Wildlife · 35 min west
Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge
A big lake refuge near Nampa where grebes nest in summer and huge flocks of ducks and geese gather from fall into winter.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (waterfowl October to January)
- Free
Day Trippin' › Idaho › From Boise
Day trips from Boise
From Boise, Table Rock and the Old Pen are minutes from downtown, the gold-rush boardwalks of Idaho City are under an hour up the mountains, Bruneau Dunes is about an hour and a quarter south, and McCall's lake and Shoshone Falls are about two hours away. The best day trips from Boise, by drive time.
46 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from Boise
- Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge 35 min west
- Payette River Scenic Byway 51 min north
- Celebration Park 54 min southwest
- Bruneau Dunes State Park 1 hr 13 min southeast
- Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument 1 hr 38 min southeast
- Perrine Bridge 1 hr 43 min southeast
- Shoshone Falls 1 hr 53 min southeast
- McCall 2 hr 2 min north
- Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve 2 hr 38 min east
- Redfish Lake 2 hr 51 min northeast
Within an hour from Boise 7 spots
Scenic drive · 51 min north
Payette River Scenic Byway
Highway 55 follows whitewater north from Eagle past Horseshoe Bend, Banks and Cascade to McCall.
- Full day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Historic site · 54 min southwest
Celebration Park
Idaho's only archaeological park, with petroglyphs on lava boulders and a walk across the 1897 Guffey railroad bridge over the Snake River.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (best spring and fall)
- Canyon County Parks day-use fee (per vehicle)
Waterfall · 55 min west
Jump Creek Falls
A short walk up a narrow rhyolite canyon ends at a 60-foot waterfall with a pool, with a second path to an overlook.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (best spring)
- BLM day-use fee
Winery · 36 min west
Sunnyslope Wine Trail
A cluster of small family wineries above the Snake River near Caldwell, about 30 minutes from Boise.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round (best spring to fall)
- Tasting fees at each winery
Town · 54 min northeast
Idaho City
An 1860s gold-rush town with boardwalks, the Boise Basin Museum in the 1867 post office and an old Boot Hill cemetery.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free (museum admission)
Wildlife · 57 min south
Snake River Birds of Prey Area
About 800 pairs of hawks, eagles, falcons and owls nest in these canyon cliffs; Dedication Point looks 400 feet down to the Snake River.
- Half day · Easy
- Best mid-March to June
- Free
1 to 2 hours from Boise 17 spots
State park · 1 hr 13 min southeast
Bruneau Dunes State Park
North America's tallest single dune, about 470 feet, over small lakes, with sandboarding by day and a public observatory on weekend nights.
- Half day · Moderate
- Best March to May and September to October
- Idaho State Parks entrance fee (per vehicle) or Idaho State Parks Passport
Landmark · 1 hr 43 min southeast
Perrine Bridge
A 1,500-foot steel bridge almost 500 feet above the Snake River, one of the few places in the US where BASE jumpers leap legally, with canyon overlooks by the visitor center.
- 1 hr · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Waterfall · 1 hr 53 min southeast
Shoshone Falls
The Snake River drops 212 feet over a rim wider than Niagara, seen from viewing decks a short walk from the car, with Dierkes Lake for swimming and fishing in the same park.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Best April to June (flow is lowest in late summer and fall)
- City of Twin Falls vehicle fee from March 1 through fall; free in winter (check)
National monument · 1 hr 38 min southeast
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument
A visitor center shows fossils of the Hagerman horse and other Ice Age animals; nine miles away, overlooks and a 3-mile trail follow the Snake River bluffs and Oregon Trail ruts.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy to moderate
- Year-round (visitor center open fewer days off-season; check)
- Free
Town · 1 hr 56 min northwest
Baker City
A gold-rush main street and the Oregon Trail center on Flagstaff Hill.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Center admission
Trail · 1 hr 44 min southeast
Snake River Canyon Rim Trail
A paved path of about 7.6 miles along the canyon rim with views of the Perrine Bridge, Pillar Falls and Shoshone Falls; easy to walk just a piece of it.
- 1-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Scenic drive · 1 hr 55 min west
Leslie Gulch
A narrow canyon of orange honeycombed rock near Lake Owyhee.
- Half day · Easy
- Spring-fall
- No pass or fee needed
Wildlife · 1 hr 29 min east
Camas Prairie Centennial Marsh
Each spring this high prairie wetland near Fairfield turns blue with camas lilies and fills with waterbirds.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Best late May to early June
- Free (check)
2 to 3 hours from Boise 17 spots
National monument · 2 hr 38 min east
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
A huge, strange lava field with a 7-mile loop road past cinder cones, spatter cones and lava tubes you can walk into with a flashlight.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- Best May to October (Loop Road not fully open about November to April)
- NPS entrance fee (per vehicle) or America the Beautiful pass (waived when the Loop Road isn't fully open)
Lake · 2 hr 51 min northeast
Redfish Lake
Mount Heyburn and the jagged Sawtooths rise straight out of the far shore, with sandy swim beaches, boat rentals and easy shoreline walks.
- Half day · Easy
- Best June to September
- Sawtooth NRA day-use fee (beach and picnic sites; America the Beautiful pass not accepted)
Town · 2 hr 2 min north
McCall
A lake town on Payette Lake for a waterfront stroll, paddling and ice cream, with a Winter Carnival of snow sculptures in late January.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
State park · 2 hr 8 min north
Ponderosa State Park
A forested peninsula in Payette Lake with beaches, bike trails and the Osprey Point view, plus groomed ski trails in winter.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Idaho State Parks entrance fee (per vehicle) or Idaho State Parks Passport
Museum · 2 hr 8 min northwest
National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
Real wagon ruts and the story of the trail, on a hill above the Baker Valley.
- 2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round; daily in summer (check winter hours)
- Admission (Interagency passes accepted)
Wildlife · 2 hr 44 min northeast
Sawtooth Fish Hatchery
See how the hatchery helps Chinook salmon and steelhead finish a 900-mile return from the Pacific, and walk past the fish ponds.
- 1 hr · Easy
- Year-round (tours Memorial Day to Labor Day)
- Free
Town · 2 hr 29 min east
Ketchum
Sun Valley's walkable home base, with galleries, cafes, bike paths, the Hemingway Memorial and a free town bus.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Town · 2 hr 36 min northeast
Stanley
A tiny log-cabin town with the Sawtooths filling the skyline, where three scenic byways meet, with summer Thursday night street dances.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Best June to September
- Free
Get a day trip idea every Friday
Three ideas for the weekend, one each for Washington, Oregon and Arizona, with a link to plan the day. Free. Unsubscribe any time.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 83702 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.