8 Coolest Idaho Towns For A Summer Vacation In 2025
For many, the name Idaho conjures images of the best of the American West: cowboys, adventurers, and rugged natural beauty. Those attributes, first given to the Idaho territory, before gaining statehood in 1890, still hold true today. Indeed, the region, called "the Gem State" for its wealth of precious and uncommon stones, continues to allure the visitor to its stunning natural settings each season. With a broad slate of natural and state parks, historic points of interest, and family-friendly fun in the great outdoors, Idaho towns like these offer abundant ideas for an upcoming summer vacation.
Chubbuck
Chubbuck, just north of larger Pocatello, offers an attractive, suburban-style choice for some time away while staying within reach of city conveniences. Sitting between the two main sides of the Fort Hall Reservation, home to the federally recognized Shoshone-Bannock tribes. The reservation operates the Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Museum, a local must-see for all things related to this Native American group. The museum's standout exhibit is a series of historical photographs taken between 1895 and 1912.
For summer visitors, the museum sits beside a grazing area for the tribe's own herd of buffalo. Some of these animals, a symbol of the American West, are brought for exhibition and tourist visits each summer. Other warm-weather draws near Chubbuck include the Snake River and the American Falls Reservoir. Both bodies of water are ideal for boating and fishing.
Fish Haven
In southeast Idaho, the small town of Fish Haven may seem to have an odd name for a state locked between the Western Plains states and, to the north, a stretch of the Canadian border. In fact, the town sits along the west bank of Bear Lake, a north-south body of water that helps form the state line between Idaho and Utah. Early settlers harvested fish from the lake for sustenance and trade with surrounding communities.
Today, Fish Haven's angler tradition endures. Especially in the Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge, as managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fishermen of all ages and skills levels try for the local brown and cutthroat trout, carp, and yellow perch. If a visitor fails to catch his or her dinner, nearby dining options include Cooper's Restaurant and Sports Bar, which features a stunning lakeside view.
Ketchum
The central town of Ketchum derives its unusual name from David Ketchum, a local 19th-century trapper. In recent decades, the town has drawn scores of visitors given its proximity to the glitz and glamour of Sun Valley, which boasts world-class skiing and winter sports. Yet Ketchum offers warm-weather fun also. Easley Hot Springs, a spa and swimming resort, combines the chance for a cool dip with stunning views of the Rocky Mountains beyond. Other summertime draws read like an ideal family vacation plan: mountain biking, camping, and fishing are options here.
For a look at the natural world that defines Ketchum, animal lovers can seek out the Living With Wolves Museum, dedicated to responsible management and cohabitation with the iconic beast. The museum includes terrific photos from National Geographic and elsewhere.
Post Falls
Hugging the western state line, between Coeur d'Alene and Spokane, Washington, the town of Post Falls holds out choices for fun on and off the water. The Post Falls Dam provides a majestic view over the Spokane River, while the river itself makes for a vast playground where boating, fishing, and relaxing can all take place amid the beauty of the Mountain West. Treaty Rock Park, another primary draw here, which served as the place of agreement, or treaty, between a German settler and a Coeur d'Alene chief. The settler built a saw mill on tribal land, and in exchange, provided wood for the tribe.
For a break from active outings, Post Falls Brewing, a beer company in town, runs a taproom at its facility, which overlooks the Spokane River. The drinking area also organizes beer specials, trivia, and live music.
Sandpoint
Set against Lake Pend Oreille, the very friendly town of Sandpoint, set at the delta of the Pend Oreille River as it lets out into Pend Oreille Lake, makes for a picturesque summer destination. The town's relationship to its surrounding water takes on a scientific aspect at the Sandpoint WaterLife and Discovery Center, a nature education facility in town. Tours are self-guided here, and includes the center's fish hatchery, hiking trails, and wildlife watching areas. Parts of the trail even include a pair of underwater viewing stations, where the local fauna that live under the water's surface can be enjoyed, too. The center is ideal for families on summer vacation. Adventurous types will enjoy the town's proximity to a slew of hiking and biking trails above Lake Pend Oreille.
For a little Sandpoint culture, the Panida Theater hosts movies and performing arts events. Other warm-weather draws include Panhandle Cone and Coffee, with views to the lake, caffeine for mom and dad, and ice cream for any kids in tow.
Stanley
Stanley, a very small town in the dead center of the state, might provide the calm that a family of group of friends needs on their next vacation. The Sawtooth Mountains nearby promise outdoor adventure in spades, including all-terrain vehicle rentals and mountain cabin rentals.
In town, outfitters for fishing and rafting compete for space with a small but lovely set of galleries, small hotels, and a few bars and restaurants. The Stanley Baking Company offers a breakfast so good, a line forms around the property, where locals and visitors wait for its famous cinnamon rolls. In summer, the town organizes its popular Thursday Night Street Dances, a series of evenings for socializing, cutting a rug, and taking a load off.
Sun Valley
Famous for skiing and its upscale winter clientele, the town of Sun Valley, an hour's drive southeast of Stanley, delivers on summertime fun, too. The town is a popular mountain biking haven, and local authorities encourage that crowd with a free, bike-rack-equipped shuttle service called Mountain Rides, which brings cyclists to various trailheads.
For a warm evening outside, the town is also renowned as a stargazing destination. The Milky Way never looked so clear, or so big, from Sun Valley's combined advantages of high altitude, low light pollution, and a naturally clear sky that opens up an unforgettable view to the stars. The town and surrounding valley doubles as a pilgrimage site for fans of the writer Ernest Hemingway. Otherwise known as "Papa," the Nobel laureate wrote parts of his famous works here. Sadly, this is also where, in 1961, he took his own life at the age of 61. For some uplift after seeing Hemingway's final haunts, try paragliding, another popular pastime here, with outfitters like Fly Sun Valley.
Wallace
In northern Idaho, Wallace is home to the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot.
If its quaint Main Street is not reason enough to make the trip up, consider the town's status as a major producer of silver. The Wallace District Mining Museum speaks to the local industry, with compelling exhibits and stories of past exploits of the precious metal, aided by more than 5,000 historic photographs.
The town's silver abundance, and the wealth that comes with it, is turning Wallace into a vacation zone in its own right. Summer cyclists and hikers can check out the Route of the Hiawatha, called the "crown jewel of the rail-to-trail" pathways built from former train tracks. The town boasts hundreds of miles of similar cycling trails for riders of all types.
Fun fact: in 2004, the mayor of Wallace declared the town the center of the universe, because, according to the town's own officials, it cannot be proven otherwise. A manhole cover in Wallace marks the center of the universal center, and every year, Wallace residents gather to celebrate living in such a centrally important place.
Idaho's Small Towns Are Ideal For Summer Fun
These Idaho towns suggest a breadth and depth of interesting options for a visitor's next summer getaway. Chubbuck and Post Falls honor the Native American legacies that came before, and which endure to this day. Anglers find their waterside bliss in places like Fish Haven and Sandpoint. And the high-dollar people and goods flowing through towns such as Sun Valley and Wallace make those locations rich in opportunities for warm-weather fun and relaxation. Whatever a traveler's tastes, summertime in cool Idaho towns like these should be part of vacationers' plans in 2025.
