Things to Do in Idaho City

Idaho City, located in the Boise Basin off Highway 21 just 40 miles from Boise, is a historic mining town.  Gold was discovered nearby at Grimes Creek in 1862.  By 1863, Congress established the Idaho Territory, and Idaho City was the county seat of Boise County. 

Over the next two years, the population in Idaho City soared.  With more than 6,000 people, it became the largest city in the Pacific Northwest, larger than Portland.  The gold strike ultimately produced 3,000,000 ounces which is worth almost a billion dollars at current gold prices.

The mining town suffered several fires and of course the demise of the gold rush.  Now, however, it caters to tourists over the summer.  As a result, there are plenty of things to do in Idaho City for a day or weekend.

EXPLORE!

Happy Hiking: Adelmann Mine

Of the hikes I’ve done in Idaho this week, Adelmann Mine might be my favorite thus far.  I debated about driving half-way back to Boise from Idaho City to hike this trail located right off Highway 21.

I wasn’t sure I wanted another desert hike, nor did I want to go closer to Boise where there would likely be more hikers.  But, a mine hike would be a change of pace from the others I’ve done, so I settled on the short 30 minute drive to the trailhead.

HAPPY HIKING!

Happy Hiking: Charcoal Gulch

In the last several weeks, I have done a lot of desert hiking.  I wanted to change it up, so after heading to Idaho City, I found a hike in the woods at Charcoal Gulch.

The directions on AllTrails were a little confusing.  They took me through the historic mining town of Idaho City to a dead end in a residential section.  After taking a slight detour, it indicated the parking was behind an apartment complex and there were about two spots available.  This parking was at Buena Vista Trail.

HAPPY HIKING!

Happy Hiking: Homestead Trail

Many people have asked me how I decide where to go while on my road trip in VANgo.  Generally speaking, I’m going in search of 70 degree weather, wildflowers, and fall color in autumn.  Today, in the second week of May, I found those wildflowers at Homestead Trail.

Homestead Trail is located only 7 miles from Boise in the Boise National Forest, better known as the Boise foothills on the outskirts of the city.  The trailhead is found in a residential neighborhood.  The area very much reminded me of the foothills surrounding Golden, CO, though not as crowded.

HAPPY HIKING!

Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey NCA

I’m not sure how exactly I ended up at the Swan Falls Dam in the Snake River Canyon to camp.  As I sifted through free campsites on my iOverlander and Free Roam apps, I wanted a place within one hour of Boise that included cell service and was located near wildflowers.  I only succeeded at landing within one hour of Boise. 

Perhaps I was tired from my time in Moab and two days of driving to Idaho with a stops on the way when I selected directions to Swan Falls rather than Halverson/Bar Lake.  They were both located in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey NCA, 40 miles south of Boise, but Halverson/Bar Lake had cell service and Swan Falls didn’t.

EXPLORE!

Wendover and the Bonneville Salt Flats

I’d never heard of the City of Wendover, until I decided to visit the Bonneville Salt Flats, just 9 miles to the East.  I expected some tiny place, but instead, I found a Utah city with a population of 1,000+ that focuses on mineral extraction and aviation.

Across the border, in West Wendover, Nevada, with 4x the population, were hotels, casinos, restaurants and a few gas stations.  I wouldn’t have even known they were two separate towns except when I briefly crossed the border for gas, my gps greeted me with, “Welcome to Nevada.”

EXPLORE!

Rifle Falls State Park

Back on the road again, I planned on meeting some friends in Moab on Wednesday.  There was a brief break in the rainy and snowy weather nearby Denver on Tuesday, so I headed out early and made a few detours along the way.  The first place I visited was Rifle Falls State Park.

Rifle Falls State Park, operated by the Colorado Parks & Wildlife, is located near Rifle, Colorado, on hour east of Grand Junction.  The park includes a three hiking trails, a picnic area, and both drive-in and walk-in campgrounds along with wedding facilities.

HAPPY HIKING!
camping on Willow springs road

Moab: Willow Springs Road

There are lots of things to do in Moab, but most the time I am here, I hike in or nearby the National Parks.  As a result, I have plenty of posts about different visits to Moab.

This time, however, while I still hiked in order to tire out Annie, it wasn’t the main focus of my camping trip on Willow Springs Road.  This trip was organized by friends from Winter Park, and I joined them and several others for a more leisurely experience.

WHEELS UP!

Happy Hiking: Watson Lake

After a long uphill hike yesterday on Granite Mountain Trail, I planned a short 4.5 mile loop on the Watson Lake and Flume Trail.  Watson Lake is located at Watson Park right off Highway 89 which is a scenic drive to Sedona. 

Both Watson and Willow lakes were created as reservoirs by the Chino Valley Irrigation District.  Each resulted after the damming of Granite and Willow creeks, in 1916 and 1935, respectively.

The City of Prescott purchased the lakes and the surrounding land in 1998 for $15 million in a widely supported bond election.

The Watson Lake is popular among hikers, camper, wake free boaters, and bird watchers.  Additionally, the ecosystem attracts many waterfowl and shorebirds migrating in the winter.

HAPPY HIKING!

Happy Hiking: Granite Mountain

After a lovely night on Thumb Butte Road, the following morning Annie and I drove to Granite Mountain Trail about half an hour north.  Along with Thumb Butte Road, Granite Mountain Trail is located in the Prescott National Forest.  Granite Basin Lake is nearby, so there are a variety of parking areas for the beaches and boat launching. There is also a parking area with bathrooms at the trailhead as indicated by AllTrails.

Granite Mountain Trail

The trail begins in forest which was appealing to me.  I prefer evergreens over cactus and scrub.  Annie enjoyed it too, once again running around like crazy.  Sometimes I wonder how she can have so much energy.  She exhausts me while I attempt to exhaust her!

HAPPY HIKING!