Date of trip: April 30- May 4th, 2025
Although I had already officially checked off Idaho with my visit to the panhandle on my honeymoon, I really had always imagined my visit to Idaho would be Boise and the Sawtooths. So when I had some time off, I decided to plan a trip. I started solo in Boise then my trusty travel partner Lauren joined me to head to the mountains. Our vision for the trip was a spring adventure with hikes surrounded by wildflowers. Apparently May is a little early for spring in Idaho, and there was still snow in many places (and even some avalanche sequelae). As usual, I was underprepared for cold weather so I did stop for new boots at the Boise REI before adventuring. This trip was definitely exactly what I had envisioned of Idaho and I was so impressed with the natural beauty, the proximity of really cool hikes, quirky downtown Boise and relaxing vibe in the mountains. The highlights are below then detailed itinerary, AllTrails links and photos follow.
Highlights:
▪️Downtown Boise and my stay at The Modern Motel
▪️Cervidae Peak Trail in Lucky Peak State Park
▪️Sunrise at Hull’s Gulch
▪️Redfish Lake and Stanley Lake
▪️Cabin in Lowman
▪️Shoshone Falls and the Snake River
▪️Kirkham and Bonneville Hot Springs
▪️Lowman Inn for some authentic nightlife
Day 1: Up by 4am for an early flight from Atlanta direct to Boise. I was on the plane chatting with a local and realized I would need bear spray and a winter boot so my first stop was REI.
I stopped at Albertsons for lunch and trail snacks then hit the ground running with plans to do two hikes before sunset. I headed toward Lucky Peak State Park to my first hike, Cervidae Peak which was only 15 minutes from the airport. Rated on AllTrails as hard at 4.5 miles with 1932 feet in elevation gain, but I thought, it’s only 4 miles how hard could it be?
Cervidae Peak on AllTrails
I was running on adrenaline and a few extra doses of caffeine, but I’ll admit it was pretty hard both going up and down. The trail featured ooohs and aaaaahs around every corner. Rolling hills, reservoirs, rivers, snow capped mountains, wildflowers… beautiful. I would absolutely recommend prioritizing this trail when visiting Boise.












Next trail was recommended by a local for sunset, Table Rock which was 3.9 miles and 882 feet in elevation gain.
Table Rock Trail on AllTrails


Apparently this is private property and there are signs everywhere that you cannot park near the trail and that the trail closes before sunset.
So I decided to go ahead and check into my motel downtown. The Modern Hotel was absolutely perfect.





Super super cute with lots of perks including live music, a bar, free breakfast, easy parking, great location. I was upgraded to a suite that had a huge balcony and huge bathroom with soaking tub.






I was tempted to call it a day since I had been awake at this point for almost 20 hours, but I had driven by Soft Landing and was lured to walk nearby for some ice cream.


The ice cream perked me up and I did end up finding a sunset trail, Camels Back Trail just a 5 minute drive from my motel.
This was a super popular spot and a short scramble with views of downtown and surrounding foothills.




Day 2: Started with a sunrise hike recommended by staff at The Modern, Hulls Gulch Interpretive Trail which was only a 10 minute drive.
Hulls Gulch Interpretive Trail on AllTrails
The trail was beautiful at sunrise and featured views of Boise from above.












Finished the hike and drove back to Boise

The Modern had a lovely free breakfast. I forgot a bunch of stuff so I found a nearby Rite Aid to buy a brush, toothbrush, razor… basically all the grooming essentials. This Rite Aid was a highlight of Boise. So cute!




The plan was to pick up Lauren from the airport at 1pm, so decided to do a little urban hiking around Boise and find brunch.

Loved all the old signs they’ve preserved








I found Wild Root which was busy even on a Thursday morning.

Had the BLT and it was delicious

While I was brunching, Lauren realized she’d be delayed by 6 hours so I scrambled to find a hike to occupy the time. Google led me to Shoshone Falls so I started packing up to head there. For provisions, Bodega Boise was right across the street and had a great selection of energy/protein bars and healthy snacks and juices.


🔹Shoshone Falls was 2 hours southeast of Boise. I really wanted to check out Craters of the Moon but I just didn’t have time to drive 3 hours each way before picking up Lauren from the airport.
Shoshone Falls Observation Deck Trail on AllTrails
I would consider this more of a viewpoint than a hike but I had planned to also visit other local attractions (Mammoth Cave and Evel Knievel’s jump site along the Snake River) so I wasn’t looking for a long hike anyway. There was a $5 entry fee per car so have cash available.
They call Shoshone Falls “the Niagara of the West”—and at 212 feet tall, it’s actually higher. And unlike Niagara, there’s no commercial activity surrounding as the land donated in 1932 as a park for everyone to enjoy.





