12 Things to do on a Southern Idaho Road Trip

By: Samantha Drumb | Posted on: October 11th, 2024

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Idaho is a great place if you’re looking for outdoor adventure or to disconnect in nature – there’s tons of things to do whether you’re on a camping trip, a road trip, or both! My fiance and I live in San Diego and were itching to do a camping road trip to a new place for both of us – we’ve been to several of the California staples like Yosemite and Sequoia National Park and came across a few posts of things to do in Idaho. I would’ve never thought about Idaho previously – definitely called the [hidden] Gem State for a reason – but it looked beautiful and like a great place to camp/adventure outdoors. Since it borders Canada and Washington state, I always figured it would be too far to drive in a day (my max is about 13 hours) but as we looked into it, we discovered the southern part was actually only about 12.5 hours! The destination was chosen and the planning began in search of the top things to do on a southern Idaho road trip! 

Originally, we were planning to camp a few days in the southern part of Idaho, drive up north to explore the rest of the state and camp a night, then stop back in the southern part before making the trek home. We had a few weekends in mind later on in September or October, however, when our plans to attend the camping festival (and one of our favorites!) Nocturnal Wonderland was canceled due to the wildfires in San Bernardino two days before we were supposed to leave, since we had already prepped and were ready to camp, we decided to full-send on our southern Idaho road trip instead! And because we already had the time off and now could request a few extra days off, and were SO close to Wyoming, we instead decided to hit southern Idaho and add on Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, some of our bucket list places we had yet to explore (which will be covered in the next few blog posts). 

Idaho is nothing short of beautiful and absolutely perfect for outdoor adventure! As you read below, I’ve included all of the unique and amazing stops we explored in southern Idaho on our road trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, and also included some of the ideas we had when originally planning to go north as well so that you may tailor your trip however you want! For reference, we headed out on the road at 5am from San Diego to Castle Rocks State Park, Idaho (arriving at approximately 8pm) where we camped two nights, drove to Grand Tetons National Park (about a 5 hour drive), where we camped at Colter Bay Campground for two nights, visited Yellowstone National Park on our way to Salt Lake City where we stayed one night to break up the drive (about a five hour drive), and completed our home stretch to San Diego (about an 11 hour drive).  

Idaho is nothing short of beautiful and absolutely perfect for outdoor adventure! As you read below, I’ve included all of the unique and amazing stops we explored in southern Idaho on our road trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, and also included some of the ideas we had when originally planning to go north as well so that you may tailor your trip however you want! For reference, we headed out on the road at 5am from San Diego to Castle Rocks State Park, Idaho (arriving at approximately 8pm) where we camped two nights, drove to Grand Tetons National Park (about a 5 hour drive), where we camped at Colter Bay Campground for two nights, visited Yellowstone National Park on our way to Salt Lake City where we stayed one night to break up the drive (about a five hour drive), and completed our home stretch to San Diego (about an 11 hour drive).  

12 Things to do on a Southern Idaho Road Trip

Southern Idaho is an excellent choice if looking for a long weekend getaway road trip from southern California or anywhere in between. There’s tons of hiking, camping, springs, water adventures, and hidden gems that make it a great destination to visit on it’s own or if you’re on your way to Yellowstone and/or Grand Tetons National Park! 

1. Hiking in Southern Idaho

There’s tons of awesome hiking trails in the state of Idaho! We had saved a bunch of trails on the AllTrails app when we initially started planning. Since we camped in Castle Rocks State Park, we chose to hike the Castle Rocks Trail, which was a moderate, 5.90 mile hike with 994 ft elevation gain. It was also surrounded by several larger rocks that are popular for rock climbing. Since we were camping in the park, our reservation included the $7 Motor Vehicle Pass, but you can easily pay for this when entering the park if staying elsewhere. There’s several other hikes to choose from in the adjacent City of Rocks National Reserve, Sawtooth National Forest, Ketchum, Caribou-Targhee National Forest, Boise National Forest, Salmon-Challis National Forest, and other areas throughout the state! 

