2026 Custer County Travel Guide: must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transport & travel experiences (updated in August)

. 🔁 Share with your friend, family member, or best adventure buddy to go enjoy all this area of Idaho has to offer! Trust me, this Idaho hot spring & surrounding area should not be missed! . ⛰️Located in the beautiful mountains of central Idaho, Challis Hot Springs is a short days travel to a variety of recreational opportunities. Whether you enjoy rafting, kayaking, fishing, or looking for a getaway into the Frank Church Wilderness, Challis, Idaho is the place to be. . . 📍 5025 Hot Springs Rd, Challis, ID 83226 . 📌 4 hours drive from Boise . 📌3 hours drive from Twin Falls . 📌 2.5 hours drive from Pocatello . 💦 The natural hot mineral springs at Challis Hot Springs are fed from an underground geothermal source. The odorless water bubbles up through the river rock bottoms that allow for the mineral springs to continually fill and replenish, providing a constant circulation of fresh water. The constant flow of fresh water provided a wonderfully refreshing experience for soaking. . ☀️Summer Hours - open 7 days a week 8 am to 9 pm . 🏊♀️Pools are open during business hours for day use for guests 18 years of age and older. Registered campground guest of all ages are permitted to use the pool. . 💰Daily fee for hot spring soaking is $10 per person and children under 5 are free. . ✅Be sure to get Challis Hot Springs on the calender! It’s a place that can’t be missed! . . Have you been to this wonderful hot springs before⁉️ . . . . . . #visitidaho #idaho #challis #challisidaho #hotspring #idahohotsprings #travelidaho #idahoexplored #weekendgetaways #mineralsprings #naturalhotspring #hotsprings

#easytravelpost The Sawtooth Wilderness sits behind Stanley, ID, 2.5 hrs from Boise. No entry fee for the wilderness, but the White Cloud / Sawtooth trailheads need a USD 5/day Sawtooth National Recreation Area pass or America the Beautiful; wilderness party-permit (free, self-issue at trailhead) mandatory. I slept in Stanley (USD 120 cabin), drove to the Redfish Lake trailhead 07:00, took the USD 32 round-trip shuttle boat across Redfish to the trail start (saves 2.5 mi each way). The mossy stretch is the Alpine Way → Saddleback Lakes circuit (14 mi, 2,800 ft gain): lodgepole pine giving way to alpine talus, moss in the lake-inlet seep channels 1 cm thick (thin up high — the moss is a mid-elevation 7,000–8,500 ft thing), 12°C in August, a pika working the scree, Alice Lake's turquoise surface below the Sawtooth spires. I looped Saddleback → Toxaway → Farley, ate a USD 9 Stanley gas-station breakfast burrito at the Redfish dock, filtered lake water at Toxaway. Mistake: I went mid-August without a bug net — no-see-ums at the 7,200 ft inlet ate me for 20 min; DEET wrist-band. Another: the USD 32 Redfish shuttle stops running at 17:00 — miss it and you walk the 2.5 mi lake road. Would you pay USD 5 pass + USD 32 shuttle for the Redfish→Saddleback mossy alpine-lake circuit, or skip the boat and hike in from the free Glacier View trailhead for a longer day?

#easytravelpost The Sawtooth Lakes loop starts at Pettit Lake Trailhead (1,950 m) on ID-75, 30 min south of Stanley. No permit, no fee (Sawtooth NF), but the trailhead fills by 8 a.m. on weekends—I slept at the Iron Creek dispersed sites (free, first-come) and started at 5:50. The 11 km round trip to Alice Lake (2,350 m) passes Toxaway, Farley, and Ingeborg lakes, each granite-walled, each colder than the last. "Refectory" refers to the natural rock amphitheater above Alice where a flat slab shelf looks like a monk's dining hall—I ate oatmeal there with the 3,000 m peaks stacking west. The trail is mostly forested until the Alice basin opens; water is everywhere, filter the creeks (giardia in Sawtooths is common). I pushed to the Alpine Lake climb (3,050 m) in 90 min from Alice—scree, no trail, cairns only. Stanley's altitude (1,900 m) means 3.5 L water on a hot August day. Mistake: I wore a cotton tee and the 2,350 m breeze at 10 a.m. was 11°C—pack a fleece. Another: I trusted my phone GPS in the Alpine Lake scramble and drifted into a gully; download the USGS quad offline. Would you day-hike Pettit→Alice→Alpine, or backpack and camp at Toxaway for the 6 a.m. glass?

#arrivalguide Iron Creek Trailhead (7,200 ft) is 17 miles south of Stanley on Forest Road 205, graded gravel, fine for sedans in dry July. No fee for the trailhead itself, but the Sawtooth National Recreation Area charges $5/day or $30/year at the Iron Creek toilet kiosk (tap card). The hike to Sawtooth Lake is 5.5 miles one way, 1,700 ft gain, 3h30 up at a steady pace. The first 2 miles are forested along Iron Creek, then it opens to Alpine Way Meadows, crosses a log bridge, and switchbacks up the headwall into the cirque where Sawtooth Lake mirrors the jagged namesake peak. I camped at the outlet (permit $7/night reserved online before arrival, bear canister required—no tree hangs) and woke to ice on the tent at 7 am in late July. Day-hikers must be off by dark; lightning builds after 13:00 so start by 7. Water is plentiful but filter it—giardia is real. The trail is dusty, not rocky, until the final switchbacks where granite scree kicks in; trail runners okay but poles help the knees. Common error: people turn back at the first meadow thinking the lake is "just ahead"—it is another 1.5 miles and 800 ft. Stanley has gas and a $6 burger but no ATM that reliably takes foreign cards. Question: is Sawtooth Lake over-photographed and thus overrated, or does the granite cirque still deliver something different from Wind Rivers or Tetons?

