Any Idaho travel information?

[mmsmom]

I’m so excited we booked a family multi day rafting trip on the Salmon River in Idaho. I think I read about these trips here many years ago and although I am not looking forward to the camping part, I know DC will love it. I also felt this was a great year for it since there is a max # on the trip so we don’t have to worry about crowds. We are flying into Salt Lake City and have a 5 hour drive to rafting site with a few days before and after rafting portion for site seeing. Any recommendations? We are of course doing this last minute and there are some towns that are already completely booked for July. We may need to do a day in SLC so any recommendations there would be appreciated too. Kids are teens and we love active.. hiking, biking, etc. but would also love historical sites, great scenery, museums. TIA!

UPDATE:
We had a great trip! Flew into Salt Lake City and drove to Idaho Falls with a stop in Lava Hot Springs. Next day went to Craters of the Moon National monument which was amazing. Continued on to Salmon, ID which is a cute town. Rafting trip for the next 3 days and 2 nights. It was really amazing. Ended up being just our family which was good and bad. I was happy to have just us since you never know what the dynamics would be like with others but I think DC would have enjoyed more with other people. The river was at an all time low so there were a few rapids that were big but a lot of mellow time as well. We had 3 staff for the 4 of us. I’m glad we did the shorter trip… it does get repetitive. But the scenery is just amazing. After the trip we went back to Idaho Falls for a night then back to Salt Lake City. We did atop at The Potato Museum which was interesting. We had one full day in SLC so went to Park City to get out of the heat then in the evening we did an E-Bike tour on Antelope Island. Beautiful scenery and sunset and the e-bikes were a lot of fun. But it was also depressing to see how low the water level is in the lake. We met at the marina which is now dry and has not had water in years. Beautiful part of the country and we saw a lot in a short time. It was hotter than usual and we also had smoke from wildfires but it was great to be traveling again.

[nfceagles]

Where exactly in Idaho is the rafting site?
Island Park and Mesa Falls comes to mind. Earthquake Lake and the visitor center there is very cool. But I’m not sure exactly where you are going to be.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mmsmom]

It’s in Salmon, ID which looks to be Southeast part of state?

[nfceagles]

That’s a little further north than I’m familiar with but I still recommend Island Park, Mesa Falls, and Earthquake Lake as well and West Yellowstone and Yellowstone if you have the time. Not too far off the path from SLC to Salmon. The grizzly and wolf center in W Yellowstone is fun.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mom2binsd]

You could stay in Park City when you arrive or at the end depending on timing. The Olympic park up there has some summer activities.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[Snow mom]

I recommend stopping at Craters of the Moon. You can totally see it in a day, but really surreal landscape. My kids loved the bear and wolf center in W Yellowstone when they were little. It’s actually a pretty neat place, with a good educational component and the animals are well cared for. The Sun Valley area is the big ski tourist area and much like Park City, there are some summer activities out of there. They also tend to have bigger events like concerts.

[mmsmom]

Thanks all... we will be a little too far from Sun Valley area which is fine because it is totally sold out! No hotels in Sun Valley, Ketchum, Stanley area for most of the summer. I have managed to find hotels in other areas. I hate to be so close to Yellowstone and not go but I know July is crowded in a normal year and this year they are expecting worse crowds than last year. We won’t have time to spend enough time there anyway and I’d rather plan when we can stay in park. We may try Grand Tetons.

If anyone else has thoughts, please share!

[squimp]

I would consider Yellowstone and/or Grand Tetons if there is time. We went to Yellowstone in July a few years ago and it was so awesome. If you like to hike, you can get away from a lot of the crowds. And it's just so spectacular, I envisioned it as if Disneyworld was a national park and just tried to enjoy it. Find a place to stay ASAP, that is the tricky part.

[StantonHyde]

You are in my stomping grounds :-) Yes, the national parks will be swamped!!! How many days do you actually have before/after? Like full days? Because that makes a difference. It's a 6 hour drive to Stanley from SLC and you don't want to do that in the dark--too much amazing scenery.

