Idaho Trip Report

Idaho is probably one of the best kept secrets as far as vacation destinations. We planned this trip several months in advance and had a glorious time visiting the ';famous potatoes'; state.

We flew into (and out of) Boise on a Q-400--a prop plane! It was a 70 passenger and although small, the ride was smooth as silk. I love the little airports we%26#39;ve flown into in the past few years and BOI is no exception. Clean, uncrowded and friendly! We didn%26#39;t even get an argument from the car rental people about buying additional insurance--how refreshing!

Our first 4 nights were spent in Lower Stanley. We stayed at Jerry%26#39;s Motel and Cabins. The cabins are pretty rustic, but the one we had was clean and comfortable and had a million dollar view of the Salmon River and Sawtooth Range! We saw some fabulous sunsets and it was fun watching the horses across the river chasing each other. One was palomino and one nearly jet black and they were always together. We drove up to some of the lakes--Redfish, with a beautiful lodge that has a delightful dining room overlooking the lake, Alturas, which gave us non-stop fishing excitement, and Stanley, a true picture postcard, as they all were. We went rafting/fishing with White Cloud Outfitters and had a great time with our guide Collin. It was my first time on a raft and because I%26#39;m deathly afraid of the water, he made us feel at ease and tried to avoid the rough spots. We had a terrific time and caught lots of trout, including a 2lb rainbow! Other days we fished the Salmon near the Yankee fork and caught some beautiful cutthroat, bulls and dollies. My biggest was a 3lb dolly caught in the Yankee fork. All were released.

We did drive all the way to Ketchum/Sun Valley, but it was so crowded; way too much like LA!! I%26#39;ve never seen so many banks and real estate companies crammed into just a few blocks! The drive to town was gorgeous though. The weather was pretty darn hot throughout our trip, and the locals told us it was unseasonably hot for the time of year.

After Stanley, we took another long, beautiful country drive up to Salmon where we stayed at the Greyhouse Inn B%26amp;B. We had one of the new cabins which was absolutely immaculate and beautiful inside! Of course, the view of the hayfield and mountains was lovely--just the kind of thing you want to wake up to in the country. The neighbor%26#39;s rooster crowed every AM at 6:00! The river was just a hop-skip-jump down the road. Our host, Sharon was so warm and friendly and a great cook! Her son runs a rafting business--Kookaburra--and although we didn%26#39;t try it, the other guests raved about it and the lunch they provided. Maybe next time--my hands are still shaking from the first rafting adventure!! The river is wide and wild in that part of Idaho. Caught lots of pikeminnow, and only a couple of trout. Not many people were fishing--I guess it was just too hot!

From Stanley we drove down the Sacajawea Scenic Byway to Island Park, another fishing paradise! On the way we saw elk and golden eagles! Of course, there were lots of potato fields too. We were driving and driving across the plains, then all of a sudden, we%26#39;re up in the mountains and pine forest. It was another great drive.

We stayed at Angler%26#39;s Lodge and had a very nice, large jacuzzi room overlooking Henry%26#39;s Fork. We watched the fly fisherman from our balcony (we%26#39;re more the spin-casting/baitdunking types!). The restaurant there is very nice with a gorgeous view of the river and the food was pretty good. We booked a guide with Lynn Scott of BS Flies %26amp; Tackle. Although we were hoping to fish Henry%26#39;s Lake, it was ';blown out'; because of some heavy duty winds in the prior days. So, we headed out for Sheridan Lake, a little private lake managed by Mike Smith of Elk Ridge Adventures. Mike took us out for the day--we caught at least 40 fish, all 2lbs and up!! What a great time we had!! We saw ospreys, pelicans, and bald eagles fishing too! We would%26#39;ve gone out again if we were spending more time in Island Park.

Our last day in Island Park we took ';a vacation within a vacation'; to Yellowstone, a mere 25 miles away. My husband caught a big cutthroat (3.3 lbs!) and I caught a lake trout (2 lbs) in Yellowstone lake. We saw elk, moose, buffalo, deer, and pronghorn; had a picnic inside the Old Faithful Lodge where we were serenaded by a singing cowpoke, and we watched Old Faithful erupt on the way out. We then took a drive around Firehole lake. I love Yellowstone--you never know what you%26#39;ll see there!

We headed out of Island Park to spend our last night in Hailey. On the way we stopped at Craters of the Moon NM. What a mysterious, awesome place! I told my husband the landscaped looked like burnt brownies!! It is really fascinating, but since we were just passing through we didn%26#39;t do any of the neat stuff like hiking and exploring a lava tube!!