Discover a magical little town in Idaho✨ Stanley is nestled at the foot of the Sawtooth Mountains. Although it doesn’t have a national park title, its scenery definitely surpasses the average level of the American West! Every morning you wake up to see the Sawtooth Mountains gradually changing colors in the morning light🌅 From the gray-blue before sunrise to the golden-red after the sun rises, every frame is worth cherishing📸 🌄 Stanley Lake Morning Light Filter A must-visit spot here is Stanley Lake! When there’s no wind, the lake surface becomes a natural mirror reflecting McGown Peak🪐 ♨️ Wild Hot Springs to Enjoy Freely The best part here is the variety of wild hot springs! More natural than commercial hot springs♨ ✔️ Best quiet times: early morning and evening 📅 Seasonal Scenic Highlights This season is simply perfect to visit! ✓ The snow-capped mountain outlines are the clearest ✓ The temperature is just right ✓ Relatively fewer tourists 🗺️ Three-Day Travel Guide Day 1|Romantic Start at Stanley Lake 05:30 Sunrise chasers must rush out🌅 10:00 Easy hike around the lake trail👟 15:00 Relaxing time at the hot springs🧖 Day 2|In-depth Exploration of Redfish Lake 09:00 Lakeside stroll and fresh air🌲 12:00 Picnic time🍱 14:00 New perspective from boating🛶 Day 3|Artistic Finale in Sun Valley 08:00 Morning street photography📷 11:00 Shopping at unique local stores🛍️ 14:00 Head home with memories🚗 The beauty here will root itself in your memory💫 The dawn and dusk of the Sawtooth Mountains, the misty steam of the hot springs, the stunning reflections on the lake... all form Stanley’s unique travel imprint✨

เที่ยวไอดาโฮ (Idaho) สัมผัสธรรมชาติอุดมสมบูรณ์และกิจกรรมกลางแจ้งในสหรัฐฯ ชมความงามของน้ำตก Shoshone Falls, พักผ่อนริมทะเลสาบ Coeur d'Alene, เดินป่าใน Sawtooth Wilderness, และเยี่ยมชมเมืองหลวงบอยซี (Boise) ที่มีเสน่ห์ วัฒนธรรมท้องถิ่น และประวัติศาสตร์การทำเหมืองที่น่าสนใจ #idaho ไฮไลท์สถานที่ท่องเที่ยวในไอดาโฮ: ธรรมชาติและวิวทิวทัศน์: Shoshone Falls: น้ำตกขนาดใหญ่ที่ได้รับฉายาว่า "ไนแอการาแห่งตะวันตก" Sawtooth Wilderness: พื้นที่อุทยานแห่งชาติสำหรับเดินป่าและชมวิวภูเขาที่สวยงาม Redfish Lake: ทะเลสาบใสสะอาดเหมาะสำหรับการพักผ่อนและกิจกรรมทางน้ำ Thousand Springs State Park: สวนสาธารณะที่มีน้ำตกไหลผ่านหน้าผา Mesa Falls: น้ำตกที่สวยงามในป่าสน เมืองบอยซี (Boise) และบริเวณใกล้เคียง: Boise River Greenbelt: เส้นทางสีเขียวริมแม่น้ำบอยซี Old Idaho Penitentiary: เรือนจำเก่าแก่ที่เปลี่ยนเป็นพิพิธภัณฑ์ประวัติศาสตร์ Freak Alley Gallery: ย่านภาพจิตรกรรมฝาผนังกลางแจ้งในใจกลางเมือง Camel's Back Park: สวนสาธารณะที่มีเส้นทางเดินป่าเชิงเขา Idaho State Capitol Building: อาคารรัฐสภาที่สวยงาม กิจกรรมและประสบการณ์: สกีและสโนว์บอร์ด: สกีรีสอร์ทชั้นนำเช่น Sun Valley, Lookout Pass, และ Kelly Canyon Resort Hiawatha Mountain Bike Trail: เส้นทางปั่นจักรยานเสือภูเขาที่มีทิวทัศน์สวยงาม Yellowstone Bear World: สวนสัตว์ซาฟารีที่สามารถชมหมีและสัตว์ป่าได้ แช่น้ำพุร้อน: Lava Hot Springs เมืองชื่อดังที่มีบ่อน้ำพุร้อน ช่วงเวลาที่น่าเที่ยว: ฤดูร้อน (มิถุนายน - สิงหาคม): เหมาะสำหรับเดินป่า ตั้งแคมป์ และทำกิจกรรมทางน้ำ ฤดูหนาว (ธันวาคม - มีนาคม): เหมาะสำหรับการเล่นสกีและกีฬาฤดูหนาว ไอดาโฮเป็นจุดหมายปลายทางที่เหมาะสำหรับผู้ที่รักธรรมชาติ ความสงบ และต้องการผจญภัยในรูปแบบที่ไม่วุ่นวาย