Make forever memories with this ultimate guide of creative Idaho Travel Tips. Make this family vacation your Best Trip Ever!
Planning a trip to Idaho for some serene solitude and breathtaking beauty? The beautiful mountains, desolate destinations, and secluded Pacific Northwest getaways are hard to resist!
Whether you’re dreaming of an Idaho Summer vacation, or you just want to find some interesting Idaho points of interest, you’ve just hit the jackpot with this ultimate Idaho Travel Guide!
Start planning your vacation with these must-read Idaho Travel Tips for where to Eat, Play, and Stay in Idaho!
Here’s all of the Idaho travel info you need to know before you go…
Related: Learn how to Make Money on the Road while You Travel!
A special thanks to frugal friend Amy for sharing this beautiful Idaho photo!
So You’re Planning a Trip to Idaho?
To keep your vacation budget-friendly, you’ll need to plan ahead. One of the first things you’ll want to do is start stashing cash away for your ‘Idaho Trip Fund’. Need to increase your travel fund stash? One of the easiest ways is to make extra money on the side in your free time! Here’s my favorite trick for ramping up the vacation budget…
Top Survey Sites to Make Money Online
How to Visit Idaho for Free!
22 Southwest Airlines Hacks! {Tips To Know Before You Fly}
Save money on your trip to Idaho when you use these Southwest hacks to fly for free or cheap into Spokane or Boise!
Now keep reading for all the very best Idaho travel tips and things to do shared by myself and your frugal friends…
Idaho Travel Tips and Family Vacation Ideas
Heather said: “Panhandle in Kellogg. For East Central Idaho, check out the Dog Bark Park B&B in Cottonwood and the Mammoth at Grangeville. In the Snake River valley stop at The Hagerman Fossil Beds & Visitor Center in Hagerman, you will rethink everything you’ve heard about early horses! In Central Idaho, visit Craters of the Moon National Monument and in Eastern Idaho go to the Lava Hot Springs.”
Thomas said: “If you’re in the Coeur d’Alene area you’ll love these campgrounds.
Farragut State Park is super nice. It used to be a military base and is a huge state park compared to others with 4-5 disk golf courses, a range, a museum, swimming area, and miles of trails to explore.
Also try Lions Head Campground on Priest Lake. It has a nearby natural water slides and has great hiking. From Lions Head you can hike or boat up to upper Priest Lake where it is remote grizzly territory.
Also there is Kit Price Campground on the North Fork Coeur d’Alene River. Great family campground with multiple loops right on the slow moving river. Nice for bikes, playing in the water and hiking nearby.”
North Fork Coeur d’Alene River
Shadow Falls Hike near Kit Price Campground
Lower Shadow Falls
Michael said: “Coeur d’Alene Lake is beautiful. The town is amazing at night, with the lights all around the lake.”
Coeur d’Alene Lake: Go to the lake in the summer and enjoy the beaches during the day (City Park, Sanders Beach or Honeysuckle Beach), and beautiful sunsets and moonsrises in the evening.
Mineral Ridge Trail: This 3.3 mile loop trail overlooking beautiful Coeur d’Alene Lake is also a great place to look for Bald Eagles in the winter months.
Cougar Bay Preserve: Found just outside Couer d’Alene you’ll find a treasure trove of wildlife, including migrating water fowl, songbirds, moose, beaver, otter, and deer. The nature trails are perfect for the kiddos.
Camille said: “I just moved to Idaho from Texas, and we LOVE it! We are in the Coeur d’Alene area, and the rumors are true…it is fabulous!”
Lesley said: “Idaho has a ton to see. Coeur d’Alene is beautiful! Also Teton Valley Idaho is gorgeous. If near Idaho Falls you have to try Reed’s Dairy….their ice cream is fantastic!!”
Jennifer said: “This is where I live, GO IDAHO! I live in the panhandle near Kellogg and Coeur d’Alene. Don’t forget to visit Wallace, Idaho too, a quirky little town, but definitely entertaining in the summer!”
Score a Deal on your Idaho Car Rental! There are so many beautiful places to explore all around Idaho… and you’ll need a car to see most of them! There are a few easy Rental Car Hacks to slash your costs that you’ll want to put to use! Here are my favorite tricks to save BIG on car rentals…
18 Ways to Save Money on Rental Cars
Meagan said: “Kellogg Idaho is tiny but its beautiful!”
Cecilia said: “Elk River, Idaho. Beautiful waterfalls, one of my favorite places ever!! A must see… and after hiking the falls stop into the tiny town for some homemade soft serve huckleberry ice cream :-)”
Cindy said: “I’m visiting Cascade, Idaho right now and it is absolutely beautiful! There is a golf course right next to the lake, plus tons of boating, hiking, and other great options. There’s even a little place here called Kelly’s White Water Park where you can rent tubes and float in some small rapids or watch professional kayakers practice.”
