FEATURE IDAHO
Dotted across a state that stretches from the top of Nevada to the Canadian border is an impressive line-up of natural wonders
In Southern Idaho, Shoshone Falls, The ‘Niagara of the West’, spills over a 212-ft drop near Twin Falls. It was these falls that stuntman Evil Knievel tried to jump in 1974 with his Sky-Cycle – unsuccessfully but not fatally. Hiking opportunities in the park allow visitors to get up close to the edge of the river. Also in the south-east, The Craters of the Moon National Monument is a weird-looking vast ocean of lava flows, with scattered islands of cinder cones and sagebrush. This eerie desert landscape so closely resembles lunar conditions that training for the first astronauts on the moon took place here. Visitors can drive the seven-mile loop road or take a guided tour or walk. Close to the Wyoming border, Soda Springs claims the largest man-made geyser in the world. Thousands of natural springs of carbonated water are located in and around the city. The springs were a famous landmark along the Oregon Trail during the
middle decades of the nineteenth century.
In northern Idaho, expect lakes
sparkling like sapphires, thick forests and prolific wildlife. Adventure options include taking a scenic seaplane flight, a hot-air balloon flight, fishing for Eastern Brook Trout, canoeing, water-skiing, golf or just enjoying a mountain sunset. Hiking and mountain biking trails abound, as do towering white pines inhabited by bald eagles and ospreys. At Bruneau Sand Dunes, 40 miles south-east of Boise,
dunes rise 470ft above small lakes in the high desert south of Mountain Home. The state park includes desert, dune,
prairie, lake and marsh habitat with activities like fishing, bird-watching, camping, hiking, swimming and gazing at the stars at one of only two public observatories in Idaho. Northern Idaho's major city, Coeur d'Alene, has developed from a mining and timber town into an international resort destination on the north shore of one of Idaho's most beautiful lakes. Attractions include the world's ‘longest floating boardwalk’, which surrounds the Coeur d'Alene Resort's marina, and 18 regional courses, including the world’s only floating golf green! The Coeur d'Alene area is surrounded by dozens of lakes left behind by the glaciers of the ice age, and the most popular Lake Coeur d'Alene itself. Visitors
should follow the eastern shoreline of the lake, along Idaho 97, for a scenic 35-mile drive. The northwest USA's
largest theme park, Silverwood, and Boulder Beach Water Park, are just 15 minutes
north of Coeur d'Alene. In winter the area is known for its Nordic and snowmobiling trails. At times Idaho still feels like 'frontier country', which makes it apt that visitors can follow the same trails taken by the horse and carts of those early westward pioneers. To learn more about the nineteenth century folk who took the perilous five-month journey along the 2000-mile Oregon Trail, visit The National Oregon/California Trail Center in Montpelier, in the south of the state. Daily living history tours led by a
‘wagon master’ guide visitors through an interactive experience that includes a simulated covered wagon ride. A museum displays artefacts and diaries. And what about those baked potatoes?
Surprisingly, over 80 per cent of potatoes grown in Idaho are shipped out to places both near and far, but they appear on menus across the state. They are even the inspiration for chocolate bars – local producer Idaho Candy Company’s best- seller is the potato-shaped ‘Spud Bar’ – and ice cream, which comes shaped like a baked spud, its 'jacket' a chocolate coat.
What’s New As Martin Roberts of Rocky Mountain International puts it: “One of Idaho's key selling points is that it is relatively unknown territory for the UK market so effectively the whole state is ‘new’.” However, one attraction definitely new
in Boise this year is Condor Cliffs, at the World Centre for Birds of Prey. The exhibit is one of only three in the
US where visitors can see the endangered California Condors, the largest bird in North America. A 25-foot-tall structure allows views of the huge birds and their 9½-foot wingspans. A cliff scene, complete with a cave-like nesting structure, mimics the condors’ natural habitat in remote locations like the Grand Canyon region (www.
peregrinefund.org). Once a working cattle ranch, the Lazy
R Ranch (
www.idahoguestranch. com) is now accepting guests. Located in a pristine location 45 miles north of Boise, the lodge sleeps up to 15. Ranch activities can be arranged.
Clockwise: Idaho has several family-focused theme parks; An Idaho 'spuddy buddy'; Fishing for chinook;
www.sellinglonghaul.com • September 2011 31
Selling Tip
Idaho's Hiawatha Trail, a 15-mile cycle route on an ex-railroad bed, is one of the most scenic trails in the USA
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