2. Rock Climbing  

While we aren’t avid rock climbers, we did come across a bunch of rock walls on our hike that were popular spots for rock climbers! These were located in Castle Rocks State Park off of the Castle Rocks Trail as mentioned in the hiking section. 

3. Kayak Blue Heart Springs/Snake River 

Since we only had one full day in Idaho before making our way to the Grand Tetons, we wanted to experience both the hiking and beautiful springs that Idaho has to offer. One of the first pictures that caught my eye when researching things to do in Idaho was Blue Heart Springs – the crystal clear blue water was not only breathtaking, but reminded me of home in Florida where gorgeous springs sprinkled the state and was one of my favorite things to do. Luckily, this particular spring was only about two hours from Castle Rocks, so we hit the road right after our hike! You can only get to the spring by kayaking down the Snake River and luckily we found Blue Heart Kayaking (open until 6pm) where we were able to rent a tandem kayak for $35 for two hours, which was a perfect amount of time to get to the spring and enjoy it for a while. The spring is just around the river bend and tucked away behind trees, surrounded by rocks that you can pull over and relax on to really see the full effect of the crystal clear blue spring. 

4. Twin Falls

Twin Falls is a cute little town that was on our way back from Blue Heart Springs to our campsite. This was a nice pitstop in civilization where we got to enjoy dinner and beers from Idaho at Koto Brewing Company (which also has live music some nights!), and cocktails from Milner’s Gate. We were also pretty cold camping the night before and were in need of an extra blanket, so luckily this town has a Target Supercenter that we were able to find some cozy blankets at! There is also a trio of waterfalls located off I-90 on the Twin Falls trailhead that you can see when visiting Twin Falls! 

5. Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is one of the most unique places I’ve ever seen – it literally feels like you’re standing on the moon in some parts! It’s basically a one-way loop around the park of ancient volcanic activity that left the landscape looking like another planet. It cost $20 per vehicle or $10 on foot, unless you have the America the Beautiful pass, and then it’s free! This was the perfect stop for us to see a bit more of Idaho on our way to the Grand Tetons. We spent about an hour hiking up the Inferno Cone, visiting the Spatter Cones where you can actually see the vent of the volcano, explored caves created by underground lava tubes, and enjoyed a walk through the lava on the way to the caves. 

6. Mesa Falls

Mesa Falls was our last stop in Idaho before crossing over to Wyoming en route to The Grand Tetons National Park! SUCH a beautiful sight – made up of Upper and Lower Mesa Falls located in the Targhee National Forest, we visited the 10-story Upper Falls which extends across the Snake River and pours over the area of an ancient volcanic eruption. There are hiking trails around this area, or if you’re pressed for time like we were, you can park in the parking lot (ensure to bring $5 cash to obtain a parking pass). The breathtaking views are well worth it! 

More Things To Do In Idaho 

Now that we’ve covered all of our stops in southern Idaho on our road trip to The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, I wanted to recommend a few other stops that we looked into during our initial planning phase, but either didn’t work out because of timing or location since we changed our plan a bit. 

7. Shoshone Falls

Shoshone Falls or “The Niagara of the West” is another beautiful area to see Idaho’s waterfalls, and actually located in Twin Falls, Idaho! Shoshone is actually taller than Niagara Falls at 212 feet tall and 900 ft wide, and one of the largest natural waterfalls in the US. The entry fee for the park is $5 per car from March 1st – September 30th, and is open year-round. 

