The Elusive Search for Idaho’s Most Beautiful Highway

There are too many choices.  If you asked me yesterday, my answer would probably be different today, and different tomorrow.  It’s not like being asked what your favorite color is.  When you’re driving a breathtaking mountain road, at that exact moment, it becomes my favorite.

A few months ago, I left Bliss and headed in the direction of Boise on old Highway 30.  For half a dozen miles, it was my favorite spot.  A couple of weeks later, I drove from Balanced Rock to Hagerman.  For half an hour, I had a new favorite.

This is Like Being a Kid in a Candy Store

For me, it’s like asking if I would like a date with a beautiful blonde or a beautiful brunette.

One place that does come to mind is the drive between Swan Valley and Alpine, Wyoming.  As you rise out of Swan Valley, you pass the massive Palisades Reservoir on the right, and you hug the mountain on the left.  Now that’s scenic.  Today, I guess you could say I think that’s the best drive for a relaxing weekend.

It's the Surroundings Instead of Idaho's Roads

But then there’s a rest stop I visited several years ago, along the Interstate and west of Pocatello.  It wasn’t the road that caught my attention, but the Snake River coursing through the valley below.  I snapped the picture with my phone and then sent it to friends around the country, along with 75 other shots.  It was singled out by several buddies as being among their favorites.  It wouldn’t be a bad location for a house, but the traffic would be noisy, and I suppose the government would be angry if you started building.

I’ve mentioned in previous writings that a friend who worked for Fish and Game said Idaho was four states in one.  Maybe he said five, but while the exact number isn’t clear, I understand his point.  I can go for a drive every weekend, in any direction, and come home satisfied that I’ve seen God’s brushstrokes.