Get Free Gas for Road Trips! Wherever you plan to spend time in Idaho, you’ll likely need to plan a road trip. Using Free Gas Gift Cards is a frugal way to make your trip to Idaho less expensive!
Free Gas Gift Cards for Scenic Driving
Kim said: “We went to McCall Idaho, it’s so beautiful there! You can boat, kayak,hike, pick huckleberries, see elk, etc. It was a wonderful place to spend time with family.”
Mary said: “McCall – it’s like a smaller version of the Lake Tahoe area, so gorgeous! Red Fish Lake is spectacular. Also see the falls throughout the Twin Falls area and vicinity.”
Score Free Coffee at Starbucks! With so many things to do and explore all over town… you just might be needing a caffeine fix and a snack! There are Starbucks locations all over Idaho, so check this out…
Starbucks Money Saving Hacks
Sara said: “Sandpoint Idaho is a great place to get away to! Definitely check out the Western Pleasure Guest Ranch here on FB! It is just outside of Sandpoint and offers a lot in both the summer and winter!”
Vee said: “Sawtooth National Recreation Area is nice, with beautiful mountains that were featured in the Clint Eastwood movie Pale Rider.”
Vanessa said: “I am visiting the Sun Valley area in the Wood River Valley. Lots of rivers, lakes, hiking biking. darling, small towns. You will also get world class skiing on Mt. Baldy.”
Andrea Said: “Sun Valley – Ride the gondola, eat at Leftys, go to the ice skating rink, visit the Hemingway Memorial, golf, ski, ride bikes, visit shops, shoot clays, go to the performances at the amphitheater… and have fun!!”
Sheyann said: “Don’t forget Island Park in Eastern Idaho! Close to West Yellowstone, beautiful, and full of stuff to do!”
Frugal Idaho Travel Tips: Learn How to Travel for Free or Cheap to Idaho! {Budget Travel Hacks}
What To Pack for Idaho:
Best Baby Travel Gear
Traveling with Baby? Don’t leave home without these Baby Travel Gear Essentials! I’ve taken my babies on the long flights so many times and these must-have items will make traveling with Baby so much easier!
Suitcases
Now that you’ve read through all of these incredible Idaho Travel Tips… are you ready to get packing for Idaho and the Pacific Northwest? Make sure you’ve got some good sturdy luggage with wheels to take along! Fun and unique prints on luggage are always great, because it always seems like every suitcase at the airport or hotel is black, right? Someone will be a lot less likely to walk off with your luggage when it’s got a unique color or print!
Large Travel Purse
Every great trip starts with a large purse, right? I have one large purse I save just for trips, and it’s perfect for storing my Kindle, Maps, Snacks, and even my Camera! I never leave on a trip without it, and am always grateful for that extra space!
Travel Pillow
Make sleeping on those long flights a whole lot easier when you pack a comfy travel pillow!
–> Hiking Backpack for food and extra layers when you go on all the beautiful hikes available.
Don’t board your plane without these 11 Carry On Must Haves! They’re a lifesaver on long flights!
Be sure to leave extra room in your suitcase to bring home some souvenirs!
Now that you’ve ready through these fun Idaho Family Vacation Ideas, start dreaming of even more traveling in the beautiful Northwest with these fun and frugal travel tips below:
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Don’t miss out! Get even more fun travel tips, money saving ideas, recipes and more from The Frugal Girls right here…
So… have YOU ever been to Idaho before?
What are some of your favorite Idaho travel tips for places to see, things to do, etc? Leave a comment & share!
Julie says
For the daredevils among you, B.A.S.E. jumping is allowed off of the Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls! (There are places that will take you tandem) If something a little less adrenaline filled is more up your alley, there are places where you can rent a canoe or kayak to take down underneath the bridge.
And The Birds of Prey center near Boise is amazing – the reason we have a Peregrine falcon on our state quarter, and it’s a treat to learn about all of the conservation efforts!
Julia says
Roystone Hot Springs is only an hour away from Boise, go if you can, you won’t regret it!
Liz says
If you’re going up to the northern area (near Couer d’Alene and Sandpoint), I highly recommend Silverwood. It’s an amusement park with a water park, and is a very fun place to spend the day with kids (they close down in the winter months due to snow though). Also in that area, check out the Wolf People shop; they have a wolf sanctuary up in the hills, and they bring a couple of the wolves out to the shop during the day for people to watch.