8. Bruneau Dunes State Park  

Who would’ve thought there were dunes in Idaho?! Located in the southwest part of Idaho, Bruneau Dunes State Park it’s actually home of North America’s tallest single structured sand dune with a peak of 470 feet. The park has several activities to offer including hiking, fishing, horseback riding, sand-boarding, and the Observatory for stargazing. You can also camp or rent a cabin at the park. Campsites and cabins can be reserved at Broken Wheel and Eagle Cove from March – October, and same day camping is offered at the Equestrian Campground and unreserved sites. The motor vehicle entry fee is $7 per vehicle, $17 per night for a basic campsite, $29 per night for an electric campsite, $17 per night for an equestrian campsite, and $90 per night for a cabin. 

9. Boise

If you need some city life mixed in with getting in touch with nature, Boise is the place to be! Capital city of Idaho, from the infamous blue football field of Boise State to Zoo Boise to a vibrant nightlife and everything in between, the city of Boise has something for everyone. 

10. Lake Coeur d’Alene

Another beautiful city in nature – Coeur d’Alene is the perfect city destination if visiting the northern part of Idaho as it’s some of the best skiing and snowboarding you’ll find in Northwest US, and is positioned on the approximately 50 square mile Lake Coeur d’Alene. 

11. Gold Bug Hot Springs Trailhead  

Definitely a hidden gem of Idaho! About a two-mile hike (four miles round trip), this beautiful hike is located off of Highway 93 South off of Warm Springs Road in Salmon-Challis National Forest. Your muscles will thank you after a day of hiking with the reward of relaxing hot springs with an incredible view of the mountains! 

12. Sawtooth Mountains 

Sawtooth National Forest and Sawtooth Range have some of the best hiking in Idaho! Located near the beautiful town of Stanley and named after their jagged peaks, some trails to check out on AllTrails include the Stairmaster (Hard / 2.10 miles), Pioneer Cabin Trail (Hard / 8 miles), Alice-Toxaway Loop (Hard / 18.70 miles).  

Weather in Southern Idaho

We visited Idaho in September and the weather was beautiful for the most part! Definitely bring layers – while it was hot and sunny during the day hitting temperatures in the 70s, it got down to low 30s at night and we were pretty cold in our tent – we ended up buying an extra blanket from Target! But otherwise, the best time to visit depends on the activities you would like to do. For us, September (late summer/early fall) was perfect for hiking, kayaking, camping, and exploring the town. If you’d rather ski or snowboard, definitely visit during ski season to Coeur d’Alene. The general consensus, however, is that it’s best to visit Idaho is late spring to early fall where the average temperatures range from 59-68F. Idaho has tons of hiking, water activities, and other outdoor activities that make it the perfect destination in the warmer seasons.

Cell Phone Service

Apple Maps:

• Tap profile picture or initials next to search field
• Tap Offline Maps
• Tap Download New Map
• Enter location
• Adjust map area size
• Tap Download

Google Maps:

• Tap profile picture or initials
• Tap Offline Maps
• Tap Select your own map
• Adjust map area size
• Tap Download

Fishing License

Fishing is another wonderful activity to do on one of Idaho’s many lakes! The daily cost for a fishing license is $22.75 (non-resident + $7 each consecutive day) and can be purchased online on the Idaho Fish and Game website, by phone at 1-800-554-8685, at a license vendor, or at a Fish and Game regional office. 

Where To Camp In Southern Idaho

• Castle of Rocks State Park – Smoky Mountains Campground (includes vehicle entry fee) 
• Lava Flow Campground – Located at Craters of the Moon!

Conclusion: Top Things to do on a Southern Idaho Road Trip

The verdict? Southern Idaho is definitely worth visiting! I would’ve never thought about it before I met a couple from Boise at a bonfire during COVID who described it in such beauty and numerous things to do, then fast-forward to us itching to explore a new place for a camping trip to discover southern Idaho was actually a realistic camping road trip from San Diego! Whether you want to explore the state as a whole, or did what we did and see the southern part on the way to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, you will be so happy that you visited. There’s tons of things to do in southern Idaho and it’s perfect for camping and road trips. This was exactly the trip I needed to disconnect and be in the the beauty of nature.