Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Drive 26
Idaho Heartland
Departing from Boise, the state's charming capital, this long-distance drive tra-
verses a vast backcountry of white-water rivers, hard-edged mountain peaks, and
miles of rolling prairie that turn golden in the summer sun.
Length:
About 440 miles
When to go:
Each season offers fine scenery, but winters are severe, frequently closing
roads at higher elevations. At many campgrounds and lodgings, reservations are neces-
sary in summer, the peak season.
Nearby attraction:
Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, 20 miles
south of Boise
Further information:
Idaho Travel Council
Idaho's Scenic Byways
1.
Boise
French Canadian fur trappers, roaming the West in search of pelts, first explored this area
in the early 1800s. Impressed by the abundance of cottonwoods along the riverbanks, they
named the place
Boisé,
which means ''wooded.'' American settlers eventually followed,
traveling west on the Oregon Trail, and today, with more than 140,000 residents, Boise is
Idaho's largest city as well as the state capital.
In a wide valley backed by the silvery ridges of the faraway Owy-hee Range, Boise
boasts an appealing mix of the old and the new, the natural and the man-made. The capitol,
with its neoclassical dome, is the stately centerpiece, while the historic district, Old Boise,
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