The Ultimate Idaho Travel Guide
Idaho: Mostly known for its potatoes, Idaho also has quite a few impressive tourist attractions! I absolutely love the Shoshone Falls and the Craters of the Moon National Monument and are must-see in Idaho! Find out more details in my Idaho travel guide, outlining the major attractions in Idaho!
To make it easy for you to navigate the content, I have organized my Idaho travel guide into two sections. (1) A brief introduction to Idaho, a little history, some geography, commute, and weather. (2) Major Idaho attractions, if you wish, you can skip the introduction and move on to the next section, Idaho Attractions.
History: Idaho was officially admitted to the union as a state on July 3rd, 1890. It’s said that for several years, the land that is today called Idaho, was claimed by both the US and British. In 1846, as part of the Oregan Treaty, Idaho was officially declared as part of the US territory. Before joining the union, Idaho was part of the Oregan territory, the Washington Territory, and even proclaimed its own territory, finally, on July 3rd, 1890, Idaho became the 43rd state to join the union. Idaho potatoes are famous around the globe, and two-thirds of all potatoes produced in the US are grown in Idaho.
Geography: Idaho is bordered by Montana in the east and northeast, Wyoming in the east, Nevada, and Utah in the south, and Washington and Oregon in the west. To the north, Idaho shares a small portion of the Canadian border. It’s called the “Gem State” for the 72 types of precious and semi-precious stones it produces, some of them are exclusive to the state.
Getting There
Flight: People mostly fly into Boise International Airport (BOI) and Idaho Falls Regional Airport (IDA).
Drive: If you live in any of the neighboring states, you could drive to Idaho.
Train: There is only one Amtrak station in Idaho: Sandpoint, ID (SPT). The station is on the Empire Builder route that travels to Chicago, Portland, and Seattle.
Climate: Idaho summers are warm, and the winters are freezing and partly cloudy, with overall yearly temperatures in the range of 14°F to 87°F. Check current weather conditions in Idaho.
Time zone: Idaho’s north part is in the Pacific Time Zone (PDT – UTC-7), and its southern region is in the Mountain Time Zone (MDT – UTC-6).
Getting around: I would highly recommend renting a car, there is hardly any other ground transportation option available in Idaho, outside the large cities like Boise and Idaho Falls.
Best Places To Visit in Idaho
Shoshone Falls is a waterfall on the Snake River in southern Idaho. It’s about 3 miles from the city of Twin Falls, sometimes called the “Niagara of the West,” about 200 ft high 1,000 feet wide.
Located in Athol, Idaho, Silverwood Theme Park is an amusement park. The park started as a small local fun park. Now has grown in both size and popularity, becoming a theme park destination.
The Craters of the Moon is a US National Monument located in Snake River, Idaho. The National Monument protects and preserves three major lava fields and the neighboring area.
