We left Boise in the late morning on Tuesday. We could have spent a few more days but there doesn’t seem to be anything in Boise to keep us around. There are great outdoor spaces and hiking but there isn’t something that we wouldn’t be able to see somewhere else.
We moved north. The destination is Stanley, Idaho. Population 100 people or so. About a three-hour drive.
The drive up was quite nice. You move from the Boise Basin into the mountains slowly. About an hour in we got to a nice little stopping point. Along the river, there was a natural hot spring that we took a dip in. Then we jumped into the river to cool off and we were off again.
We got into Stanley around 7 ‘clock and moved towards this camping spot that was supposed to have amazing views of the mountains. I was a little concerned we weren’t going to find a site because it is so competitive here.
But we were able to find one. It was a smaller pull-off next to the road and close by to another camper. But we asked her if it was chill for us to stay and she was about it. We hung out and had a fire that night and made a new friend.
The campsite might be the best campsite I’ve ever stayed at. Definitely in the Top 5. The sites on the Kepler Track in New Zealand and the one we found in Telluride come to mind.
The next day was a big hiking day. We got into the national forest and started off on our hike to Sawtooth Lake. A 9-mile hike to a few alpine lakes.
The hike itself wasn’t overly difficult. I mean it was fairly long and we got a fair bit of elevation but there was never a point where I felt winded or tired. It was one of those hikes where you just had amazing views the entire time. This is a special place.
We camped in the forest that night and got an early start the next morning. Amanda had one more day of work before taking a week off and she had a lot to get done.
We spent the afternoon hanging out at another hot spring. Geez, was this place epic. And we were the only people there. I was surprised – I figured it would be swarmed. The water was the perfect temperature and you had the river right there to cool off in. But I guess this is Idaho. You have all the beautiful spots to yourself.