So--things to see in SLC and Park City:
1. Natural History Museum in SLC is truly amazing with great exhibits on all of the dinosaurs found here plus great info on the past and present Native Americans.
2. Clark Planetarium in SLC is cool and worth a stop.
3. For hiking, you would want to hit the Cottonwood Canyons or Millcreek Canyon. If you are coming from a lower altitude, I would do Millcreek Canyon and give everyone a chance to acclimate.
There are plenty of hotel options in SLC and food as well--will be much less expensive than Park City.
Park City has:
1. Silver Mine tour (check to see if it is going)
2. Lots of activities at the Olympic Park
3. Downhill Mountain Biking on the ski lifts
4. Hiking on the ski mountains
Great lodging, but expensive. It will be a little cooler than Salt Lake.

Then, driving to Stanley from SLC, taking 15 to 84 and then 93 and 75:
1. Stop at the City of Rocks--check out the website. It's more for rock climbing but there are good places to scramble around as well.
2. Burley is about the half way point. You can stop there or in Twin Falls for lunch.
3. There's plenty of hiking to do around Stanley vs. staying in Sun Valley

On the way back, you could take 75 north to Challis and then head south on 93 to Arco and then 26 West to Craters of the Moon--really an amazing place and unlike anything else you will have seen.
Instead of Jackson and the Tetons which will be bursting at the seams, stay on the West side of the Tetons in Driggs. We stayed in a condo there and it was really nice. You can do some amazing hikes there. Mountain biking at Grand Targhee resort and good restaurants. I am sure you can go horse back riding as well. If you drive back on I-15 through Blackfoot, Idaho, you MUST stop at the Potato Museum--seriously amazing hour!!

For the flight out--if you are flying out in the am, stay at a hotel WEST of the airport. Those are good. Don't stay anywhere on North Temple thinking that it will be closer to the airport--very sketchy.

[mmsmom]

You are in my stomping grounds :-) Yes, the national parks will be swamped!!! How many days do you actually have before/after? Like full days? Because that makes a difference. It's a 6 hour drive to Stanley from SLC and you don't want to do that in the dark--too much amazing scenery.

So--things to see in SLC and Park City:
1. Natural History Museum in SLC is truly amazing with great exhibits on all of the dinosaurs found here plus great info on the past and present Native Americans.
2. Clark Planetarium in SLC is cool and worth a stop.
3. For hiking, you would want to hit the Cottonwood Canyons or Millcreek Canyon. If you are coming from a lower altitude, I would do Millcreek Canyon and give everyone a chance to acclimate.
There are plenty of hotel options in SLC and food as well--will be much less expensive than Park City.
Park City has:
1. Silver Mine tour (check to see if it is going)
2. Lots of activities at the Olympic Park
3. Downhill Mountain Biking on the ski lifts
4. Hiking on the ski mountains
Great lodging, but expensive. It will be a little cooler than Salt Lake.

Then, driving to Stanley from SLC, taking 15 to 84 and then 93 and 75:
1. Stop at the City of Rocks--check out the website. It's more for rock climbing but there are good places to scramble around as well.
2. Burley is about the half way point. You can stop there or in Twin Falls for lunch.
3. There's plenty of hiking to do around Stanley vs. staying in Sun Valley

On the way back, you could take 75 north to Challis and then head south on 93 to Arco and then 26 West to Craters of the Moon--really an amazing place and unlike anything else you will have seen.
Instead of Jackson and the Tetons which will be bursting at the seams, stay on the West side of the Tetons in Driggs. We stayed in a condo there and it was really nice. You can do some amazing hikes there. Mountain biking at Grand Targhee resort and good restaurants. I am sure you can go horse back riding as well. If you drive back on I-15 through Blackfoot, Idaho, you MUST stop at the Potato Museum--seriously amazing hour!!

For the flight out--if you are flying out in the am, stay at a hotel WEST of the airport. Those are good. Don't stay anywhere on North Temple thinking that it will be closer to the airport--very sketchy.


Thanks so much for all of this info! To clarify, we are going to Salmon, ID (not Stanley) Stanley and the Sun Valley area are completely booked for lodging in July and August (just FYI if others are looking). I just did a quick check so I’m sure there may be some options. We have 1 full day pre rafting trip and 2.5 days after.

