Category Archives: Idaho

Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks

Posted on by

After bidding farewell to the charming city of Missoula Montana, we embarked on a two-day journey south to our next destination, Victor iIdaho and the Teton Valley Resort,  Our primary reason for choosing Victor as our base was to explore two of the most stunning national parks in the country- Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Both of these parks are famous for their natural beauty and wildlife, and we were excited to explore them to the fullest.

We started our exploration the Grand Teton National Park, at the Craig Thomas Discovery Center, where we spoke to the rangers and got some valuable recommendations. One of the rangers suggested that we do the hike to Taggart and Bradley Lakes, which promised stunning views of the Teton Range.

Grand Teton National Park is located in northwestern Wyoming and is renowned for its towering peaks, pristine lakes, and abundant wildlife. The park encompasses an area of over 300,000 acres and is part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which is one of the largest remaining nearly intact ecosystems in the world. The history of Grand Teton National Park dates back to the late 19th century when explorers and settlers first began to explore the region. In 1897, the park was established as a forest reserve, and in 1929, it was designated as a national park. The park owes its name to the Grand Teton, which is the highest peak in the Teton Range and stands at an elevation of 13,775 feet. Continue reading →

4th of July Weekend, Driggs Idaho

Posted on by

We left the RV parked at Challis Hot Springs RV Park and drove to Driggs, Idaho, in the Jeep to visit with Kevin, Ericka and the kids for the 4th of July weekend. We stayed in Victor in a cabin at the Teton Valley Campground for 2 nights. The first afternoon we went to Grand Targhee Resort to go mountain biking in the Grand Targhee Bike Park, voted #2 in the top 5 Best Bike Parks in the Northwest region. Bob and opted out of the mountain biking and took the chairlift to the summit for a fantastic view of the Tetons. We took Austin with us the first time and then after lunch with Harper, they both loved the view and especially the snow still on the ground. They all had a blast mountain biking down the trails and riding the chairlift back to the top. It will be a favorite outing every year for the Jackson clan. Continue reading →

St Regis MT and Couer d Alene Idaho

Posted on by

On July 15th it was time to leave Columbia Falls on our way to St Regis, MT and Coeur d’Alene, ID. First we stopped at the Polson Motorcoach RV Resort near Flathead Lake in Polson, MT, for a few days of rest and to enjoy this beautiful park, for Class A motorhomes only. Due to COVID-19 everything was closed in Polson so we went paddleboarding on Flathead Lake. Then we went to St Regis, MT, and stayed at The Nugget RV Park for a week. This is a great Park with the friendliest hosts, who even started our campfire for us. Click on thumbnail to view images Continue reading →

Mountain Home Idaho

Posted on by

We left McCall and headed south to Mountain Home, Idaho, staying at the Mountain Home RV Park on October 5th until the 12th. We wanted to explore some different areas around Mountain Home and we heard that the Anderson Ranch Reservoir was a good place to visit. From Mountain Home we drove 20 miles east on US 20 to Anderson Ranch Dam Road.The Anderson Ranch Reservoir is formed by the Anderson Ranch Dam and is a 7.4 square mile reservoir, and  is popular for fishing and water skiing. We had good views of the reservoir from the road on the way to the small towns of Pine and Featherville. We stopped at Cyndie’s Featherville Saloon for lunch, a little hole-in-the-wall with good food and beer. Across the road from the Saloon was a wood carver and we spent some time talking to the carver and enjoying his carvings. We stopped at the Paradise Hot Springs but decided not to spend the money to spend a few minutes in the hot springs. Then it was back to Mountain Home to our RV. Click on thumbnail to view images Continue reading →

McCall, Idaho

Posted on by

Today we arrived at the McCall RV Resort in McCall, Idaho. McCall is off the beaten track but a place that we wanted to visit and stay at this beautiful RV park, we were parked over looking a river and plenty of trees. McCall is a resort town situated on the southern shore of Payette Lake, near Payette National Forest. McCall was established by Tom McCall in 1889-91 as a logging town, the sawmill company operated until 1977. After settling into the Park, we went out to explore the town and drove around Ponderosa State Park, a 1,000 acre peninsula, home to some of the largest old-growth trees in the western US. Click on thumbnail to view images

