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Boats in Redfish Lake📷 Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 4.0

Road trips in Idaho

8 road trips and 20 hand-picked places in Idaho, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping.

Trip guides
8
Places
20

Campsites in Idaho 813

Trip guides

Road trips through Idaho

Idaho’s Sawtooth Scenic Byway – a body of water surrounded by mountains and treesPhoto by Laura Seaman on Unsplash
75
Scenic byways

Idaho’s Sawtooth Scenic Byway

233 mi6 stops3 days
Snake River Canyon: Bruneau Dunes to Shoshone Falls and City of Rocks – ISS038-E-13256 - View of Earth© Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domain
84
Things to do in…

Snake River Canyon: Bruneau Dunes to Shoshone Falls and City of Rocks

246 mi9 stops3 days
Lava, peaks and cold lakes: by camper van along the Sawtooth Scenic Byway and through Craters of the Moon – Lava trees can be viewed along the Wilderness Trail and are created when living trees are enveloped by lava flows. The water (0661084b-5060-4427-8084-426299aee1f8)© NPS Photo · Public domain
75
In-depth road trip guides

Lava, peaks and cold lakes: by camper van along the Sawtooth Scenic Byway and through Craters of the Moon

241 mi10 stops6 days
Silver, lakes and cedar forest: by camper through the Idaho Panhandle – Collage Lecce© DaniDF1995 (collage) Laibniz, Filippo Caranti aka Terrasque, Paolo da Reggio, Lupiae, Colar · CC BY-SA 3.0
95
In-depth road trip guides

Silver, lakes and cedar forest: by camper through the Idaho Panhandle

324 mi11 stops6 days
Logan Canyon and Bear Lake to Idaho’s hot springs – Starscape@TonyGroveLake© Greg Rakozy · CC0
89
Scenic byways

Logan Canyon and Bear Lake to Idaho’s hot springs

141 mi9 stops3 days
Deeper than the Grand Canyon: by camper van through Hells Canyon, along the Salmon River and over Lolo Pass – South end Wallowa Lake, Oregon (25920361117)© Bonnie Moreland from Oregon, United States · Public domain
95
In-depth road trip guides

Deeper than the Grand Canyon: by camper van through Hells Canyon, along the Salmon River and over Lolo Pass

506 mi14 stops7 days
Mesa Falls to Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon, Hayden Valley and Cody – Upper Mesa Falls - Idaho (12145650713)© Brenton Cooper from North Ogden, USA · CC BY 2.0
20
National park loops

Mesa Falls to Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon, Hayden Valley and Cody

274 mi9 stops5 days
The Palouse: wheat hills and a hidden waterfall – A farm in the middle of a wheat fieldPhoto by Kush Dwivedi on Unsplash
195
Scenic byways

The Palouse: wheat hills and a hidden waterfall

188 mi6 stops3 days
RouteSuggested daysDistanceDrivingStops
Idaho’s Sawtooth Scenic Byway3233 mi4 h 10 min6
Snake River Canyon: Bruneau Dunes to Shoshone Falls and City of Rocks3246 mi4 h 23 min9
Lava, peaks and cold lakes: by camper van along the Sawtooth Scenic Byway and through Craters of the Moon6241 mi4 h 18 min10
Silver, lakes and cedar forest: by camper through the Idaho Panhandle6324 mi5 h 47 min11
Logan Canyon and Bear Lake to Idaho’s hot springs3141 mi2 h 32 min9
Deeper than the Grand Canyon: by camper van through Hells Canyon, along the Salmon River and over Lolo Pass7506 mi9 h 02 min14
Mesa Falls to Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon, Hayden Valley and Cody5274 mi4 h 53 min9
The Palouse: wheat hills and a hidden waterfall3188 mi3 h 21 min6
Editor's picks

Places worth the detour in Idaho

Boats in Redfish Lake© Fredlyfish4 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Editor's pick
Nature