We arrive AM Day 1 and will Uber to car rental place (off site as car rentals are a nightmare right now). Then were thinking of Antelope Island if shower facilities are open and we can get into Salt Lake. I know my kids would love the “floating”. Then drive a couple hours towards Crater of the Moon (I have a hotel in Idaho Falls right now but it may be too far off route). Day 2 at Crater of the Moon then hoping to find hot springs between there and Salmon. I know there is Goldbug in Challis but saw it is clothing optional which would not go over well with the teens. :)

Days 3-5 are rafting then we have days 6-8 to figure out. Options are Driggs area and Earthquake Lake, Island Park , others you mention. Or return to SLC and see sites there. We leave midday on day 8.

[mom2binsd]

I will be a voice of "the Great Salt Lake isn't that great". It smells pretty bad (I lived pretty far away and could smell it still some days) and I think you would enjoy other things in SLC that Rebecca mentioned more than "floating" in that lake. Also, in July it could be miserable on the valley floor.

[StantonHyde]

Yep—no way on the Lake!! Anything else on my list is better than that stinky place!!!

[mmsmom]

Thanks for the feedback on lake... we’ll skip it.

[StantonHyde]

Thanks so much for all of this info! To clarify, we are going to Salmon, ID (not Stanley) Stanley and the Sun Valley area are completely booked for lodging in July and August (just FYI if others are looking). I just did a quick check so I’m sure there may be some options. We have 1 full day pre rafting trip and 2.5 days after.

We arrive AM Day 1 and will Uber to car rental place (off site as car rentals are a nightmare right now). Then were thinking of Antelope Island if shower facilities are open and we can get into Salt Lake. I know my kids would love the “floating”. Then drive a couple hours towards Crater of the Moon (I have a hotel in Idaho Falls right now but it may be too far off route). Day 2 at Crater of the Moon then hoping to find hot springs between there and Salmon. I know there is Goldbug in Challis but saw it is clothing optional which would not go over well with the teens. :)

Days 3-5 are rafting then we have days 6-8 to figure out. Options are Driggs area and Earthquake Lake, Island Park , others you mention. Or return to SLC and see sites there. We leave midday on day 8.

On day one, I would get the car and then do the Dog Lake Hike at the top of Millcreek Canyon. This assumes that you are not flying in on a weekend. If you are, don't do that suggestion!!! It will take 30-45 minutes to get to the trailhead and 2-3 hours to do the hike. Then yes, drive to Idaho Falls--that will take 3.5-4 hours. Another option which might work better after a plane ride (??) would be to start driving. Go up to Idaho Falls, and on the way--stop at the Potato Museum in Blackfoot. Seriously. Then, in Idaho Falls, the have the Museum of Eastern Idaho which gets amazing traveling exhibits--we have seen ones on Darwin, Pompeii, the race to the North Pole, etc. That will easily kill a couple of hours. That's a good 7 hour day right there. Check out the website for Museum of Eastern Idaho. If the exhibit doesn't interest you, then hit the Museum of Natural History in SLC. Smittys Pancake House in Idaho Falls is the place for breakfast--or any time really.

Then, go up to Craters of the Moon and on to Salmon.

Days 6-8--I love Island Park and Earthquake Lake, too. There is an awesome migratory bird refuge. You could ride horses or hike at the Herriman Railroad Ranch. You can float the river in inner tubes in Island Park. Pretty tame after your previous days :-) See if you can get a cabin in Island Park on VRBO or something. If anyone in your family likes fly fishing, the Henry's Fork of the Snake River is WORLD CLASS and a must do. Book a guide. You will either have to get up really early on day 8 to make it back. (It will be a 5-6 hour drive) Or go down to Pocatello on the night of Day 7 and go the rest of the way on Day 8.

[mmsmom]

On day one, I would get the car and then do the Dog Lake Hike at the top of Millcreek Canyon. This assumes that you are not flying in on a weekend. If you are, don't do that suggestion!!! It will take 30-45 minutes to get to the trailhead and 2-3 hours to do the hike. Then yes, drive to Idaho Falls--that will take 3.5-4 hours. Another option which might work better after a plane ride (??) would be to start driving. Go up to Idaho Falls, and on the way--stop at the Potato Museum in Blackfoot. Seriously. Then, in Idaho Falls, the have the Museum of Eastern Idaho which gets amazing traveling exhibits--we have seen ones on Darwin, Pompeii, the race to the North Pole, etc. That will easily kill a couple of hours. That's a good 7 hour day right there. Check out the website for Museum of Eastern Idaho. If the exhibit doesn't interest you, then hit the Museum of Natural History in SLC. Smittys Pancake House in Idaho Falls is the place for breakfast--or any time really.

