New to Boise- Scenic Places to visit near boise (Mountain Home: condos, hotel)

[insighter242]

Hi all

I moved to boise pretty recently .. My girl friend is here for a week so we wanted to roam around... We drove to Idaho city on the weekend and are also planning to visit bogus basin.. apart from these any areas that you recommend ?

1-2 hrs drive is ok... More than that is also ok but we will have to try hard to schedule.. but please mention them... I have heard about some byways .. dont know if they are closer to boise.. Any recommendations are welcome guys.. thansk for your help


-- Mark

[TohobitPeak]

Drive north on Highway 55 out of Eagle and through Horseshoe Bend to Banks and take the Banks to Lowman road through Garden Valley along the South Fork of the Payette. This is knows as the Wildlife Canyon Scenic Byway. Garden Valley is about an hours drive from Boise.

Or, instead of turning at Banks, stay on Highway 55 which is the Payette River Scenic Byway and follows the North Fork of the Payette and heads to Cascade and McCall and is one of the most beautiful drives in the entire state. McCall is around 2 hours drive from Boise. If you don't want to go all of the way to McCall you could turn around after you leave the canyon near Cascade and head back. Cascade is only 70 miles away.

If you know where to look, both of the drives above have a lot of natural hot springs along the rivers and are great in the winter.

The forecast calls for snow in the mountains this week, so be careful if you head that direction because the roads along the rivers get really slick.

A desert option would be to drive to the Snake River Canyon south of Kuna and to Swan Falls or Celebration Park.

[insighter242]

Originally Posted by TohobitPeak

Drive north on Highway 55 out of Eagle and through Horseshoe Bend to Banks and take the Banks to Lowman road through Garden Valley along the South Fork of the Payette. This is knows as the Wildlife Canyon Scenic Byway. Garden Valley is about an hours drive from Boise.

Or, instead of turning at Banks, stay on Highway 55 which is the Payette River Scenic Byway and follows the North Fork of the Payette and heads to Cascade and McCall and is one of the most beautiful drives in the entire state. McCall is around 2 hours drive from Boise. If you don't want to go all of the way to McCall you could turn around after you leave the canyon near Cascade and head back. Cascade is only 70 miles away.

If you know where to look, both of the drives above have a lot of natural hot springs along the rivers and are great in the winter.

The forecast calls for snow in the mountains this week, so be careful if you head that direction because the roads along the rivers get really slick.

A desert option would be to drive to the Snake River Canyon south of Kuna and to Swan Falls or Celebration Park.

Thanks Tohobitpeak .I appreciate your inputs... I will try that

[insighter242]

I looked up the route suggested by one of our friends in teh above reply .... Just had one more question... So do you guys suggest stating there for a day in a nice hotel witha view or if I have to do that is garden valley a good place or do I have to drive down to any other near by place

[benchfan]

You can find places to stay in Garden Valley but you'll want to book ahead of time--mostly little cabins/condos/bed & breakfast or the Terrace Lakes Resort.

This B&B looks cute: About the B&B

[Hometown Josie]

A drive to McCall to see the lake might be fun. There is a nice indoor skating rink and some interesting shops/dining.

[zedd]

Bruneau Dunes and Bruneau Canyon below Mountain Home are also great places to check out.