STANLEY, IDAHO

Let’s talk about one of the most beautiful places in the world… Stanley, Idaho.

With a smaller population and it being a not-so-well-known tourist spot, you feel like you have it all to yourself, and it’s magic. I actually fear spreading the word because I don’t want the secret to get out, but it’s such an incredible place I have to talk about it!

We flew into Boise and drove around two hours to get to Stanley. The drive is smooth, very scenic, and super easy.

More than 61% of Idaho is public land, so if you wanted to lodge for free, you can set up camp almost anywhere.

We stayed at Mountain Village Resort. It has a short trail to a covered hot spring you can reserve. It has pretty river views, and there’s also hot springs in the river you can sit in. The hotel’s restaurant is amazing, especially their breakfast menu!

Close by is Redfish Lake Lodge. Next time we go I want to stay there, it’s incredible. It’s right on the clearest mountain lake you’ve ever seen, with tons of activities you can rent like paddle boats, float pads, kayaks, and pontoon boats. The restaurant there is to die for and they also have concession stands and bars outside that have super delicious meals and drinks.

At the lodge, you can take the ferry across the lake to the trail head. The ferry ride itself is so beautiful, and there are a few different trails you can take when you arrive. We hiked to Alpine Lake and back. It was a hard hike, it took 6 hours and was 12 miles total. But dipping our feet in that icy cold lake afterwards and seeing the GORGEOUS views of the Sawtooths, meadows of wild flowers and butterflies, Alpine Lake, and many pretty rivers and streams, it was SO worth it.

Stanley is a national dark sky reserve, so there’s no light pollution. The star gazing is out of this world. We laid out on the beach at Redfish Lake Lodge and star gazed for hours. It was truly one of the most magnificent things I’ve ever seen.

On our last day we kayaked Salmon River. That was my favorite kayaking experience ever. We saw eagles and the river was just challenging enough to not be boring, but still enjoyable.

#vacation #idahotravel #travel #summer #trip