MAIN Travel USA Idaho

It ain't just taters, dude.

Surprised?

Yet residents of this traditionally agricultural western state would prefer that you keep that hush-hush.

Largely unexplored until the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1805, the area at the time was a vast wilderness occupied only by Nez Perce and Shoshoni Indian tribes.

A half century would pass before the first permanent U.S. settlement in Idaho was established in Franklin in 1860. That same year gold was discovered in Orofino Creek, attracting thousands of prospectors to the state.

Today, history is repeating in Idaho. Modern prospecting has resulted in the expansion of high-tech industry in the Boise area, making Idaho a hotbed of technical innovation rivaled only by California's Silicon Valley.

Employee retention is helped along by Idaho's local attractions with plenty of outdoor activities for the sports-minded. These include an abundance of fishing, hunting and camping facilities, plus luxury world-class Idaho ski resorts such as Sun Valley located only 2 1/2 hours from Boise.

Other major tourist attractions found within the state include Yellowstone National Park, Hells Canyon and Nez Percé National Historic Park.

Yet more outdoor wonders await at Craters of the Moon National Monument which preserves Idaho's geological past in a bizarre landscape of volcanic rifts and lava spatters covering a 50,000 acre expanse.

also see ->  Idaho Lake Beach Guide   |  2025 Idaho Fall Foliage

In October, join in the fun at the annual Trailing of the Sheep in Ketchum.

2025 Idaho events and festivals

Just up ahead, check out our Idaho travel calender featuring memorable events and major festivals happening throughout the state this travel season.

Find out where and when to go, plus more info at the official websites for directions and opening/closing times.

Happy travels!

DID YOU KNOW? Idaho Travel Fun Facts

Welcome to Freak Alley in Boise.

• Idaho has 3,100 miles of rivers - more than any other state.

• The statehouse in Boise is geothermally heated from underground hot springs.

• Shoshone Falls (212 feet), near Twin Falls, drops 52 feet further than Niagara Falls.

• The nation's only year-round outdoor ice skating rink is located in Ketchum at the Sun Valley Resort.

• Freak Alley is the largest outdoor gallery in the Northwest located in downtown Boise and dedicated to the work of graffiti artists.

also see -> This Christmas in Idaho

More about Idaho travel around the Web:

Official Idaho Vacation and Travel Planning Guide - Places to go and things to do statewide with suggested tours & itineraries, online brochures, maps & pictures, regional guides, related resources.

Boise Convention & Visitors Bureau - Major and nearby attractions, maps, pictures, hotel and dining guides, weather facts and practical tourist info, sports & recreation, cultural event calendar.

North Idaho Tourism - Encompassing the Selkirk, Cabinet, Coeur d'Alene, and Bitterroot Mountains, lakes and valleys including St. Joe and Idaho Panhandle National Forests, with guides to outdoor recreation, an interactive map, pictures, event calendar.

Southeast Idaho High Country - Featuring what to see and do in American Falls, Bancroft, Blackfoot, Chesterfield, Downey, Fort Hall, Franklin, Grace, Lava Hot Springs, Malad, Montpelier, Pocatello, Preston, and Soda Springs with plenty of info on outdoor activities with maps, pictures and virtual tours.