Shannon O'Brien Travel Itineraries

The best destinations

Photo of Idaho
Photo of Idaho

The Best of Idaho

#61 best destination in the world

Map view

Schweitzer, Sandpoint

Photo of Sandpoint

Best time to visit: Jan-Feb, Dec

Cost: $$

  • Schweitzer is a ski resort that overlooks Lake Pend Oreille, approximately 45 miles (70 km) south of the Canada–US border
  • There are 92 named runs and open bowls on Schweitzer's skiable area, served by 10 lifts

Silver Mountain, Kellogg

Photo of Kellogg

Best time to visit: Jan-Feb, Dec

Cost: $

  • Ski resort located in the Silver Valley region
  • The resort has expanded over the years with new features, most notably the gondola from the city of Kellogg and expansion on Kellogg Peak

Bogus Basin, Boise

Photo of Boise

Best time to visit: Jan-Feb, Dec

Cost: $

  • Ski area in Boise, operated by a non-profit organization
  • The area also has cross-country skiing on 23 miles (37 km) of Nordic trails

Brundage Mountain, McCall

Photo of McCall

Best time to visit: Jan-Feb, Dec

Cost: $

  • Alpine ski area located in the Payette National Forest, first opened in November 1961
  • Five chairlifts serve the 1,500 acres (6.1 km2)
  • Brundage also offers backcountry powder skiing

Photo of Boise

Best time to visit: March-May

Cost: $

  • Freak Alley is a venue for public art in the form of murals and graffiti located in and adjacent to a service alley in downtown Boise
  • The largest outdoor gallery in the Northwest, and a Boise institution since 2002, it began with a painting of a single alley doorway and now extends from the alley itself to a gravel parking lot
  • Collectively it is the work of more than 200 artists

Sierra Silver Mine Tour, Wallace

Photo of Wallace

Best time to visit: May-Oct

Cost: $

  • Guided tour of an underground silver mine plus a gift shop selling regional specialties and rocks

Tubbs Hill

Photo of Tubbs Hill

Walk difficulty: Easy

Best time to visit: May-Sept

Cost: $

  • Public park and natural area in Coeur d'Alene, the park is located on a peninsula, with Lake Coeur d'Alene bordering the park
  • The parks main attraction is a 2.2-mile (3.5 km) Interpretive Trail that takes visitors passed scenic vantage points and natural and historical sites of interest
  • Other activities such as climbing, cliff jumping, kayaking, fishing, sun bathing, bird watching and flower viewing are also popular

Silverwood Theme Park

Photo of Silverwood Theme Park

Best time to visit: June-Sept

Cost: $

  • Amusement park located in the city of Athol, opened in 1988
  • Over the years, Silverwood has grown in both size and popularity, transforming from a small local amusement park to a regional theme park destination
  • Today, Silverwood is the largest theme and water park in the American Northwest, boasting more than 70 rides, slides, shows, and attractions

Redfish Lake, Stanley

Photo of Stanley

Best time to visit: June-Sept

Cost: $

  • Alpine lake in Custer County, it is the largest lake within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area
  • The U.S. Forest Service has developed some facilities for hiking, camping, and water sports on Redfish Lake while largely maintaining the natural landscape of the Sawtooth Mountains
  • On the north shore sits a Redfish Lake Lodge, which offers a cross-lake ferry service for hikers and sightseers in the summer

Inferno Cone Viewpoint, Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve

Photo of Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve

Walk difficulty: Easy

Best time to visit: June-Sept

Cost: $

  • Monument and Preserve that encompass three major lava fields and sagebrush steppe grasslands
  • All three lava fields lie along the Great Rift of Idaho, with some of the best examples of open rift cracks in the world, including the deepest known on Earth at 800 feet (240 m)
  • There are excellent examples of almost every variety of basaltic lava, as well as tree molds (cavities left by lava-incinerated trees), lava tubes (a type of cave), and many other volcanic features

Shoshone Falls Observation Deck Trail

Photo of Shoshone Falls

Walk difficulty: Easy

Best time to visit: May-June

Cost: $

  • Waterfall on the Snake River sometimes called the "Niagara of the West"
  • Shoshone Falls is 212 feet (65 m) in height, 45 feet (14 m) higher than Niagara Falls, and flows over a rim nearly one thousand feet (300 m) in width
  • Formed by the cataclysmic outburst flooding of Lake Bonneville during the Pleistocene ice age about 14,000 years ago, Shoshone Falls marks the historical upper limit of fish migration (including salmon) in the Snake River, and was an important fishing and trading place for Native Americans
  • Despite the isolated location, it became a tourist attraction starting in the 1860s

South Fork Circle Creek and North Fork Circle Loop, City of Rocks National Reserve

Photo of City of Rocks National Reserve

Walk difficulty: Moderate

Best time to visit: June-Sept

Cost: $

  • National Reserve and state park widely known for its enormous granite rock formations and excellent rock climbing
  • During the 1840s and 1850s, wagon trains on the California Trail left the Raft River valley and traveled through the area and over Granite Pass into Nevada
  • Names or initials of emigrants written in axle grease are still visible on Register Rock, and ruts from wagon wheels can be seen in some of the rocks

Antelope Lake Trail, Clark Fork

Photo of Clark Fork

Walk difficulty: Moderate

Best time to visit: July-Aug

Cost: $

  • Scenic lake in a quiet mountain setting, a short distance from the town of Clark Fork
  • Antelope Lake is nestled in the forest north of the Clark Fork River