The Top Ten Things We Saw in Idaho

Lava Tub at Craters of the Moon National Monument

June 14, 2015

It's a long way across the southern end of Idaho. From Driggs to Boise, mostly on I-80 is 353 miles as the interstate follows the curve of the Snake River. From Driggs to Boise on state road 20 is only 329 miles, straight across the state. According to google, the driving time is roughly equal at 5 hours. We choose RT 20. Driving 85 mph and seeing nothing but trucks and billboards had lost it's appeal. Besides the speed limit on the 'backroad' was still 65!  We figured there was more to see of Idaho and we wanted to see it.

Wildflowers blooming on a cinder cone

And here is what we saw:

1. The straightest stretch of road yet. (and I learned that driving a straight road for an hour is really difficult)
2. Volcanic butte's
3. Atomic City, the first city powered entirely by atomic energy.
4. Some weird government facility behind miles of barbed wire fencing with only one road in, and one road out.
5. Craters of the Moon National Monument! Not a volcano but an area where lava flowed out and around making lots of serious lava structures in the middle of no-where. Some of the lava caves were large enough to walk through. It was 90 degrees outside, but only 70 inside the cool dark lava tube.
6. A hamburger restaurant. The one restaurant in 160 miles. It was packed and the burgers were good.
7. Irrigation. Lots and lots of irrigation structures and equipment.
8. Mountains, tall, dry mountains. Always to the North of the road. According to the map there were several different ranges but they all looked tall and dry.
9. Cows. Almost 95% black Angus beef cows.
10. There were probably 29 trees. They all had cows underneath them. 

After a full day of driving we stopped for the night just North of Boise. Tomorrow we'd drive into Oregon.

Driggs, Idaho: The Tetons are Always Greener from the Other Side of the Range

A Ranger at the Jenny Lake Campground had explained to us that the Grand Tetons were formed when a giant North South fault suddenly rose straight up 9000 feet creating the massive range that exists today. Due to the nature of the uplift, the Eastern slopes were practically vertical, but the western slope was more gradual, "almost so gentle you could almost walk right up", she said.

We left the campground in the Tetons Park early in morning with the idea of driving down to Jackson Hole, getting some coffee and an internet connection, and then driving west, seeing just how gradual the other side of the Tetons really were.  If it were nice enough, camping and hiking there for a few days.
Coincidentally our plan also took us out of Wyoming into Idaho, a state about which we knew very little. Basically, they grow potatoes there and the B52's sang a song about 'living in your own private Idaho", a statement I considered some type of insult to non-potato-loving people's everywhere.

And sure enough, as soon as we descended the pass into Idaho, we started seeing potatoes. We even
saw giant potatoes and the "Spud Drive-In" which is apparently run by potato people. But the amazement didn't stop there. Driving north, along the western foothills of the Grand Tetons we came to Driggs, Idaho.


Driggs is a small town and while it doesn't have a bookstore, it does have a library with a great selection of used books for sale. It also has a great coffee shop and Broulim's grocery store was stocked with the best produce and wine. Driggs is also 100% bike friendly and has a number of wilderness outfitters, for both hiking, biking, fishing; adventured both in the Tetons and the Snake River. But best of all, Driggs is the town you pass through on your way east to Teton Canyon.

Driving up Teton Canyon you find the National Forest Service Teton Canyon Campsite and trail. Fully stocked from our visit in Driggs, we set up camp and set off up the trail to the Grand Tetons once again. Just as the Ranger described however, this was almost a totally different mountain range. Instead of hiking underneath towering clifts and scrambling up granite mountain sides, we strolled along a gentle brook and then into a broad wildflower covered valley with hanging waterfalls on every side. While we had been hiking on the Wyoming side we rarely had the trail to ourselves, and most of the people who would pass would hardly acknowledge your presence. Here, the Idahoians were incredibly considerate, fit, friendly and obviously as in love with the mountains as we were. They would stop, talk about the wildflowers, suggest other trails that we 'really need to hike', and tells us about their favorite places in Idaho.

After two days of camping and hiking it was time to continue on. Driving west I realized that I'd be happy to live in my 'own private Idaho' provided it was in Driggs, at the western foot of the Grand Tetons.