4-day trip to Idaho? - (ID) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

aelwero · 07-29-2010, 02:28 PM

Driving isn't a bad plan IMHO. Yes, you'd miss NID, and it's REALLY nice, but driving up on a shoestring will at least let you have a look... just keep in mind that the climate, scenery, weather, all vary WILDLY depending on where in the state you go.

The "high desert" in SID does look a bit similar to CA desert, but it's *normally* not as hot, and they do have winters. Just keep in mind that the Twin Falls SID area is the least "scenic" part of the state, seriously. And generally speaking, the farther north you go, the longer the drive times get for your mileage. for example, if you leave Boise, and head east, 60 miles will get you to Glenns Ferry (I think... that's a guess), in under an hour. Drive NORTH 60 miles however and you're close to Cascade, but the drive time is closer to an hour and a half, if not more. Once you leave the SID high desert, plan on going fewer miles in the times you're used to... not only are the roads twisty and turny, but you have to stop every 5 minutes to take pictures and go "OOOOH...AAAHH"

I once drove from Yellowstone to El Paso TX in a single day. I don't recommend that, but with two drivers it CAN be done.

skittles2u · 07-30-2010, 07:39 AM

Thank you for this great post!! nice to wake up to a chuckle about stopping every 5 minutes for pictures and OOOOH-AAHH LOL... I needed that.

I have 4-day weekends and had talked myself out of attempting it. Maybe if I add one more day I'll try it. decisions, decisions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aelwero

Driving isn't a bad plan IMHO. Yes, you'd miss NID, and it's REALLY nice, but driving up on a shoestring will at least let you have a look... just keep in mind that the climate, scenery, weather, all vary WILDLY depending on where in the state you go.

The "high desert" in SID does look a bit similar to CA desert, but it's *normally* not as hot, and they do have winters. Just keep in mind that the Twin Falls SID area is the least "scenic" part of the state, seriously. And generally speaking, the farther north you go, the longer the drive times get for your mileage. for example, if you leave Boise, and head east, 60 miles will get you to Glenns Ferry (I think... that's a guess), in under an hour. Drive NORTH 60 miles however and you're close to Cascade, but the drive time is closer to an hour and a half, if not more. Once you leave the SID high desert, plan on going fewer miles in the times you're used to... not only are the roads twisty and turny, but you have to stop every 5 minutes to take pictures and go "OOOOH...AAAHH"

I once drove from Yellowstone to El Paso TX in a single day. I don't recommend that, but with two drivers it CAN be done.

GSC1 · 07-30-2010, 12:41 PM

Actually, to anyone who knows the area around Twin knows there is some stunning scenery in the region but you won't get it other than the Snake River canyon in town or along the freeway. But we don't advertise it a lot.

However, all things considered, my preferences are more alpine.

Rickers · 07-30-2010, 02:15 PM

If I were you I would plan for much more time and forget the cities. If you want to see some great places that are not too desert like go straight up to the panhandle and hang out at the smaller towns and out in the country. There you can easily dip over into my area of Montana and see some of our state in the same trip.
I took this picture at a nice Campsite in North Idaho near Clark Fork.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_9a8nDInPVGE/TFMxvfm0bMI/AAAAAAAAClI/pUTkHHoXVy0/s512/Nice%20campsite%20with%20boat%20dock.jpg (broken link)

banjomike · 07-30-2010, 05:25 PM

is there a particular reason you chose Twin? Depending on where you live, Idaho Falls or Pocatello would be about the same time in driving hours. I have driven from I.F. to Anaheim in 1 1/2 days with plenty of time on the California end. Flying to Salt Lake City, or taking a direct flight to I.F. from either Las Vegas or L.A. and renting a car here will allow you much more time than a flight to N. Idaho.
Idaho Falls is a very central place that allows a few hours drive to a huge diversity of places, and booking a room by the falls makes for a very nice night's sleep. There are lots of hotels by the falls.

The I.F region has an immense variety of scenery and places to visit, especially if you have never been to Yellowstone or the Tetons, and in mid-summer is more temperate than Twin,especially if you head into any of the surrounding mountains.

No matter what, you are looking at a long drive. Check out the direct flights- both are relatively new, and the tickets are supposed to be cheaper than buying gas. I haven't used either one yet, so I have no experience with either. The I.F. airport has all the car rentals in it, so getting a car is easy.

Clark Fork Fantast · 07-30-2010, 05:26 PM

Awww Rickers, so nice to see you camping out in my back yard!

You can use it any time you want, just throw me a few fish!

Skittles, some of us are just partial to North Idaho!

But why not plan for two trips? If you really want to drive an epic journey for 2 days RIGHT NOW to be able to breathe Southern Idaho air for a few hours, and then head back, then go for it. It's different enough from SoCal that it'll be an experience, and we all have our personal compas that points in a direction few other people "get." Maybe it'll give you peace of mind, until next visit! And then start planning a longer trip, or a 4-day trip involving airplanes and car rentals. And even that can be done on a budget.

PS I just read Banjomike's post, and I agree--look into other options. Flights really aren't that expensive.

GSC1 · 08-01-2010, 10:26 PM

I'm in Orange County right now. Drove down yesterday and it took 14 hours with a stop every hundred miles or so to stretch. It's a long journey.

aelwero · 08-02-2010, 09:07 AM

"Skittles, some of us are just partial to North Idaho!"

dude, I'M partial to NID in a big way, but I totally get wanting to drive. You're in your own car, got your own stuff... it isn't so much the cost of gas, but more the cost of a pack of cigarettes, a soda, a sandwich... it all adds up on you quick, and a cooler in the back seat helps out in a big way

I grew up in Glenns Ferry (sort of), and I know there are some awesome places in SID (hot springs everywhere, sand dunes, lava flows, CotM park, etc...), but as a kid, I always looked forward to spending the summer up in Cascade (my grandmother still owns a cabin up there, she doesn't live in it, but most of the family borrows a key to go hang out for a bit on occasion, except me, I have my own key that my grandfather gave me before he passed away, shhhh)... it was a whole different world up there, and I have always liked it better than SID. You can spend an entire day sitting on the porch in NID (reminds me of a certain thread title...), and you lose that in SID.

EDIT - I might have some SID pics in my phone... 'm checkin right now...

However, the question isn't "what should I see?", it's "is this doable?" and I've done some LONG drives before (El Paso to Cascade ID, via Vegas to pick my brother up) in under two days... it isn't all that pleasurable a drive (the drive back we took 5 days... WAY better), but it can definitely be done.