Unique digital nomad travel adventures from around the U.S.
Off the beaten path in southern Idaho is a playground of rock formations. Castle Rocks State Park is weird and wonderful. Go here to explore Idaho geology at its finest. State Park Overview In addition to very cool geology, you can see remnants of Native …
Utah and Idaho share a lot in common, one thing being the beautiful turquoise blue waters of Bear Lake. Bear Lake State Park is on Idaho’s side of the lake and boasts one of the finest beaches in the admittedly land-locked Idaho. Bear Lake State …
If you like camping in a campground and lake fishing, Henrys Lake State Park is the park for you.
There is a lot to recommend Henrys Lake State Park. However, if I am being perfectly honest, this park was not my exact cup of tea. It is beautiful and if you enjoy camping in a campground beside a lake and/or fishing in a lake, this park will fit you perfectly.
Henrys Lake State Park is also a really good option if you find yourself unable to reserve a camp spot in Yellowstone National Park. The state park is just 15 miles away, but not nearly as busy. That does not mean you will be able to pull up on a weekend in the summer and get a spot, but it should be easier than the more popular campgrounds in Yellowstone.
Important note: Henrys Lake is Idaho’s only seasonal park. It gets heavy snows at 6,470 feet above sea level. This makes winter access impractical, if not impossible.
Another important note: the name Henrys Lake does not contain a possessive apostrophe in compliance with naming conventions of the US Board on Geographic Names.
There are various restrooms around the campground. The one we used was very nice and even had showers. For all of the specifics, check out the parks and rec’s website for Henry’s Lake State Park.
The campground was relatively full when we visited, but the park did not feel crowded. However, the few people we ran into were very friendly. Expect to make friends easily. The lake is large so it should not be difficult to find a secluded spot to fish.
The rangers at Henrys Lake State Park are very proud of their slough (pronounced sloo), which is basically a swamp. It is a little unique to run into one in Idaho, since we are essentially a high desert. There is a little trail that runs alongside it and the slough is home to all sorts of critters including trumpeter swans, osprey, otters, and more. You may even spot a moose or two.
The park is named after Andrew Henry. He was an American miner, army officer, frontiersman trapper and entrepreneur. He is probably best known as co-owner of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company.
Something else to note about Henrys Lake State Park: it is a breeding ground for trumpeter swans. In fact, rumor has it that in the early 1940s, the U.S. Amy abandoned their construction of a training outpost here because the military did not want to interfere with those breeding grounds.
This was a first-time visit for both R and me. We arrived at the park knowing our options for activities would be limited, but we planned to go on a short hike and I planned to do a bit of casting practice. The first view of the lake took my breath away. It is really quite pretty. I was, however, surprised by the lack of trees. The ranger at the gate was very helpful and nice. She provided a map and told us all about the slough. And leeches. R’s dreams of swimming went out the window real fast.
There is a limited trail system at Henrys Lake, but it is worth checking out. However, you will be repeatedly warned by rangers and fellow campers to watch out for bears. They recommend bear spray and bells. I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time enjoying a hike when I am worried about bears attacking (and one did attack in May). We had bear spray, but R lost it somewhere on the trail. So instead we talked loud and made noise. No attacks, but not particularly enjoyable either.
There is a very short trail along the slough. It is a good place to see critters. We did not catch too many since it was the middle of the day and just about everything was bedded down out of the sun. We met a new friend while walking along the slough and she told us that just that morning she saw a moose in the slough. She then invited herself to go with us on our hike!
This was the friendliest park we visited. Strangers basically inserted themselves into our activities. We enjoyed these strangers, but found their behavior a little odd. Perhaps that is typical of campgrounds? We don’t hang out in them so I am just not sure. But if you show up at Henrys Lake State Park, don’t be surprised if you meet some new friends right away.
I am a super novice fly fisherwoman. Mostly, I have aspirations and gear. I do not have a lot of experience. Henrys Lake felt like a good place to get some of that experience. However, after a bit of research, I realized I was not prepared to do the kind of fishing required at Henrys Lake (it is almost 100% subsurface fishing). My limited experience (and gear) only includes dry fly fishing (for now). So instead, I spent some time practicing my cast.
