Idaho

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TRAVEL GUIDE

It’s been said that "Idaho is as America was"—a western frontier with more wild land than developed, and only 1.5 million people scattered throughout our nation’s 14th-largest state. Its big blue skies, pristine waters, and jagged snowcapped horizons have been largely untouched by the masses, making it an outdoors enthusiast’s paradise. Rafters, kayakers, mountain climbers, backcountry skiers, and backpackers flock to Idaho’s untamed heart—the treacherous 2.3 million acres of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area (the second-largest protected wilderness in the lower 48 states). Idaho has the most miles of white-water rapids in the continental United States, North America’s deepest gorge, and one of the longest undammed rivers in the country. To the north, in the slim panhandle that touches Canada, are deep wooded hills and huge lakes, while the southern belly is checkered with potato and alfalfa fields along the Snake River Plains. In some of the more picturesque mountain and lake regions, cosmopolitan resort cities are tucked away, with five-star amenities to pamper wealthy vacationers. The state’s capitol of Boise is quickly becoming a cultural, commercial, and educational epicenter. But at its heart, Idaho is still overwhelmingly wild.