Day Trips from Boise, Idaho

1. Bogus Basin

Visitors to Bogus Basin will enjoy outdoor mountain recreation such as mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, disc golf, skiing, tubing, snowshoeing, the only mountain roller coaster in Idaho, and more. There are also a lot of special activities for children, such as wall climbing, trampolines, and Shafer Butte Mining Company. Season passes and unlimited day passes are available. Bogus Basin is located less than 10 minutes outsides of Boise, which makes it easy to get there and stay all day.

2600 N Bogus Basin Road, Boise, Idaho, 83702, Phone: 208-332-51000

2. Twin Falls

Twin Falls Idaho is one of the best places to visit for easy access to outdoor recreation in the state and is one of the largest cities in South Central Idaho. Twin Falls serves as the gate to the Snake River Canyon where visitors can explore three waterfalls, the Perrine Bridge that spans the canyon 500 feet high and offers BASE jumping all year around. Twin Falls also offers convenient access to Sawtooth National Forest, Sun Valley, Redfish Lake, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, and Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. Visitors also love the vibrant downtown area for shopping and dining and Centennial Waterfront Park.

3. Bruneau Dunes State Park

Bruneau Dunes State Park is an exciting outdoor recreation area less than 70 miles from Boise with sand dunes spanning 4,800 acres. Bruneau Dunes features the tallest structured sand dune on the North American Continent with a peak rising 470 feet high. Visitors can explore by hiking or renting sand boards, similar to surfboards, and off-road vehicles. There are also a few lakes with great fishing and guided horseback riding through the dunes. Make sure to stick around to dark and visit the observatory where telescopes let you see the night sky up close. Cabin rental and campsites are also available.

27608 Sand Dunes Road, Mountain Home, Idaho, 83647, Phone: 208-366-7919

4. Caldwell

Caldwell, Idaho is just 30-minute drive West of Boise and is a thriving town in the Boise Metropolitan area. Caldwell is also home to two colleges and was a stop on the Oregon Trail where Pioneers crossed the Boise River near Silver Bridge on Plymouth Street. Caldwell is home to many annual festivals including the Winter Wonderland Festival and Indian Creek Festival. The town also has a vibrant downtown area and is known for its nearby wineries and immaculate golf courses. Families taking a day trip from Boise to Caldwell can visit Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History, Whittenberger Planetarium, Babby Farms, Our Memories Museum, or the Glen L. and Ruth Evans Gem and Mineral Collection.

5. City of Rocks

The City of Rocks in Southern Idaho is just two and a half hours from Boise and is one of the best places to enjoy backcountry adventuring. City of Rocks is a 14,407-acre National Reserve in the southern part of the Albion Mountains where rock climbing, camping, hiking, and hunter are popular outdoor activities. A visitor center for City of Rocks and the nearby Castle Rocks State Park is located in the Almo historic village and is open year-round. Almo was established as part of the old west in 1878 and remains a town of cattle ranchers with only basic services available.

City of Rocks Reserve, P.O Box 169 Almo, ID, 83312, Phone: 208-824-5901

6. Craters of the Moon

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is a volcanic wonderland featuring a visitor’s center where guests will find educational exhibits, films, and onsite staff available for questions. Guided hikes are available during summer months that range from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours long with varying difficulty. You can also drive along the 7-mile scenic loop or enjoy a number of other special programs such as patio talks, and evening programs at the amphitheater. Children can get involved in the junior ranger program or participate in other educational programs, including the annual MOONFEST: Moon Landing Celebration that happens in July. Craters of the Moon is just under three hours away from Boise.

P.O. Box 29, Arco, ID, 83213, Phone: 208-527-1300

7. Eagle

Eagle, Idaho sits amongst ethereal foothills on the Boise River on the western side of Boise, Idaho. Eagle is an upscale, sophisticated neighborhood featuring mid to high-end homes, fine dining restaurants, shopping and is just 15 minutes from downtown Boise. Visitors to Eagle can enjoy local sporting events and outdoor recreation including hiking and fishing in the foothills, golfing, BMX dirt biking, and well-maintained parks. Merrill Park features a summer splash park, volleyball, natural wetlands and access to the river. There is also a beautiful pedestrian bridge that connects many downtown businesses for easy and convenient travel. The Eagle Historical Museum and the Eagle Performing Arts Center are also found downtown.

8. Garden Valley

Garden Valley is just one-hour North of Boise off Idaho State Highway 17. The small, unincorporated village is called “Wildlife Canyon Scenic Byway” because of its excellent wildlife viewing and breathtaking mountain scenery and hot springs. Garden Valley is the perfect day trip from Boise for people who are interested in white water rafting, kayaking, hiking, and camping. Animals that frequent the valley include eagles, wolves, bears, cougars, turkey, elk, and ospreys. Visitors can also enjoy the Terrace Lakes Golf Course and Resort or take part in the annual Silver Creek Plunge in the Boise National Forest in Peace Valley. Guests who visit Garden Valley during winter have the opportunity for old fashioned sleigh rides through the valley.

9. Hagerman Fossil Beds

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument is an hour and an hour southeast of Boise and home to the Hagerman Horse fossil. The Hagerman Horse is a horse that evolved in North America and featured only one toe. The National Monument also features fossils from a saber-tooth cat, bear, camel, ground sloth, mastodon, giant otter, rodents, swans and other birds, frogs, an otter estimated to be nearly 4 million years old, and many others. The Hagerman Fossil Beds is the richest deposit of fossils in the world of the late Pliocene epoch. Most of the fossils are pre-Ice Age, and the Oregon Trail also crosses the southern tip of the fossil beds.

PO Box 570, Hagerman, Idaho, 83332, Phone: 208-933-4105

10. Hailey

Hailey is a small town found in the Wood River Valley area of Sun Valley and the Central Idaho Rocky Mountains. Hailey sits at the edge of the Challis National Forest which provides easy access for outdoor adventure lovers looking for a day trip from Boise. The valley boasts 250 days of sunshine a year and offers world-class skiing in the mountains, whitewater rafting, kayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking, backpacking across the Rocky Mountains, fishing, golfing and more. Visitors to Sun Valley and Hailey can also stop by America’s first ever Dark Sky Reserve and learn about the connections Ernest Hemingway had to the valley.

781 South Main Street, Hailey, ID, 83333, Phone: 208-788-3484