Hailey is a really busy place just like Ketchum, a few miles away. Lots of big ranches and estates for the very rich. The Ellsworth Estate B%26amp;B was the only B%26amp;B that would take us for one night. We had a beautiful room on the top floor with a giant bed and giant TV! It is like a little oasis in the desert, the grounds are so peaceful and beautiful! But, it was noisy during the day because of the nearby airport, however, by 8PM or so, there were no more flights and none until very late the next morning--10AM?? I don%26#39;t even remember hearing anything that AM. Our host Steve was great--he pointed us to the best access points to the Big Wood River, but it was really just too much like trying to fish an urban river--so many people and hardly any river access for any but the very wealthy. In spite of its busy-ness, they roll the sidewalks up in Hailey at 6:00PM, so unless you were going out to eat or to the supermarket, there was no place to go. We did go to the Silver Creek Preserve, which is very beautiful and loaded with giant trout which have seen every trick in the book--they just won%26#39;t bite!! The breakfast at the Ellsworth was amazing!! Steve is a true gourmet--he made us eggs benedict with crabcakes and croissant french toast with homemade peach butter. The breakfast was awesome--probably one of the best I%26#39;ve ever had at a B%26amp;B!

So we left Hailey late Saturday morning and headed out for the airport. I was able to talk my husband into a visit to the Cabela%26#39;s store near downtown Boise. What an outdoorperson%26#39;s paradise!! We don%26#39;t have a Cabela%26#39;s around here--we shop from their catalog--so it was fun to see a store in person!

That%26#39;s my report--we loved Idaho and hope to go back to explore other parts of the state--Hell%26#39;s Canyon and the northern lakes. I%26#39;d love to try steelhead fishing there sometime!

Happy travels!!

Idaho Trip Report

I so enjoyed reading your report. Many of us Idahoans (yes, I%26#39;m an Idaho potato originally) are very proud of our beautiful state and would just as soon that not too many people discover it! It boasts more wilderness than any other of the lower 48 states.

Idaho Trip Report

I%26#39;m glad you enjoyed it!

Just a point of clarification--in Island Park it is EAGLE Ridge Adventures (not Elk Ridge) that Mike Smith is from. He%26#39;s a great guide--I wouldn%26#39;t want to shortchange him!

so sorry that you thought that ketchum was like LA, NOT, I have lived here for 30 years , coming from Laguna Beach and find this place totally quiet. Wish you woudl have gotten ahold of us and we could have directed you. Yes, someone has decided that Ketchum should be banks, but i pay no heed.i still go running out by the river and see no one. Funny, i HAVE NEVER HEARD ANYONE SAY IT WAS BUSY HERE, except for the holidays. I say, come all your tourists and spend your money. If it wasn%26#39;t for the visitors, this place would not exist.

AND HAILEY, you picked the holiday to stay by the airport...You need to visit again, but we dont%26#39; want everyone to be happy or you woud move here!!! Glad that the rest of your visti to Idaho (0maha, ohio, where are you again???) was good and enjoy

As far as such areas around Boise go, to be honest I find the Sun Valley area too crowded and touristy, too. The Stanley area has a lot more beauty and is a lot less developed, so it wins on both counts. I actually prefer the McCall area as well, although that area is rapidly turning into another Sun Valley with the development that%26#39;s going on up there.

Don%26#39;t take offense - the SV/Ketchum area is awesome, and has some great skiing and golfing, it%26#39;s just that overall it just isn%26#39;t really our style.

I%26#39;m certain there are better times to visit Ketchum/Sun Valley/Hailey, (like winter for skiing) but we were there a week before the 4th of July holiday (the prior Wednesday or Thursday I think) and there was a lot of traffic on the main drag--it was very busy. It was too citified for me--I don%26#39;t think I%26#39;d make that area my summer destination unless I was one of the rich and famous and could afford a giant ranch there!

Since our last day in Hailey was Saturday before the 4th of July holiday, I%26#39;m sure it was busier than other times. Believe me if I would%26#39;ve found something else away from town, I would not have stayed there. But I really wanted to see Craters of the Moon. And I was hoping to get some gifts for the grandkids. Oh well, that%26#39;s what we get for trying to get in one last fishing fix!!

Nothing is worse than LA, though, don%26#39;t get me wrong. We go to places like Idaho to get away from the crowds and solid asphalt and concrete. I guess I was expecting something smaller and more quaint. And I really thought that river access would be much better in that area--at least it looked good on the tourist maps. It was so hot that day that the deep holes in the river were filled with swimmers! We get that around here and we have to drive at least 2 hours to be disappointed! It%26#39;s nice that you can drive about 5-10 minutes away from Ketchum or Hailey and be out in the sticks. And 20 minutes from Boise and you%26#39;re up in the mountains. I like that.

Can you tell me more about the fishing trip you booked with Mike Smith? We are going next week and haven%26#39;t booked any fishing for Island Park. We are flying in so we will not have any equipment.

Thanks!

Parkandgo: I think they may have meant Eagle Ridge Adventures, not Elk Ridge. Here%26#39;s a link to check out. Have a great trip! www.eagleridgeadventures.com/content/…