Boise Idaho and East - suggestions?

[Busted Knuckles]

10 days from now, my daughter and I are heading off to Boise for a Dad/Daughter extended weekend of photo and exhaustion.

Little worried about the water level Snake River and tributaries - we are hoping to get some falling water shots in addition to what can only be described as "landscapes different from Florida."

Any suggestions - areas to avoid/make sure we hit?

Thanks

Mike

[Kayaker72]

Mike,

I am originally from Northern Idaho. Most of my extended family lives in and around Boise. By extended weekend, I am assuming you have 3 days. If you can handle the roads (narrow/windy) I would recommend the following:

Day 1---Drive from Boise to Stanley, ID up Highway 21 (~2.5 hrs). Stanley basin has amazing views of the "Sawtooth" mountain range and, well, they don't have anything like the Sawtooths in Florida. Stanley and Redfish Lakes are both beautify and drivable. If you can hike, there are many other options.

Day 2--Drive from Stanley to Sun Valley ID (~ 1 hr). Short drive so that you can spend some time checking out the lakes and the Sawtooths early on Day 2. Then you go up and over Gallenia summit (8,700 ft above Florida). Sun Valley is a ski resort and is very nice. Bruce Willis and Demi Moore used too/still live there. Ernest Hemmingway used to live just down the river in Ketchum. Should have great restuarants and places to stay.

Day 3--Drive from Sun Valley to Craters of the Moon National Monument (1.5 hrs) and then back to Boise (2 hrs 45 min). Craters of the Moon is where the original astronauts trained for the moon landing. Huge lava flows and lava tunnels. Plan to spend several hours at craters of the moon.

On Day 1, if you want to minimize the windy driving, take Hwy 55 north to Banks and pick up the Banks-Lowman Hwy (which is a bit of a misnomer )

BTW...other possible destinations....Lake Payette (McCall, ID)...beauty of a high mountain lake, ski resort town so great amenities. Bruneau Canyon in SW Idaho...

Not sure why you are worried about the water level in the Snake River. The Snake River plateau is mostly flat with some farms and lots of sagebrush. If you do head that direction....Hagerman valley has insane natural springs coming from out of the hillsides (whole rivers gushing from the hillside) and, if the water is flowing, Shoshone falls (Twin Falls, ID) is a site to behold...or so I hear, every time I have tried to see Shoshone Falls they have been diverting the water for hydropower and irrigation. So, I'd check ahead. But Twin Falls is the part of the Snake River Canyon that Evel Kinevel tried to jump.

But trust me, head to Stanley/Sun Valley, or McCall.

Hope that helps,
Brant

[Busted Knuckles]

Thanks for the insight, we had looked at the snake river and Shoshone falls. Thanks on the heads up on the diversion. The Niagra Springs park looks wild - not sure how to photo it so it caputes the essence of the spring.

We have hotel reservations in Twin Falls but that can be changed.

[Jayson]

Idaho is someplace I have always been told to visit as it is beautiful! I am saving this for future reference! Great tips!

[Busted Knuckles]

I just spent some time cruising google earth and looking at Crater of the Moon - I don't think Kayaker likes me. Ambient temp is going to low 90's and the ground is basically black lava flows. zero humidity, no clouds, I would expect the 2 meter temp to easisly exceed 110 f - Just kidding.

Talk about landscape we don't have in Florida.!!!

[Kayaker72]

Jason, I am biased, but I do think Idaho is worth a visit. Big state, lots of different things to see.

Mike...if you want to see Shoshone Falls, one thought would be to skip Craters of the Moon. Twin Falls is 1 hr 40 minutes from Sun Valley and 2 hrs from Boise. So, similar total drive time as Craters of the Moon from Sun Valley. Also, I thought about it a little more and to keep you from checking into/out of hotels, you could stay in the ketchum/Sun Valley area and day trip to the different locations, picking up Craters or Shoshone falls on the last day.

