Featured destinations

About

Idaho has hundreds of incorporated cities and towns spread across 83,000 square miles, but the state's tourism focus rests on a smaller set of destinations with the deepest visitor infrastructure, the most-distinctive characters, and the strongest year-round draws. This page is the master index for Idaho destinations covered on the Hey Arnel guide — organized by region for travelers planning a trip to a specific part of the state.

Each city link below leads to a full destination guide with what's worth your time around the area, where to eat, lodging notes, when to visit, and the local-detail context that helps you plan more than what you'd get from a generic travel-site listing.

How Idaho's destinations break down by region

Treasure Valley — Idaho's urban center. Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Eagle, and the surrounding Snake River agricultural area. About 700,000 people. The starting point for most Idaho travelers, with the deepest hotel and restaurant infrastructure in the state.

• Boise — capital and largest city. Greenbelt, Basque Block, Bogus Basin skiing 16 miles from downtown, foothills trails, the Idaho State Museum.
• Meridian — Idaho's second-largest city, west of Boise.
• Nampa — Lake Lowell, Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, Roaring Springs Water Park.
• Caldwell — gateway to Sunnyslope wine country, Indian Creek Plaza Christmas in Caldwell light display.
• Eagle — Boise's wine-country suburb with foothills trails.
• Kuna — Birds of Prey National Conservation Area access.

Magic Valley — the Snake River Canyon corridor. Centered on Twin Falls. Iconic features: Shoshone Falls, the Perrine Bridge, the Thousand Springs region.

• Twin Falls — Magic Valley anchor, Shoshone Falls, Perrine Bridge BASE jumping platform.
• Buhl — gateway to Balanced Rock and the Thousand Springs region.
• Hagerman — Thousand Springs corridor, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument.
• Burley — eastern Magic Valley, Pomerelle skiing.
• Jerome — Jerome County, Snake River canyon.

North Idaho Panhandle — the lakes country. Coeur d'Alene, Sandpoint, Wallace, Kellogg. Lake Pend Oreille, Lake Coeur d'Alene, Priest Lake.

• Coeur d'Alene — Panhandle anchor, lake resort, cruises, Tubbs Hill.
• Sandpoint — Lake Pend Oreille, Schweitzer Mountain Resort, Festival at Sandpoint.
• Hayden — Coeur d'Alene's quieter suburb on Hayden Lake.
• Athol — Silverwood Theme Park, Farragut State Park.
• Wallace — Silver Valley mining history, Center of the Universe.
• Kellogg — Silver Mountain Resort, Route of the Hiawatha rail-trail access.
• Post Falls — Spokane River, Falls Park.
• Bonners Ferry — northernmost Idaho town on US-95.
• Priest River — gateway to Priest Lake.

Eastern Idaho — upper Snake River region, Yellowstone gateway, Teton Valley.

• Idaho Falls — Eastern Idaho's hub, Snake River Greenbelt.
• Pocatello — Gate City, ISU, Pebble Creek skiing, Old Town.
• Rexburg — BYU-Idaho, Yellowstone gateway, Mesa Falls.
• Driggs — Teton Valley, Grand Targhee Resort, back door to Jackson Hole.
• Victor — south end of Teton Valley.
• Ashton — Mesa Falls gateway.
• Island Park — Yellowstone west-entrance gateway, Henrys Fork.
• Lava Hot Springs — year-round mineral pools resort town.
• Soda Springs — captive geyser, Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
• Montpelier — Bear Lake gateway, Oregon Trail center.
• Blackfoot — Idaho Potato Museum.
• Arco — Craters of the Moon gateway, EBR-1 atomic museum.

Sun Valley & Wood River Valley — America's first destination ski resort and the surrounding valley.

• Ketchum — commercial heart of Sun Valley area, Bald Mountain skiing access.
• Sun Valley — historic 1936 Sun Valley Resort, the Lodge.
• Hailey — Wood River Valley commercial town, Friedman Memorial Airport.
• Bellevue — south end of the Wood River Valley.

Sawtooth & Salmon River — central Idaho's mountain heart.

• Stanley — iconic Sawtooth-base town, Salmon River access.
• McCall — Payette Lake resort, Brundage Mountain skiing, Winter Carnival.
• Cascade — Lake Cascade.
• Donnelly — Long Valley between McCall and Cascade.
• Challis — Salmon River corridor, Yankee Fork mining history.
• Salmon — Salmon River and Frank Church Wilderness gateway.
• Riggins — Idaho's whitewater capital, Hells Canyon gateway.
• Grangeville — Camas Prairie and Idaho County.
• Mackay — Mount Borah (Idaho's highest peak) area.

Plan your destination trip

For travelers new to Idaho: start with Boise + one mountain region. Treasure Valley + Sun Valley/Sawtooths is a strong combination. Boise + McCall + Stanley covers the most country in 5-7 days.

For travelers wanting depth: focus on one or two adjacent regions. The Panhandle works for 4-5 days. Magic Valley + Eastern Idaho or Sun Valley + Sawtooths each give a week of activity.

For travelers chasing specific destinations: jump directly to the city pages above. Each contains the on-the-ground detail (where to stay, where to eat, when to visit, what's worth your time) that's hard to get from generic travel sites.