Idaho doesn’t have a national park to visit during Labor Day weekend (why is a topic for another time), but the Gem State is still home to national and state monuments, wilderness areas, and preserves perfect for a day or weekend trip.
Here are the three natural backyards that new Boiseans — or longtime Boiseans trying to get a little more adventurous — should visit at least once.
Craters of the Moon National Monument
Forget taking a nature trip to a “simpler time” — this trip will transport you to another celestial body, as the name suggests. Basalt lava flows have dried and cooled over the land repeatedly for at least 1,500 years, altering the landscape in a rare and fascinating way. Wildlife still thrives there, and the wildflowers that bloom in early to mid June are some of the state’s best.
Once you’re over there, you might as well head to Arco, the world’s nuclear-powered town, and then up the valley to Borah Peak, Idaho’s tallest mountain.
Sawtooth Wilderness
The Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) was almost a national park, and in many ways it feels like it is one. Everyone and their dog seems to love the Sawtooths, but for good reason — the mountains and lakes are unbeatable once you’ve managed to secure a corner of it for yourself.
Planning your (beginner) day trip: Camp in or near the Sawtooths, then head into Stanley in the morning and wait out the line at the Stanley Baking Company (it’s worth it, IMO). You can’t start a day better than taking your breakfast up the hill to the little park overlooking the mountains, and it’s all fun from there. Find a quick hike, or hang out at one of the alpine lakes. Just plan to fight off two Dodge trucks and three other Subarus for a parking spot at Redfish Lake.
Idaho may not be home to a national park (aside from a sliver of Yellowstone), but it does have 27 state parks. (Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation)
Ponderosa State Park
If you can manage to make the harrowing two-hour drive to the McCall area anytime other than on a Friday evening, I’d recommend it. But the traffic is there for a good reason. The area offers camping and boating with the amenities of a town within a short drive.
Planning your trip: Because the area has been extensively developed, it can be difficult to find a camping spot here, but it’s possible. The state park offers cabin rentals, which would be a great overnight plan. For a possibly dissonant experience, kick back with a copy of “Cloud Cuckoo Land,” because part of the novel is set in Lakeport, which was almost McCall’s name.
A Little Farther Afield
- Wallowa Lake State Park is another of Boise’s backyards just over the state border in Oregon. Much of the area is vacation home territory, but the valleys outside the park offer great camping — and driving up to the lake while listening to “Wallowa Lake Monster” by Sufjan Stevens is an experience worth treasuring.
- Bear Lake State Park in the southeast corner of Idaho overlaps into Utah, and while its nickname “the Caribbean of the Rockies” is a bit of a stretch, you should run, not walk, to get a Bear Lake raspberry milkshake this summer.
- Island Park is one of the many parks in the Greater Yellowstone area, a large scale ecosystem of legally protected space that provides a critical buffer for the nation’s oldest national park. Obviously you have to visit Yellowstone, but Island Park, Harriman State Park, and Henry’s Lake, all in Idaho, are well worth a visit too.
