One of the lowest airfare deals in the nation will take you to one cool summer destination - Idaho.
Four airlines offer a round-trip rate of just $266 to Boise, southwest Idaho.
To qualify, give at least a three-week advance notice of travel. Trips at this rate are allowed seven days a week. A three-night minimum stay is required when departing Atlanta Sunday-Wednesday. Otherwise a Saturday night stay is required.
The final permitted day of travel is Nov. 1.
Alaska Airlines, Delta, United and USAirways serve Boise with one flight connection.
To the north of Boise lie mountains, mountains and more mountains. To the west, fertile farmlands. To the south, high desert plateaus and rugged canyons. To the east, more farmland and volcanic wonders of the Snake River Plain. Whether you’re spending a couple of hours or the whole day, there are dozens of short trips out of Boise that will introduce you to the wonders of scenic Idaho.
Just one-hour southwest of Boise, Canyon County was a former wintering ground for the Paiute Indians features a large concentration of petroglyphs and ancient campsites. Learn the history of this nomadic tribe at the Celebration Park Visitor Center or take in the natural history of the park on a self-guided tour; www.canyonco.org.
When you go southwest from Boise, you're headed into Idaho's wine country. Here, on the same latitude as the famed wine regions of France, Idaho vintners are producing award-winning wines on the fertile slopes above the Snake River. Sunny Slope is home to many fine wineries. Most offer tours and tasting rooms and Ste. Chapelle, the largest, hosts outdoor jazz concerts on Sunday afternoons during June and July; www.idahowines.org.
Silver City, established in 1864, is another well-preserved ghost town. Nestled in the Owyhee Mountains south of Boise, more than 70 historic buildings still stand where a boomtown once blossomed with silver miners, gamblers and other fortune-seekers. You can visit The Idaho Hotel for food and a drink and tour other historic structures like the Post Office, Drug Store and the School House Museum. Silver City is only accessible May through September when the snows are off the Owyhees and the 25-mile gravel road is passable; www.historicsilvercityidaho.com.
Located in the 'Idaho Heartland', McCall is just a two hour drive up Route 55 through some of the most scenic wilderness areas in the state. This small resort town is a summer and winter playground built on the shores of Payette Lake. Enjoy a variety of craft fairs, concerts, community theater and the wonderful McCall Winter Carnival and Snow Sculpture Competition; www.discovermccall.com.
A 7-hour drive north of Boise is Lake Coeur d'Alene, created by glaciers and today an international resort destination with the town of Coeur d'Alene on its north shore and resorts nestled along 135 miles of shoreline. An ideal region for avid birdwatchers - Lake Coeur d'Alene has the largest nesting population of osprey in the western United States; www.coeurdalene.org.
For more city/state attraction info, visit www.visitidaho.org and www.boise.org.
Clara Bosonetto is a retired travel consultant.
About the Author