If you do stay with your reservations in Twin Falls, Balanced Rock in Buhl is worth seeing. Malad Gorge State park has some nice views and is just off the interstate. Hagerman valley also has some interesting fossil beds (ancient horses washed away in a flood). I believe tours have to be arranged, but you could look into it. I've heard Bruneau Sand Dunes state park is worth a look (between Twin Falls and Boise), but I've never been. One final thought, the drive from Boise to Twin Falls is easy, flat and, essentially, a desert. From a tour/photography point of view, a trip that direction would be about the destinations (assuming there is water over the falls). A trip into the mountains, the entire drive would be attractive.

If you do head into the mountains, check the roads in advance for fires (US forest service and Idaho DOT should have updates). You are headed out in fire season and they will close roads. But there are alternatives. For example, the most likely one to be closed in Hwy 21. If so, you can just drive from Boise to Sun Valley and up over Galena summit to get to Stanley/the Sawtooths.

There are some interesting things in Boise. Then if you want to see raptors, I forget which allows vistors, but there is the raptor research center and World Center for Birds of Prey. My sister went to one or the other a few years ago. If interested, I can ask. Just out of town you can see some wagon tracks from the Oregon trail.

All that said, I would still recommend Sawtooths/Sun Valley/Craters option (edit--thought of a comparison---going to Idaho and not seeing the mountains is kinda like going to Florida and not seeing the beach ). If significant water if flowing over Shoshone falls (which I doubt) I would swap it for craters.

Enjoy your trip. I don't make it to southern Idaho very much any more. This is making me want to pull off a trip.

[Kayaker72]

Mike...how was the trip? Any good pictures?

[Busted Knuckles]

Mike...how was the trip? Any good pictures?

FIRE!!!! what a mess. For those who couldn't see the smoke on the satellite pix at NOAA - there was/are forest and wildfires in several parts of Idaho. We started in Boise, tried to go to the Sawtooth, ended up in Ashton via craters of the moon the first day. Did Upper/lower Mesa and Cave Falls (now no longer cave falls as the roof the cave fell in...) in Yellowstone the following day, then to Shoshone, Sun Valley/Stanley, and then back to Boise. Way too much driving trying to find contrast vs. smoke - perhaps there were pics that could have been creatively done w/ smoke overcast but we kept trying for clear skies - in retrospect we should have just gone either to Yellowstone for the weekend or in early June.

The smoke demons had us in their sights - we would move and the smoke would beat us their - only to find out later that the smoke cleared up the day after we left the area. Have a couple of photos that I will get processed shortly - paying the vacation penalty at work. We also stopped by crater of the moon - interesting place to try and take pictures in a heavy smoke overcast. We were tired and needing to get to Ashton for the motel LOL.

We went to Shoshone Falls and it was pretty... kinda.... It would have been prettier if the falls had a bit more water - the bedrock is that mud brown color against the green flowing water.... . This one is interesting if you look at the foreground and then back left quickly the water in the middle seems to move ( or at least in the high quality version it does)


The one pix that did come out fantastic as an impromptu portrait of my daughter w/ my T3i

I will work on the others shortly.

[Busted Knuckles]

I would like to take a moment and express my concerns and prayers for those who are facing the forest fires which only offered my daughter and I an inconvenience yet now threatens hearth and home. One of the Idaho fires is not expected to be under control until the winter snow falls. While we were not fortunate with the weather to include the snow covered "purple mountains majesty", we are indeed fortunate to be back in Orlando only the concerns of the day.

[Kayaker72]

Mike...first, nice sentiment. A graduate of my high school was killed this summer fighting a fire. I didn't know them or their family, but it does bring it closer to home and I definitely feel for the family.

Back to photography....my favorite by far is the shot of your daughter. Amazing shot. I also really like the others. You did do a lot of driving, but hopefully you saw, through the haze, some beautify country.

Brant