If you have more experience and gear than me, I recommend you don’t miss Henrys Lake. It is well known for its fishing and it even holds Idaho’s record for brook trout. Apparently, 18-inch trout are common, but you can catch even bigger fish. Be sure to stop by a local angler shop to talk flies and tips.
Also, be careful of the wind. It was a bit windy while I was casting, which I am sure is why no one was out on the lake fishing. When we arrived, it was clear and calm and there were a lot of boats. But when the wind picks up, people head back to shore.
While I was casting, a nice man who was camping at the campground stopped by to discuss technique. He mentioned how finicky the fish are in Henrys Lake. It’s a lot of fun, but not always successful. But isn’t that just fishing in general?
Henrys Lake State Park is a great place to visit if you like to lake fish. It is also a good option for camping, particularly if you want to be close to Yellowstone. There is not a lot to do here if you do not like to fish and camp. And I wish there were a few more trees around. But the views are worth a stop if you are in the area.
Note: we visited Henrys Lake State Park as part of our Idaho State Parks Challenge. The challenge consists of visiting all of Idaho’s state parks in one year. We made up this challenge to see a bit more of our beautiful state and help alleviate the restlessness caused by Covid-19 travel restrictions. Feel free to join the challenge!
Related posts you might like:
Or if you want to see all of our posts, visit Past Posts.
In between two small towns in Eastern Idaho, a no-longer-needed path has a new lease on life. Ride/bike/walk between two towns and enjoy epic scenery consisting of farms, creeks and the impressive Teton Mountain Range. The Ashton to Tetonia Trail covers the 30 miles between, …
Head to Land of the Yankee Fork State Park for a taste of Idaho’s mining history and a chance to explore some cool ghost towns. State Park Overview If you enjoy history, mining, the great outdoors, or all of the above, this is the park …
Did you know that the tallest free standing sand dunes in North America can be found in southwestern Idaho? Well if you make a stop at Bruneau Dunes State Park and try to hike to the top of one of them, you sure would. Bruneau Dunes is a unique place where you can slide down a giant sand hill and go stargazing, in addition to more common place activities like hiking and fishing.
Overall, we give this state park five stars.
The reason it gets this high score is because it is so friggin’ unique.
The park has all the usual amenities like restrooms, picnic tables, etc. The park is pretty spread out, though, so you might have to walk a while to get to some of the bathrooms. Go to the parks and rec website to learn more.
The visitor’s center was pretty interesting. I learned all about why the sand stays where it does after thousands of years. Due to the shape of this area, wind blows in two opposing directions. So the sand doesn’t ever blow away completely. The wind just keeps everything in one place. I also took snapshots of different flowers that are common in the area that I’ve wondered about the names.
Other than a freak covid-spring, I haven’t ever been to Bruneau Dunes when there are too many people to be comfortable. It’s a lot of sand, so it would really take a lot of people to fill it up. Even during the weird covid time when the park was following a one-in, one-out policy, it still didn’t feel overcrowded.
Well…the sand, obviously.
Land around the dunes was purchased in 1967. In the 80s, more land was purchased, bringing the park’s total to almost 5,000 acres.
I’ve been to this park several times in my life. Every trip has included a hike up one or both of the dunes. When I visited this spring, the dunes were full of people trying to sled down them. Now, to be perfectly honest, you probably aren’t going to be able to carve down the dunes like a snowboarder on powder snow. Conditions have to be really good (cool, maybe recently rained) to be able to sled well. Some sleds seem to work better than others, but I couldn’t figure out which ones were the best.
When B and I visited the park in the heat of the southwestern Idaho summer, I noticed there was a distinct shortage of people on the dunes. Didn’t take long to figure out why–the sand is dangerously hot during summer months.
A few years ago a group of our friends decided to camp at Bruneau Dunes State Park and visit the observatory. Unfortunately, it rained so we weren’t able to look through any of the telescopes. We were treated to a wicked slideshow presented by an adorable volunteer. We vowed to return and actually get to look at the stars, but unfortunately, it isn’t that easy to do. As part time adventurers with full time jobs, we don’t have that many weekends available during the summer months to stargaze.
