Driving Time (Boise, Coeur d'Alene, Lewiston: ski resort, movers, hotels)

[skittles2u]

I've noticed there are several people from So. Calif looking via this forum for information on areas in Idaho to move to.

I am thinking about a trip to see a couple areas of Idaho (maybe northern area, the location is quite open in my mind at this point). My question is, it looks like 1,000 miles (or was it 1,500 for me if I used Boise as a starting point); how long did you allow for the drive to get there? Once you drove there, how long did you stay or do you feel you need to stay to see the area? Then did you make a more "non-stop" drive home? I'm in the So. Calif area (Inland empire). Thoughts? thanks.

[Torrie]

Originally Posted by skittles2u

I've noticed there are several people from So. Calif looking via this forum for information on areas in Idaho to move to.

I am thinking about a trip to see a couple areas of Idaho (maybe northern area, the location is quite open in my mind at this point). My question is, it looks like 1,000 miles (or was it 1,500 for me if I used Boise as a starting point); how long did you allow for the drive to get there? Once you drove there, how long did you stay or do you feel you need to stay to see the area? Then did you make a more "non-stop" drive home? I'm in the So. Calif area (Inland empire). Thoughts? thanks.

I can tell you from Boise it takes about 6.5 hours to get up to Spokane, CDA area. Sage would probably know best, I think he comes to Boise from NID more frequently than myself?

Beautiful Drive!

[millagerobert]

If you drive through Idaho, make sure you check out HWY 12 from Lewiston to the Montana Border, nice small towns along the Clearwater river from Lewiston to Kooskia, then a very scenic drive up the river to the Montana border.

[Trace_Rinaldi]

Hi Skittles! Its roughly 850 miles to Boise from the IE, and about 370 miles to Coeur D'Alene from Boise. You can make it from Boise to N. Idaho in under 6 hours if there's no wierd road construction. A bit longer if you go all the way to Sandpoint. Do yourself a favor and check out N. Idaho, its incredible IMHO.. The drive up the 55 to the 95 is incredible!! Im in the Inland Empire too, and bought land in NID a few years back.. I cant wait to be moved there!

Good luck and happy scouting!! Just be prepared for a LONG drive home.. Coming back is always the hardest part for me.

[IdahoEagle]

Highway 95 that runs north/south through Idaho is known as the "Goat trail", because it is a slow windy drive. It is a beautiful drive though. It is actually faster to get from Coeur d'Alene to Boise by going through Washington and Oregon.

[stingraynm]

I used to travel that route all the time in college, Boise to Moscow. Via ID-55 to/from ID-95, that drive consistently took almost exactly 6 hours, and a sign in Moscow posts Boise as "300" miles away. I don't know if that's actual or as the crow flies, though. In any case, definitely take ID-55 from Boise to New Meadows, as it's both shorter and much more scenic.

In the summer, construction is usually an unfortunate guarantee, and they can really make you wait. If traffic must follow a lead truck, there's usually only one, and it'll go SLOW, so the wait for it to return and then following it can add up if the stretch is long. Also, abide by the "slow" sign held by the flagger, as many of them have regular interactions with state troopers with far-reaching radios, and your Cali plates will already make you a prime stop.

Also, some insider tips: Riggins (or Lapwai going north [reservation prices] and New Meadows going south if you aren't in a gas hog) is a good place to gas up, as it's halfway b/w Boise and Moscow and easy to get on and off ID-95 (and the bridge right after is where you shift from Mountain to Pacific timezone, so don't bother changing your watch from Cali time in South Idaho).

And of course, the Grangeville "bypass" known as Johnston Road. Take that and you'll shave a half hour off your trip. Heading North, it's a left turn (one of few with a left turn lane supplied) a mile or two after you descend out of the forest of White Bird pass and into the wheat fields of the Palouse. Most of the roads go through as Johnston does, but it's the most direct.