I was so tired from the sunrise hike and driving that I opted to nap in the nearby park area rather than scramble to see the other sights. It was such a nice little shaded spot, perfect for napping.
It was a two hour drive to Boise International Airport and the pick up was simple. The airport is under construction though so no waiting lot.
We set off on the two hour drive north to our little river cabin in Lowman. We opted to state road 21 for the scenic route.
The cabin was adorable and so peacefully located right on the Payette River. It had two bedrooms and a full bathroom with a half bath and washer/dryer. There was also a nicely equipped kitchen.
https://www.airbnb.com/l/WP2d9aNf



Day 3: Started the morning with a morning soak at Kirkham Hot Springs in Boise National Forest, only about 10 minutes from our cabin.
Kirkham Hot Springs: Experience Kirkham Hot Springs Idaho

We spotted a staircase and climbed down a waterfall to some tiny rock pools.


We tried to find the warm parts of the springs and contorted our bodies to fit in the tiny hot pot under a cold waterfall. We stayed as long as we could then headed back up. Luckily we noticed people doing a quick little hike to a real hot springs and decided to come back after our hike.
We found Julie Creek which was only 15 minutes from the hot springs. It’s a beautiful 11.3 mile out and back hike with a total of 1,056 feet in elevation gain. There were a couple stream crossings in the beginning and I was ultimately glad I bought the waterproof boots. We had lunch at a pretty little picnic spot at the bridge and overall had a pleasant little hike.
Julie Creek Trail on AllTrails





We cooked a nice dinner after our hike and waited for sunrise to head back to the hot springs. I had stopped in Boise for a few groceries before picking up Lauren and glad I did because there’s no real grocery store in the area. There’s the Lowman Mercantile which was adorable and stocked with essentials though.



Equipped with our canned cocktails from the Mercantile, we headed back to Kirkham to find the real hot pots. Here’s the AllTrails which shows the little hike to the best soaking part of the springs.
Kirkham Hot Springs on AllTrails
We got there at 7:30 which was perfect to catch the sun going down.





We had such a lovely day that we decided to cancel our plans to head back to Boise the next day and were able to extend our stay in the cabin.
Day 4: With the benefit of another day, we decided to head to Stanley which was an hour north with a view of the Sawtooths.

We weren’t exactly sure which roads were open to access the trails so we just navigated to town. The visitor’s center hadn’t opened for the season but we found an outfitter’s store and the clerk was so helpful. The store was Riverwear and we both got some new gear before heading to our hikes.


We were in luck that the roads had just opened May 1st to Redfish and Stanley Lakes.
Headed to Redfish Lake first for our first glimpse of the Sawtooths. We didn’t do a formal hike, just parked in one of the empty lots and walked around the lake.






The water was very clear, still icy in spots but blue/turquoise like the Caribbean





Had a little picnic at the lake then heading to Stanley lake which was on the way back to Lowman.

Again, no formal hike but we just parked and walked along the lake.




Next, drove back towards Lowman and decided to find some hot springs. The road to Sacajawea springs was closed so we searched along the route and found Bonneville Hot Springs.

We parked and followed signs to the hot springs which was a 20 minute walk. We had on our hiking clothes and carried our bathing suits. There were bathrooms midway and also a nice changing room at the actual hot springs.

These were my favorite springs. Lots of room to spread out, great scenery and varying temperatures.








We made it home and rummaged through our leftover Mercantile supplies to make a pretty decent dinner.

When our libations were all consumed we decided to hit the mercantile again but unfortunately they were closed on Saturdays

We decided to drive a few minutes up the road to the Lowman Inn for a couple of drinks.

Oh and what an experience. The entire town was there and even a bachelorette party from Idaho City. Think rural dive bar.

Seeing the (literal) writing on the wall, Lauren pleaded with me to avoid the temptation to ask for prosecco. But I did anyway and the owner/bartender just looked confused and handed me a Coors. “Haley we talked about this!” They did, however, have Clamato for Lauren and boy, the Kansas in her really came out that night.



There was live music and Lauren and I quickly made friends with Rod by answering all his trivia questions between sets. Then he played some “traditional American music” (remember Bulgaria) and we all sang “You Never Even Call Me By My Name” together.

There ended up being a big storm and after some loud cracks of thunder and lightning, the Inn completely lost power. But that didn’t stop the fun, Rod just played his acoustic by lantern light and everyone ate wood-fired pizza.

We had planned just to have a few drinks but after the Clamato and champ-bongs, we ended up closing down the bar.



Day 5: We begrudgingly left our cabin in Lowman to head back to Boise. The morning views were moody from the storm.

Lauren’s priority was to check out the Rite Aid so we stopped there first for plane snacks then found brunch in downtown.
We didn’t have reservations anywhere so ended up at the bar at Red Feather Lounge.



Loved the Huevos Rancheros and Avo Toast and would highly recommend a brunch reservation at Red Feather.
After wandering Boise a bit, we made it to the airport and flew out uneventfully. The rental car return was easy, even with the lot construction, and there was a gas station easily accessible on the airport property.
To close:
Another adventurous trip with Lauren in the books. Southern Idaho did not disappoint—stunning landscapes, quiet trails, and some hidden gems that rival the beauty of California and Colorado, minus the crowds. Highly recommend adding it to your list. Happy to share tips if you’re planning a visit—just shoot me a message!



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