The jewel in the so-called Gem State’s crown is its stunning and remarkably unspoilt scenery. Adventurous types flock here to hike, climb, raft, ride and ski – or simply goggle at the views. Much of the terrain is mountainous, wild and wooded, with some spectacular gorges; at 8913ft, the dramatic Hells Canyon is deeper than the Grand Canyon.
In central Idaho, the ski resorts of Ketchum and Sun Valley are beloved of affluent second-homers and celebrities. Ernest Hemingway loved the area’s tranquillity (not to mention the hunting and fly fishing) and is buried at Ketchum, where he spent the last few years of his life.
An hour’s drive away is one of Idaho’s many wilderness areas, the Craters of the Moon National Monument. It’s an unearthly, eerily desolate 83sq mile volcanic landscape; in winter, cross-country skiers tackle the 11km loop road.
In the far north, bordering onto Canada, the panhandle region is famed for its lakes, watersports and angling; down south, adrenaline junkies take to the Salmon and Snake Rivers for whitewater rafting and kayaking.
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