The Atlas Obscura Guide To Idaho

65 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Idaho

Updated October 18, 2024

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Unusual Attractions in Idaho

Burke Ghost Town.

Wallace, Idaho

Burke Ghost Town

A mining town, now abandoned, was built in a canyon so narrow that the railroad ran right through the hotel lobby.

Kings Bowl and Great Rift from air. King's Bowl is a phreatic explosion pit 280 feet (90 m) long, 100 feet (30 m) wide, and 100 feet (30 m) deep, caused by lava meeting groundwater and producing a steam explosion 2,200 years ago. (Wikimedia Commons)

Arco, Idaho

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve

Home to the deepest rift anywhere on Earth.

Natural rock water slide.

Coolin, Idaho

Lionhead Natural Water Slides

Natural rock water slides hidden in the remote forests of northern Idaho.

Boise, Idaho

Big Idaho Potato Hotel

When in Idaho, sleep in a giant potato.

Giant Potato Sculpture

Blackfoot, Idaho

Idaho Potato Museum

This museum glorifies the humble potato.

The Empire Saloon in Custer.

Stanley, Idaho

Custer Ghost Town

See just what life was like in a 19th-century prospecting town.

The Black Cliffs

Boise, Idaho

The Black Cliffs

These black pillars of volcanic basalt seem to call mountain climbers with an unbreakable siren song.

Cottonwood, Idaho

Dog Bark Park Inn

Sweet Willy, at 30 feet tall, is the world's biggest beagle.

See All 65 Things To Do in Idaho

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Idaho

Boise, Idaho

Big Idaho Potato Hotel

When in Idaho, sleep in a giant potato.

Giant Potato Sculpture

Blackfoot, Idaho

Idaho Potato Museum

This museum glorifies the humble potato.

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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

6 Stone-Cold Stunners in Idaho

It turns out that no one really knows how Idaho got its name. It's been thought that the name came from Shoshone, but in truth it may have just been made up by a somewhat shady politician. Regardless of what you call it, the Gem State is sparsely populated and unapologetically wild, and full of wonders—especially geological ones.

The Black Cliffs near Boise are great for climbers.

Explore Idaho

Geology 10

Nature 9

Mines 7

Rocks 6

Waterfalls 5

Rivers 5

Trails 4

Ghost Towns 4

Ecosystems 4

Caves 4

Museums 4

Natural Wonders 4

Places To Stay 3

Idaho Leaderboard

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Rampaging Koala

has been to Malad Gorge
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has been to Hagerman Fossil Beds
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wants to go to Pulaski Tunnel Trail
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has been to The Devil Boat
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has been to City of Rocks

Stories About Idaho

A fossil leaf of the extinct plant Ginkgo adiantoides, which lived more than 11 million years ago in what is now Idaho.

The Best Clues to Life on Mars Could Be in These Idaho Fossils

Well-preserved ancient plants and other finds at the Clarkia fossil beds hint at what kind of evidence any Martian life may have left behind.

by Robert Patalano

February 26, 2024

In the American West, preventing wildfires is becoming all the more crucial. Meet one of the helpers.

Why NASA Is Watching Where Idaho’s Parachuting Beavers Landed

The mini-paratroopers have a new role to play today.

by Danielle Hallock

January 25, 2024

Wood River Valley, site of a roughly four-mile move of an entire house—while its residents were in it.

Podcast: A House Move Like No Other

Author Dave Eggers shares the story of a unique family and one of the strangest, slowest moves in history.

by The Podcast Team

A sea lamprey that's clearly ready for its close-up—and for a new appreciation of its role in its native ecosystems.

Sea Lampreys, Long Reviled, Are Finally Getting Some Respect

Once dismissed as "ugly," this sucker-mouthed fish plays an important role in its native ecosystem.

by Ted Williams

Podcast: Yellowstone's Zone of Death

Can a legal loophole make it possible to get away with murder?

by The Podcast Team

Podcast: Museum of Clean

Keeping history squeaky-clean.

by The Podcast Team

Podcast: Trailing of the Sheep

What happens when thousands of ovids take over an Idaho town.

Sponsored by GoUSA TV

Hells Canyon National Recreational Area, which runs mostly along the border of Idaho and Oregon, encompasses more than 650,000 acres.

Come Hell or High Water, Mail Arrives Weekly in This Remote Canyon

Jill and Jim Koch have been delivering mail by boat to Hells Canyon for decades, following a century-old route.

by Michelle Harris

November 24, 2021

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