Idaho

Idaho is part of the western frontier bordering Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years prior to its European colonization. Idaho has strong industry significance in mining, forestry, technology, tourism and agriculture especially it’s potato crops.

Excavations at Wilson butte Cave near Twin Falls in 1959 revealed evidence of human activity including arrowheads that rank among the oldest dated artifacts in North America. And while taking a riverboat tour down the Snake River you can enjoy the beautiful Petroglyphs and pictographs, known as Buffalo Eddy these unique images date back as much as 4500 years left by the Nez Perce people who occupied these lands.

The Lewis and Clark expedition crossed Idaho in 1805 on their way to the Pacific and in 1806 on the return trip largely following the Clearwater River in both directions. Idaho was a huge part of the Oregon Trail history and there are still remnants of the Oregon Trail that exist today.

There are six National Parks, Monuments and Historic sites across Idaho. One of the most fascinating is Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. This area contains different volcanic formations, basalt flows, and significant lava flow tubes and tree molds that covers 410,000 acres and has an average elevation of 5900 feet. You really do feel like you could be on the moon here. https://www.nps.gov/crmo/index.htm

Boise is the largest city in Idaho. It is Idaho’s Capital and also a college town to Boise State University. Boise is rich in culture with the arts, theatre and numerous museums mixing the history of the area and its modern lifestyle.

Lewiston is located at the confluence of the Snake River and the Clearwater River and southeast of the Lower Granite Dam. Dams and Locks on the Snake make the Port of Lewiston the only reachable Port the farthest inland linked to the Pacific Ocean. Lewiston’s main industries are agriculture, paper and timber products, Ammunition manufacturing, and light manufacturing. Sturgeon fishing, fishing charters, river boat tours up Hells Canyon are some of the main highlights in tourism. Every year is the Lewiston Round up rodeo which is in its 91st year as of this writing in 2025. Not too far up the road heading to Spalding is the Nez Perce National Historical Park Visitor Center and museum.

Twin Falls is another great destination while visiting Idaho. Located on a broad plain at the south rim of the Snake River Canyon Twin Falls is where daredevil Evel Knievel attempted to jump across the canyon on a steam powered rocket in 1974. Shoshone Falls also known as the Niagra Falls of the west is 212 feet high, 45 feet higher than Niagra Falls and flows over a rim of nearly one thousand feet in width. Enjoy hiking the canyon rim trail, kayaking the Snake River to Shoshone Falls, jet skiing, base jumping or paddle boarding as well as just viewing the many beautiful falls in the area. This is definitely worth a visit to this part of Idaho. For visitor information click here: https://www.tfid.org/309/Shoshone-Falls

There are endless opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors in Idaho.

In Rexburg we drove through the Yellowstone Bear World, we took a feed the bears tour and that was a lot of fun, they also now offer bottle feeding to bear cubs, I think I need to go back just for that experience alone. There are several ways to have interactions with the animals, and we had a great time. https://yellowstonebearworld.com/

Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Rexburg, Bonners Ferry, Coeur d’Alene all offer a variety of activities for the outdoor adventurer. Summers are hot and winters are cold, so whatever your season you choose to visit there is something for everyone in the beautiful state of Idaho. We have spent a lot of time in Idaho and even considered moving there at one time. We highly recommend Idaho as a vacation destination.