Continue reading →

Sawtooth Wilderness

Posted on by
sawtooths-2

Entering the Sawtooth Wilderness

We did a day hike in the Sawtooth Wilderness up to the picturesque, alpine lake, Sawtooth Lake. There was still too much snow to do an overnight backpacking trip but we wanted to see some of the sights in the wilderness. We drove north from Ketchum to the quaint town of Stanley, “Trailhead to Idaho Adventure”. Stanley is unaffected, pristine, and planted at the foot of the Sawtooth Mountains on the banks of the Salmon River. We drove around the town in a second and then went to the Iron Creek Trailhead to hike the 8.9 mile trail to Sawtooth Lake, where we can be up close and personal with some of the most dramatic peaks in the Sawtooth Wilderness. We took the quick side-trip to Alpine Lake on our way up the trail. Finally we arrived at a small tarn just before we climbed up to see the beautiful, relatively large Sawtooth Lake. It is nestled in a bare, rocky bowl at the base of Mt Regan. The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful and we couldn’t stay here long enough as we soaked up the magnificence of this lake and the surrounding jagged teeth of the Sawtooth Mountains. It is definitely a place to put on the backpacking bucket list. When we return we can stay at the RV park in Stanley, Mountain Village Resort Campground with 6 sites, to be closer to the trailheads and the pristine beauty of the area. Stanley will be in the direct path of the total solar eclipse of Aug 21, 2017, wish we could be here. Click on thumbnail to view images
Continue reading →

Ketchum-Hiking Bald Mt and Hailey-July 4th Celebrations

Posted on by

Great day of hiking on Bald Mt

Arrived in Ketchum, Idaho, staying at the Meadows RV Park from June 28th to July 7th. We have never been to Ketchum/Sun Valley in the summer and were excited to explore this beautiful area in the warm sunshine. Our first outing was to go up Bald Mountain (9,150 ft) on the chairlift and hike down. It was a spectacular day with plenty of vistas to see on the way down. The wild flowers were in full blown and the big puffy clouds made the hike even better. Hiking down instead of boarding  down was a lot slower but very enjoyable and we stopped in for lunch at the Roundhouse and sat outside on the deck with a beautiful view of Baldy. A couple came and sat next to us, and we found out that she is going to hike Mt Kilimanjaro. We gave her lots of tips. Click on thumbnail to view images
Continue reading →

Sun Valley, Idaho Ski Trip

Posted on by
Reply

Sun Valley-3

Once again we are hitting the slopes at Sun Valley with roomies, Karen Moyer and Bruce Kahn, along with a ski group from Ohio. We are staying at the Christophe Condominiums in Ketchum, within walking distance to the River Run lifts. After we arrived and settled in, we had a meet-and-greet party at Al Feronti’s condo, he’s the trip leader, and got the schedule for the week. Saturday was our first day on the slopes and the weather was perfect, sun shining brightly, and lots of groomed runs to warm up our legs. We ate lunch with the group at the Lookout Restaurant on the top of Bald Mountain. Great views but the food was not the best. At the end of the day we gathered once again at the bottom of River Run drinking beer and  sharing stories of the beautiful day on the mountain. Continue reading →

Craters of the Moon National Monument

Posted on by
Reply

On May 21st we drove Twin Falls, Idaho, where we stayed at the Anderson Camp RV Park just east of the city,for two nights. On Friday, despite bad weather, we drove in the jeep to Ketchum, Idaho, to revisit Sun Valley. We were surprised how different it looked in the summer without the snow. We walked around town and found our favorite coffee shop, Java in Fourth, it’s a local favorite also, and we ate lunch. We also revisited the run where Bob broke his wrist on our ski trip to Sun Valley in 2013. Continue reading →

Teton and Mesa Falls Scenic Byways – Idaho Falls

Posted on by

Saturday, Aug 30th, we are staying at the Snake River RV Park in Idaho Falls, ID and today we decided to take a drive along the Teton Scenic Byway, Hwy 31. The highway is about 20 miles long and we followed the Snake River for some time, the largest and longest contributory to the Columbia River, along a country road. We passed through rolling hills of barley and wheat and the grain silos standing tall in the fields, with the combines working gathering the wheat and barley. The weather was cloudy as we entered the Big Hole Mountains following the rim of the Pine Creek Gorge, we stopped to get a view of the Grand Teton in the distance but it was mostly shrouded in mist. Eventually we were able to see the jagged peaks of the “Les Trois Tetons” or the Three Breasts which the French Trappers used to call them. Continue reading →