The Loneliest Place in Idaho

There’s a road in neighboring Nevada called the loneliest road in America.  The stretch of Route 50 through the state was given the designation years ago, I suspect, to attract tourists.  I think there’s an Idaho equivalent.  For me, it’s the stretch of Highway 20 east of Arco to Idaho Falls.  Alternatively, you can take the spur on Highway 26 to Blackfoot and have a similar experience.

There are miles and miles of desolate driving, and on hot days, I’ve seen my share of mirages.

There's a Beautiful Sameness to the Desert

The land is parched and often beige to brown.  Small peaks rise quickly in the haze, and then are gone in a flash as you maintain speed.

You can pull off the road and visit Atomic City, which doesn’t live up to its promise any longer.  The place is mostly a ghost town.  Arco brings a semblance of civilization as you continue west.  There’s good food, gas, and friendly people in town.

Going west to Fairfield and Mountain Home is also desolate, but the land changes.  There’s some green, and the rolling hills become Alpine.  The road begins to wind west of Fairfield.  What had been a desert straightaway, like something straight out of Mad Max, is now about keeping a lookout for animals around the next bend.

Idaho has Something for Everyone and Every Taste

Idaho is four states in one.  That’s a line I once heard from a spokesman for Idaho Fish and Game.  He grew up on a ranch in the higher elevations. It got so cold in winter that the handles on car doors would snap off.  Meanwhile, as the crow flies, Hagerman Valley isn’t far away.  People grow watermelons there!

Idaho may seem lonely at some points along the roads, but it’s a breathtaking loneliness.