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Be My Travel Muse

Solo Female Travel

12 Pictures that Prove Idaho is the Most Beautiful Winter State

01/18/2017 by Kristin 8 Comments

From skiing downhill, cross country, snow-shoeing, snowmobiling, and relaxing in a occurring hot spring, these are some amazing reasons to visit Idaho.

Idaho, it’s a little crazy how quickly you charmed me. I didn’t know much of anything about you up until about 2 weeks ago, but now you’ve got me smitten.

If asked if I thought Idaho was a great vacation destination prior to this trip, I would have had to reply that all I knew of it was the Snake River from the game, Oregon Trail, and the blue football turf at Boise State. Idaho was a big question mark for me.

That all changed when a few friends floated an invite to come visit in Sun Valley, a ski resort in the mountains, after Christmas. Come and play in the snow for two weeks instead of sitting behind a computer!? Where do I sign up, right?

sun valley idaho things to do
Snow shoeing in Galena

It wasn’t exactly a tough sell.

A 14-hour-ish drive from Newport Beach where I’ve been hanging over the holidays, my first sign of greatness was when the snow started to come down and perfect little snowflakes on the way into town.

It was a pretty good indication of the magical wintery things to come, which would include a naturally occurring Hot Springs:

sun valley idaho things to do

With pools of water of various temperatures, so that you can hop back and forth between the cold, freezing water and the hot, steaming water if that’s your thing. A favorite from Finland became possible in Idaho!

I also loved the amazing small-town hospitality, the best starry sky I’ve seen in a while, and powdery, snowy mountains that are famous for their awesome skiing and snowboarding.

sun valley idaho things to do
Snow shoeing everywhere and anywhere

We came to find that there were all kinds of beautiful things that you could see outside of and around town. By strapping a pair of snowshoes on our feet, the world was our oyster.

sun valley idaho things to do
A trail near the Galena Lodge, where you can rent snow shoes

Snow shoeing is such a nice and cheap way to spend a day, at $5 per rental at the Galena Lodge (or if you’re lucky, borrow from some friends), or cross country skiing, if that’s your pleasure.

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It seemed like you couldn’t possibly run out of trails.

sun valley idaho things to do
So gorgeous

…and if you got tired of skiing and snowshoeing and needed to give your body a rest, why not snowmobile?

Racing through the trees on the snowmobile trails to Red Lake is still one of my favorite things I did there (it is a pretty penny, though. $185 per two-seater rental from Smiley Creek Lodge).

Plus it seems that in any direction away from town you head…

sun valley idaho things to do
Welcome to the mountains (taken on the drive from Sun Valley, Idaho, to the Tetons)

…The drive alone is worth it.

You’ll see places that look like the moon covered in snow.

sun valley idaho things to do
Craters of the Moon National Monument

If you just keep going east, you’ll hit Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone too!

sun valley idaho things to do
Driggs, Idaho – the sunsets there are unreal

That’s where I watched this magical scene of orange, purple, pink, and cool blue unfold.

sun valley idaho things to do

Right from the comfort of a converted barn, which would have been more than double the price in Jackson Hole.

But there in Driggs, Idaho, it was secluded, tranquil, warm, and had the most perfect view.

sun valley idaho things to do
The barn from outside

(It’s called the ‘owl barn’ on Airbnb)

sun valley idaho things to do
A view from the road on the way in

As far as winter destinations in the States go, and I know there are many, I suspect I’ll have to look long and hard before I find something that beats out Idaho’s gorgeous snowy mountains.

Then again, that’s something I don’t mind trying and trying and trying to do.

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I'm Kristin, and my vision of a better world is one where more women are empowered and living out their dreams. Solo traveling is the best method I've found to become the best, bravest version of me. This site is all about how YOU can have the adventure of a lifetime in an easy, fun, approachable way, so that you can feel empowered, too. Want to learn more about me?

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Comments

  1. Ijana Loss says

    01/21/2017 at 9:32 am

    I have a couple friends from Idaho that talked about the beauty of the winter. I’ve even considered randomly traveling there solo, but since I’m not 25 rental car prices would be ridiculous and I’m not sure there’s a way to see all the gorgeous out of the way snowy places otherwise.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      01/23/2017 at 10:31 am

      There was a bus that goes out to Galena Lodge where some of these snow shoe pictures are from and you could probably get to the mountain to ski easily enough but yeah, that policy sucks 🙁

      Reply
      • Kayla says

        01/29/2017 at 1:38 pm

        Hey,

        I used to live there and there is definitely easy bus access to both River Run and Warm Springs. Thats how we got to the lifts when I was a kid. Just make sure the Airbnb you stay at or the hotel you stay at are along a bus route… Easy enough of an ask. I’d be mind blown if the hotels didn’t have shuttles to the lifts as well.

        Hope that helps!

        Reply
        • Kristin says

          01/30/2017 at 11:56 pm

          Thanks for that! I also took the bus into town a couple of times from where my friends lived (so that we could have a drink in Ketchum) and it was reliable and free!

          Reply
  2. Anthony Horovitz says

    02/02/2017 at 4:23 am

    Fantastic! Absolutely stunning pics. It looks like you had a great time there. Nice post.

    Reply
  3. Jonathan Merage says

    06/22/2017 at 10:22 pm

    Wonderful! You are right. These pictures are exploring the real beauty of Idaho during winter.

    Reply
  4. Lori says

    01/31/2020 at 9:06 am

    You must have never been in Alaska during winter. 🙂 Hard to beat Denali, glaciers and the raw nature to be found there.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      01/31/2020 at 10:56 am

      Only in the summer! I’m sure Alaska is fantastic in the winter too, though.

      Reply

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