In fact, if time/gas are secondary to scenic routes and historical connotations, and your car doesn't mind fairly unmaintained/dirt road, you'll want to take "Old White Bird Grade Rd/Old Hwy 95" up White Bird grade. Via this road, you can visit the Nez Perce National Monument where Chief Joseph's tribe made their final stand. ID-95 up the grade has an obvious monument that provides a majestic view of the historic valley, though, so it's your call. For the old road, heading north you'd take the "White Bird" exit and just follow Old White Bird Grade Rd that eventually becomes Old Hwy 95. After the long jaunt switching back up the grade, Old Hwy 95 actually intersects with ID-95 and becomes Johnston Rd, the aforementioned shortcut.

[shades_of_idaho]

Skittles, You are getting good information on driving times and distance. So if you do go Hwy 95 We are in Midvale one block off the highway. Mile marker 105. Stop in for a rest break leg stretch and chat. We are just about 100 miles from Boise. Great little cafe restaurant here in town too. Wonderful burgers and buffet if early enough.I think you would enjoy seeing the country more or get to see more of it going up hwy 95.

Chris

[stingraynm]

Originally Posted by shades_of_idaho

Skittles, You are getting good information on driving times and distance. So if you do go Hwy 95 We are in Midvale one block off the highway. Mile marker 105. Stop in for a rest break leg stretch and chat. We are just about 100 miles from Boise. Great little cafe restaurant here in town too. Wonderful burgers and buffet if early enough.I think you would enjoy seeing the country more or get to see more of it going up hwy 95.

Chris

Very true. Hwy 95 isn't bad by any means. The Hwy 55 recommendation is based on a projected assumption that you'd prefer the forested river canyon, which is representative of higher elevations up in the Panhandle, where you'd be headed anyway, really.

If you are curious about some of the unexpected - yet still very real - beauty that the Southern desert and foothills grasslands can offer, 95 is a good route.

Also, as is the case here, an opportunity to make conversation with locals at a local hotspot is worth its weight in gas (pun intended). As an Idaho native myself, I know all the smaller towns are quite communal and the locals are eager to share with appreciative visitors the many nook and cranny hotspots/opportunities that cultivated our own love for the spectacular state of Idaho.

Some hotspots are quite literal, too. Do your research and ask around on a visit, and you can visit some genuinely marvelous hotsprings. I hate to say it after growing up and enjoying this break on my route so often, but skip Zims near the 45th Parallel after New Meadows (the 55 and 95 junction). Zims is too obvious to everyone and has been overused. Do your research and, as mentioned, talk to the locals. I got a buddy from Arcata, CA who never failed to make one of those stops when I rode with him. A natural hot tub is a grand thing once you've been on the road for many hours.

[Sage of Sagle]

We moved here from Wrightwood, in the IE mountains of course. We were about 3 miles from Mountain High Ski Resort....

From I-15 in Cajon Pass (like where 138 hits at the truck scales) it was 1370 miles to Sandpoint. That was up I-15 to I-90, west to Hwy 95, North to town.

We took 5 trips moving our things up with my 30' enclosed trailer, which was still cheaper than having movers do it (family of 6, LOTS of stuff). So towing at 65'ish...it was 13 hours to get to the North SLC area (Ogden, Bountiful) where there are lots of hotels. Then day two was 12 hours to get to Sandpoint.

We did 2 of the trips as quick turnaround trips. Up and back in 58 hours...that sucked...let me tell you...

When we moved the family up here, we had 2 dogs, 3 cats, 5 women, two cars. We did it in 3 days to ease the load. Day one we stopped in St. George UT. Day two we stopped in Rexburg ID. And day three was an easy final day to Sandpoint.

We don't drive to Boise, we always fly (Southwest from Spokane to Boise is 50 minutes). So I'm not much help there, but I can tell you that friends that drive it say it's about 8-9 hours. So if Boise to Moscow is 6 hours, that's about right, since when we drive to Moscow for soccer, it's about 3 hours from Sandpoint.

When you visit, you really want to allow several days. My wife and I spent 5 days looking around and property shopping, and that was just about right...

[stingraynm]

Yeah, that reminds me to lay out a clarification:

The ID-95 route does add some time since it diverts off to the west a tad. If you're in Boise already, ID-55 is your best bet (on a weekday! emphasis). But... Coming up from Cali and through E. OR or N. NV, then you're already on I-84 anyway, so you might as well go via ID-95. That's an important toss-up to consider, and in the end, as you'll see on a map, it all comes to New Meadows. The determining factor is course from your origin.