Idaho Travel Guide

Craters of the Moon National Monument is located on the Snake River Plain in south-central Idaho, and is a bizarre volcanic lava wilderness that makes visitors feel as if they have landed on an alien planet. The monument covers over 43,000 acres and preserves the Big Craters and a series of volcanic lava tubes, spatter cones, cinder cones, and other rich volcanic features. Volcanic activity here began 15,000 years ago with the most recent eruption approximately 2,100 years ago. Lava flows formed black basalt layers tens of feet thick on the surface, with twisted rope-like pahoehoe structures and broken a'a lava blocks covering the land, presenting a lunar-like desolate landscape that gives the monument its name. The monument features a 7-mile loop scenic drive and several hiking trails, with the route through lava tube caves being the most unique, allowing visitors to descend into underground tunnels hundreds of meters long for exploration. In the arid continental climate, only a few species adapted to extreme environments survive, such as limber pine, sagebrush, and occasionally bighorn sheep.

Custer Ghost Town is located at the foot of the Sawtooth Mountains in central Idaho, a Western ghost town that rose and fell with silver mining, carrying the memory of the late 19th-century Western mining boom. Founded in 1879 after rich silver was discovered in Custer Mountain, the town quickly boomed with hundreds of residents, a hotel, stores, a post office, and multiple saloons. As silver deposits depleted and prices crashed in 1893, the town rapidly declined and was abandoned by the early 20th century. Now protected by the Idaho State Parks system, several historic buildings have been restored to show the 19th-century Western mining town appearance. Visitors can walk empty streets, enter the restored general store, post office, and homes, experiencing miner life. The surrounding Sawtooth Mountains offer spectacular scenery.

The Dog Bark Park Inn, located near Cottonwood, Idaho along Route 95, is a unique dog-shaped bed and breakfast, one of the most famous and beloved examples of American programmatic architecture, serving as a whimsical stopover for cross-country road trips. Designed and built in 1994 by artists Dennis Sullivan and Frances Conklin, the inn takes the form of a giant beagle named Sweet Willy, standing 9 meters tall, constructed of wire mesh and cement, with the dog's ears serving as windows and the nose as the entrance, containing a two-story guest space accommodating 2 to 4 guests. The interior is decorated with dog-themed elements including dog-shaped beds, paw print carpets, dog-themed books and artwork, creating a playful atmosphere. The roadside park also houses the artists' studio and gift shop selling Dennis and Frances's handmade beagle wood carvings and crafts. The inn offers both a unique lodging experience and a pilgrimage site for American roadside novelty architecture, making it an unforgettable whimsical stop on cross-country road trips along Route 95 or the Lewis and Clark Trail.

Coeur d'Alene is a lakeside town in Idaho's panhandle, wrapped around a 40-kilometre lake of the same name, its shores of cedar and quartzite drawing vacationers since the railroad arrived. Once a mining and timber hub, it reinvented itself as an outdoors resort — golf, the world's longest floating boardwalk, lake cruises and a ski hill above town. The Coeur d'Alene Resort's gondola and the nearby Tubbs Hill trails frame the water. A quintessential Inland Northwest retreat where mountain lake and small-town ease meet.

Idaho Falls is the fourth largest city in Idaho, situated along the Snake River and named after an artificially modified waterfall in the downtown area. The falls span approximately twelve hundred feet wide, with water cascading over granite steps, making it one of the widest waterfalls in the United States, particularly enchanting under colored lights at night. The city serves as the western gateway to Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park, only about two hours drive from both, making it a necessary transit stop for many visitors. Idaho Falls is also home to the renowned Idaho National Laboratory, a major center for American nuclear energy research. The city features tree lined streets, riverfront trails stretching for miles, and a deep Mormon cultural influence, making it clean and safe. Combining natural beauty, scientific atmosphere, and small city livability, Idaho Falls is an ideal base for exploring Idaho and the Yellowstone region.