Idaho

Idaho is a whitewater and wilderness capital — rafting the Salmon ('River of No Return') and Snake rivers, backpacking the vast roadless Sawtooths, fishing, skiing (Sun Valley installed the world's first chairlift in 1936), and soaking in over 130 wild hot springs. It has more whitewater river miles than any state in the Lower 48.

Summer (July–September) is prime for rafting, hiking, and the high country; fall brings color and fewer crowds. Winter is for skiing and hot-spring soaking; spring runoff (May–June) swells the famous whitewater.

Elk, moose, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, gray wolves, grizzly and black bears, and salmon and steelhead that migrate up to 900 miles inland inhabit Idaho's vast wildlands.

From sagebrush steppe and the Snake River Plain to montane forest and alpine peaks, Idaho holds enormous tracts of wilderness — the 2.3-million-acre Frank Church–River of No Return is the largest contiguous wilderness in the Lower 48 — and some of the most intact ecosystems in the contiguous U.S.

The Rocky Mountains, the Snake River Plain with the volcanic lava fields of Craters of the Moon, the granite Sawtooths, and the deep-cut canyons of the Salmon and Snake rivers define Idaho. Hells Canyon plunges 7,993 feet — North America's deepest river gorge — and 12,662-ft Borah Peak is the state high point.

The Nez Perce, Shoshone-Bannock, and Coeur d'Alene peoples inhabited this land; the Nez Perce flight of 1877 is a defining history. Idaho became the 43rd state in 1890.

A deep whitewater, backcountry, and hot-spring culture, a strong public-lands ethic, and the ski heritage of Sun Valley define Idaho's outdoors.

Protecting salmon and steelhead runs (and debates over the four lower Snake River dams), maintaining vast wilderness, and managing wolves and public lands are central issues.

Boise (BOI) is the main gateway, with regional access at Sun Valley/Hailey and Idaho Falls. Many wilderness areas are remote and reached by long drives or small plane (the Frank Church has its own backcountry airstrips).

Whitewater on the big rivers demands skill or a licensed outfitter; bear country, cold water, remoteness, and fast-changing mountain weather all require preparation, and many areas have no cell service. Test temperatures before soaking in wild hot springs.

State parks charge a fee, and Idaho Fish and Game administers licenses; multi-day river permits (notably the Middle Fork of the Salmon) are awarded by a competitive lottery.

Follow Leave No Trace, food-storage, and fire rules, and use licensed outfitters for major river trips.

Book multi-day river trips (the Middle Fork of the Salmon is legendary) well ahead with licensed outfitters, soak in the natural hot springs, and explore the Sawtooths in summer.

Idaho borders Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Canada, linking Yellowstone, the Sawtooths, Hells Canyon, and the Pacific Northwest.