. I was lucky enough to see some of those daredevils in action.
While the weather at twin falls was rising to the summer temperature, the snow in the Sawtooth mountains was keeping everything cool this late May. The Sawtooth Mountains are situated in the Sawtooth National Forest, which is one of the few national forests that makes the entirety of Idaho look like a National Park. Sawtooth mountains are situated at a higher elevation compared to twin falls. In fact, the tone of Stanley Idaho has consistently been the coldest city in the lower 48 States of the US, as told to me by the rangers. When I attempted to hike to the Norton lakes, the snow-covered almost all of the trail, even in late May. Such was true for most of the trails in the National Forest. However, the Sawtooth mountains still revealed her beautiful landscape to me. The snow added a beautiful layer of the veil to the jagged peaks. Some snow packs have begun to melt, making small streams into rushing rivers, perfect for the beginning of the rafting season. Some bigger lakes at slightly lower elevations did not freeze as much, making them excellent morning coffee spots.Â
Speaking of coffee, you can find more shops and bars in the town of Stanley. There are not a lot of varieties however each has its own charm. The local museum began to operate the day I was in Stanley. Like many mountain towns, Stanley was an important location during the mining era. Much was true of most of the mountain towns in Idaho. You can even visit some of the ghost towns and old gold dredges that were part of the mining history of Idaho. Most of them can be accessed from Route 75 next to the Salmon River. If you get more time than I did, I would definitely recommend taking a few days to enjoy their history. Also located on the site of Route 75, not too far from the town of Stanley, were the hot springs and hot pots. These hot pots are made up of the natural Hot springs water nearby and the colder Salmon River Water. You can find some of them floating on the Salmon River like the one I was in. Camping spots were decently easy to find when I was there. Many had excellent views of the mountains and easy access to the Salmon River.Â
Idaho is at the center stage of multiple early Westward expansion trips and pioneer trips. You will find routes of Lewis and Clark, early Mormon pioneers, and ethnic immigrants. I did not cover much of that history on this trip however, if you do have time, I would recommend stopping by the various key points of these early Westward routes. Don’t worry about getting lost. Oftentimes, you will frequently find yourself aided by the history signs conveniently located by the side of the road.Â
Passing through Challis, I took route 93 towards Arco. At Arco, you can take route 26 to the Craters of the Moon National Monument. At first glance, the moon’s craters look like a giant meteorite colliding with Earth. In fact, this giant lava field is one of the latest results of the local volcanic activities. Even if you’re not a caving professional, there are plenty of opportunities for beginner-level, sans rope caving. You can even climb on top of a collapsed crater to have a panoramic view of the entire park. Truly a unique piece of the Idaho wilderness.
Also unique are the nuclear laboratories to the east of the craters of the Moon. You will see a lot of do not enter signs along route 26 and route 20 Eastward. Those empty spaces nearby those two routes between Arco and Idaho Falls/Blackfoot are laboratories. I don’t think they could have made it more obvious. As one of Idaho Falls Museum volunteers has told me, Idaho is very important for nuclear research. This was even a former nuclear submarine training facility. Imagine seeing sailors walking around a completely landlocked state! Research is still ongoing in this land, so if the sign says don’t enter, please don’t enter.
Idaho falls did not have much to see in terms of natural wonders. There was, of course, the Eagle Falls statue & the small cascading waterfalls, a former name of Idaho falls. Everything else was more industrial. However, Idaho falls is a popular stopping point for people who are heading to Grant Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.
The last place I stopped by before heading back to Utah was the lava Hot springs. Like many hot springs, Lava Hot springs are said to have healing properties, which I’ll surely need after a few days of crawling in the soft snow of the Sawtooth mountains. If you are bringing your family with you, Lava Hot Springs also has a stream that runs through the town which means you can go tubing if you are spending more than 2 hours there.
All in all, Idaho was a wonderful trip. Now I fully understand why Parks and Rec quoted: “the entirety of Idaho is a national park!” I can’t wait to go back next time and learn more about Native American history, mining history, and the westward expansion history.