Redfish Lake

Stanley, ID
-IDAHO-B-0119- Snake River - Shoshone Falls (6918286591)© WaterArchives.org from Sacramento, California, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
Editor's pick
Nature

Shoshone Falls

Twin Falls, ID
City of Rocks National Reserve – City of Rocks - Idaho U.S.A© MattyMtn · CC BY-SA 4.0
Editor's pick
Nature

City of Rocks National Reserve

Almo, ID
Stanley and the Sawtooth Mountains – IDAHO-J-0085 Sheep - Stanley Basin© WaterArchives.org from Sacramento, California, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
Editor's pick
Views

Stanley and the Sawtooth Mountains

Stanley, ID
Craters of the Moon – Lava trees can be viewed along the Wilderness Trail and are created when living trees are enveloped by lava flows. The water (0661084b-5060-4427-8084-426299aee1f8)© NPS Photo · Public domain
Nature

Craters of the Moon

Arco, ID
Paris Idaho Tabernacle – Paris (Idaho) - Tabernacle 7-9-2014 11-01-12© Paul Hermans · CC BY-SA 3.0
History

Paris Idaho Tabernacle

Paris, ID
Soda Springs Geyser – Enders Hotel Soda Springs Idaho© Ntsimp · CC0
Oddities

Soda Springs Geyser

Soda Springs, ID
Upper Mesa Falls - Idaho (12145650713)© Brenton Cooper from North Ogden, USA · CC BY 2.0
Nature

Upper Mesa Falls

Ashton, ID
Nature

Harriman State Park

Island Park, ID
Bruneau Dunes State Park – ISS038-E-13256 - View of Earth© Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domain
Nature

Bruneau Dunes State Park

Mountain Home, ID
Malad Gorge State Park – Malad Gorge - panoramio - photophat (1)© photophat · CC BY 3.0
Views

Malad Gorge State Park

Hagerman, ID
Oddities

Balanced Rock

Castleford, ID
Perrine Bridge 2016-09-28 334© Chris Light · CC BY-SA 4.0
Views

Perrine Bridge

Twin Falls, ID
Wallace Historic District – US Post Office 3 - Wallace Idaho© Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 4.0
History

Wallace Historic District

Wallace, ID
Sandpoint and Lake Pend Oreille – -IDAHO-C-0049- Lake Pend Oreille - Sandpoint (50525460518)© WaterArchives.org from Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
Nature

Sandpoint and Lake Pend Oreille

Sandpoint, ID
Payette Lake – McCall District Administrative Site 91001892 Valley County, ID© Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nature

Payette Lake

McCall, ID
Old Mission State Park (Cataldo Mission) – Cataldo Mission in Old Mission State Park, Cataldo, ID. (45182449681)© LibertyLakeAnne · CC0
History

Old Mission State Park (Cataldo Mission)

Cataldo, ID
Old Idaho Penitentiary – Old State Penitentiary in Boise Gatling© Christopher from Salem, OR, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
History

Old Idaho Penitentiary

Boise, ID
-IDAHO-Q-0028- Lava Hot Springs (48374906311)© WaterArchives.org from Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
History

Lava Hot Springs

Lava Hot Springs, ID
Nature

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

Hagerman, ID

FAQs

What are the best road trips in Idaho?

Popular routes include Idaho’s Sawtooth Scenic Byway, Snake River Canyon: Bruneau Dunes to Shoshone Falls and City of Rocks, Lava, peaks and cold lakes: by camper van along the Sawtooth Scenic Byway and through Craters of the Moon and Silver, lakes and cedar forest: by camper through the Idaho Panhandle. CampingSpirit has 8 trip guides that pass through Idaho, each with a stop-by-stop itinerary and a route map.

Which places in Idaho are worth a detour?

Our editors recommend Redfish Lake, Shoshone Falls, City of Rocks National Reserve and Stanley and the Sawtooth Mountains.

Nearby

Wyoming 15Montana 14Utah 20Oregon 27Nevada 16Washington 16Colorado 20Alberta 8