Scenic areas and attractions

My wife and I plan to be in Boise for about a week in early May. Anyone have suggestions of short excursions from the city which would be nice drives in more remote mountainous or desert areas.

Any suggestions of seeing the sites would be appreciated.

Scenic areas and attractions

We took a short visit this past November. The mountains in Stanley are breathtaking. Took a drive through the national forest which was beautiful then on to Sun Valley. Very pretty drive with lots to see and do along the way. Also took a day trip to the Breneau Sanddunes which is an amazing sight to behold. Beautiful drive out there as well. Hope that helps, have a great trip its a very pretty area.

Scenic areas and attractions

The drive up to McCall is pretty. It takes about 2 hours each way from NW Boise. Enjoy your visit!

there is a great circle trip that you can take. leaving boise, you go north on highway 95, to Banks. Drive the payette river, watch the early kayakers, and drive the road through Loman, stop at the kirkham hot springs on the way. the road takes you to stanley, usually the coldest spot in the nation!!! all dirt roads, the greatest bakery and lunch spot (i cook for a living and love this place) the stanley bakery...just ask. Get a sandwich to go and head south to Redfish Lake in highway 75. Sit on the porch of the lodge, look out to the wonderful lake, the Sawtooth Mountains in the background. If you want a more secluced lake, save the sandwich (that will be hard!!) and go to the next lake on the drive to Sun valley, Petit Lake. Stop there for the seclulded lake effect. Then you will go up the hill to the Galena lookout...what a view of the Sawtooths. When you go down the hill, look for the small stream that will form on the right hand side, going down. Later when you are in Ketchum, that is the Big Wood River, huge by then. Galena Lodge is a great spot to stop, at the bottom of Galena Summit. It has great history and inside, if it is open, the pictures of the old lodge are on the walls. In the summer we bike up here and in the winter it is used for x country skiing. Head on down to Ketchum, visit my wonderful town, and go south 18 miles to what we call the ';blinking light';. Then turn right on highway 20 and return to Boise. This should take all day, but worth getting up early to do. enjoy