Then, go up to Craters of the Moon and on to Salmon.

Days 6-8--I love Island Park and Earthquake Lake, too. There is an awesome migratory bird refuge. You could ride horses or hike at the Herriman Railroad Ranch. You can float the river in inner tubes in Island Park. Pretty tame after your previous days :-) See if you can get a cabin in Island Park on VRBO or something. If anyone in your family likes fly fishing, the Henry's Fork of the Snake River is WORLD CLASS and a must do. Book a guide. You will either have to get up really early on day 8 to make it back. (It will be a 5-6 hour drive) Or go down to Pocatello on the night of Day 7 and go the rest of the way on Day 8.

Thank you so much! Seriously, you have saved me hours of research time. I am very grateful! This all sounds great and I will work on getting this itinerary planned now.

[Twoboos]

We did this rafting trip almost 5 years ago! We all lived - don't panic just because it's called The River of No Return. ;) Luckily we went in late summer when the rapids weren't as big as they could be. DDs were 13 & 11 (had her bday out there, everyone made a big deal of it which was cute). We had guides who brought all the food and did all the cooking, bedding/tents, knew what was going on, etc., so that was great! But I learned for sure on this trip I'm more an actual Glamping person, rather than a Groover person. :hysterical:

The hot spring we went to was amazing. I lost count of how many bald eagles we saw. We lived through a thunderstorm. We saw a wild mare and her mule (and they saw me on the groover :eek:). We saw a hermit's cabin and all his preparations to deal with an invasion of the government (this was amazing, I am looking for his name. It's now like a rest stop on the river, I'm sure he's rolling in his grave). We looked across the river at another time zone, which I thought was crazy lol!

Sorry but we didn't do any exploring before/after, we went out quick to meet up with friends who were touring for the whole summer, then right back home.

[mmsmom]

We did this rafting trip almost 5 years ago! We all lived - don't panic just because it's called The River of No Return. ;) Luckily we went in late summer when the rapids weren't as big as they could be. DDs were 13 & 11 (had her bday out there, everyone made a big deal of it which was cute). We had guides who brought all the food and did all the cooking, bedding/tents, knew what was going on, etc., so that was great! But I learned for sure on this trip I'm more an actual Glamping person, rather than a Groover person. :hysterical:

The hot spring we went to was amazing. I lost count of how many bald eagles we saw. We lived through a thunderstorm. We saw a wild mare and her mule (and they saw me on the groover :eek:). We saw a hermit's cabin and all his preparations to deal with an invasion of the government (this was amazing, I am looking for his name. It's now like a rest stop on the river, I'm sure he's rolling in his grave). We looked across the river at another time zone, which I thought was crazy lol!

Sorry but we didn't do any exploring before/after, we went out quick to meet up with friends who were touring for the whole summer, then right back home.

Thanks so much for this feedback! I already know I am more of a glamping person but the things we do for our kids! The outfitter we are using handles everything so I think it will be an easy trip and the only thing I am not looking forward to is the bathroom situation but I’m sure it will be fine. I know my family is going to love the adventure and traveling again is much needed. An added bonus is that kids will now be fully vaxxed when we go. I will report back!

[nfceagles]

Lava Hot Springs might be within range of a stop. It’s been decades since I’ve been so I don’t know for sure it it’s as fun as I remember. Maybe others can add their opinion if it interests you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[StantonHyde]

Lava is amazing and worth a stop if hot springs are a key draw for you.

[mmsmom]

Update in OP

[StantonHyde]

Glad you all had a good time. Yes,the west is in mega drought conditions. And the Oregon and California wildfires smoke is almost as bad as last year. 30 years ago, the Salt Lake was over flowing and flooding out farms and houses. Climate change…

The scenery is majestic. I’m glad you enjoyed the various stops. The potato museum isn’t nearly as awesome as Craters of the Moon, but it’s still fun[emoji4]