Travel spotlight: Scenic road trip from Utah up to the Canadian border

Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes

THE GEM STATE — Growing up in a family with Cache Valley roots, southeastern Idaho simply felt like an extension of our neighborhood. Some of my dad's favorite fishing streams were in Franklin County, and we'd bump into friends who lived in Preston and the surrounding area.

In 1983, my dad started a job that required frequent trips to Rexburg. He'd often bring us kids along, and if we were lucky, he'd extend the visit to take us fishing on Henry's Lake or rafting on the Snake River. The further north we ventured into Idaho, the more we loved it.

But even after all those trips to Rexburg, my experience in the state was limited. Forget the panhandle … I'd barely seen the pan.

So when my own kids set an audacious goal to explore all 50 states, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to venture into the northernmost regions of the Gem State. Here are some highlights from the route that took us from Lehi all the way up near the Canadian border:

Stanley

After a brief stop in Ketchum, our road trip properly kicked off in this mountain town. We rafted on the Salmon River and hiked kid-friendly trails, all under the imposing gaze of the Sawtooth Range. And even though Stanley's population is barely in the triple digits, it still boasts some great restaurants. I ordered bison meatloaf at one place that was mind-blowing.

Our highlight of the Stanley area was definitely Redfish Lake. After hearing people rave about it for years, I finally understand why. It's absolutely gorgeous and offers so many adventures for kids. We did the Lily Pond hike at the south end of the lake, and it was the right level of intensity for our four-year-old. And if you head up the trail a few minutes past the pond, you come to a nice waterfall.

There are several incredible campgrounds to choose from around Redfish Lake. And, if that's not your style, cabins are available at the Redfish Lake Lodge.

Coeur d'Alene

From Stanley, we headed north to Coeur d'Alene. The eight-hour drive eroded the good vibes we'd created in Stanley, so we pulled into town with some grumpy kids. But the lake is a gem, and they quickly forgot their car-bound sorrows as we played on the beach. We could've simply spent our entire three-day stay exploring the beaches of Lake Coeur d'Alene and everyone would've been happy. It's that expansive and beautiful.

Of course, there are lots of free family activities in Coeur d'Alene beyond just playing on the beach. You can watch live performances at the Art on the Green festival or enjoy the music at the Riverstone Summer Concert Series. And at certain times of year, this is the nation's best place to see migrating bald eagles. If you want to venture even further northward toward the Canadian border, Priest Lake is about an hour and a half away and is absolutely worth the drive.

Since Coeur d'Alene is a resort town, there are hundreds of lodging options. We actually stayed in the neighboring town of Hayden at a place called Triple Play Resort, since it has a big waterpark and several amusement-park rides, and we knew our kids would be stir-crazy from the long drive. Seemed like a good call because they loved it.

McCall

The drive from Coeur d'Alene down to McCall takes about five hours. This was our best wildlife day of the trip, and we saw oodles of elk, pronghorn and deer along the way. Upon arrival, we hit up a Mexican restaurant in town, and it was one of our favorite meals of the entire trip.

The main attraction here is Payette Lake, which rests in a basin carved out by a two-mile-wide glacier some 10,000 years ago. But the violence of that process is long forgotten. Our days in Ponderosa State Park were so tranquil that we sometimes wondered if anyone else was even around (it helped that the summer season wasn't yet in full swing). And there are multiple hot springs in the area, making it the perfect place for a relaxing soak after a day of hiking.

You can choose from an array of campsites and RV campgrounds in Ponderosa State Park. There are also cabins available to rent.

Boise

We made our final stop in the capital city before heading home. My kids love zoos, so we immediately hit up Zoo Boise. It's smaller than Hogle Zoo but has some excellent exhibits. And I was intrigued to see some of their unique offerings, such as a boat cruise to observe monkeys in the trees and overnight sleepovers at their safari camp.

If you're looking for a free activity for the kids downtown, stop by the JUMP campus. They have some epic slides that amazed my kids. The MK Nature Center, located within the Boise River Greenbelt, is another excellent no-cost option. One last highlight was taking my sons out to the Schwartz Sturgeon Pond in Parma. I've caught sturgeon on the Snake River before, but it's not very kid-friendly. So it was fun to sit comfortably at the pond watching the kids catch and release 25 fish in just a couple of hours.

For lodging in Boise, we decided to stay somewhere the kids could really spread out after so much time spent in the car. There are lots of great options in town, but we chose the Element Boise Downtown because the rooms are brand-new and include kitchenettes. We actually got our best night's sleep here, which was greatly appreciated before we embarked on the five-hour drive home.

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Grant Olsen

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Grant Olsen joined the KSL contributor team in 2012. He covers outdoor adventures, travel, product reviews and other interesting things.