Bruneau Dunes State Park is one of the most unique parks we’ve been to. It is well worth a trip if you live in the southwest Idaho area. Go burn some calories climbing up a giant sand dune; just make sure not to burn yourself if you visit in the summer.
We visited Bruneau Dunes State Park as part of our Idaho State Parks Challenge. The challenge consists of visiting all of Idaho’s state parks in one year. We made up this challenge to see a bit more of our beautiful state and help alleviate the restlessness caused by Covid-19 travel restrictions. Feel free to join the challenge!
Related posts you might like:
Or if you want to see all of our posts, visit Past Posts.
Thousand Springs State Park is big and geological in nature. That makes for some fun exploring and interesting photos. State Park Overview Overall, we give this park five stars (mostly because there is so much to do and it is so gosh darn beautiful). There …
Boiseans have a wonderful resource for fun almost at their fingertips. Eagle Island State Park is located just a few miles outside of Boise. Activities here are plentiful: fishing, swimming, horseback riding, disc golf, hiking, zip-lining, or what we did on a recent Sunday afternoon…picnicking. …
When summer rolls around, head to Lucky Peak State Park for biking and kayaking and a plethora of other outdoor activities. This Idaho state park is ideal for hot summer days and getting out of the city.
Overall, we give this state park four stars.
There are three areas to explore at Lucky Peak State Park: Discovery, Sandy Point and Spring Shores Marina. (Note: Spring Shores Marina is actually located about 10 miles away from Discovery and Sandy Point.) All three areas offer a little something different, but the highlight of this park is access to the water. Lucky Peak Lake* and the Boise River provide a wealth of fun activities during typical hot summers.
*Lucky Peak Lake is the official name. However, in 30 years of living in Boise, R has never once referred to it as that. Locals say Lucky Peak Reservoir or Lucky Peak Dam, or simply Lucky Peak. We’ll say the official name in this post, but on the inside we are calling it ‘Lucky Peak.’
Sandy Point is a good option if you have kids. (If you don’t have kids, you may want to avoid this area…because of all the screaming kids.) Discovery is a good option for picnics, group gatherings, kayaking and paddleboarding. Spring Shores is a great option if you own a boat. You can also kayak or paddleboard here as well, but you will have to deal with all of the boats.
The park has all the usual amenities like restrooms, picnic tables, etc. Lucky Peak also features a life jacket and junior ranger program for kids. For all of the specifics, check out the parks and rec’s website for Lucky Peak State Park.
This park is busy in the summertime. Expect lots of people. Finding a place to park may be difficult on the weekends. I recommend you start early or choose late afternoon/evening to avoid the crowds.
The Rooster Tail. If Lucky Peak Dam needs to do a little flood risk management, they may release water through the original release structure of the dam. This results in a “Rooster Tail,” a spray of water high into the air. If it is going to happen, it generally happens in May during springtime runoff. It is quite a sight to behold and worth a visit. However, when the Rooster Tail is running, parking will be a nightmare. I highly recommend you ride your bike.
In 1935, the state acquired a five-acre site along the Boise River just downstream from Lucky Peak Dam. For decades, the site, which was popular for picnicking, was simply called State Park. Discovery got its name from the Wilson Price Hunt Party. It was here that the party is said to have first seen the Boise River.
Lucky Peak State Park is not new to us. In fact, we are more familiar with it than any other Idaho state park. It takes us about 15 minutes to drive there and we pass it regularly on our way to the mountains. Our friend had her wedding reception here. Many races start here. Lucky Peak is as much a part of Boise as the Capitol Building or BSU.
That said, the park’s proximity and familiarity means we sometimes overlook it and the great recreational opportunities it provides. And it provides a lot. I recommend you visit the parks and rec website for all of the particulars of what Lucky Peak State Park has to offer. In the meantime, I will tell you all about one of our favorite things to do: take a bike ride.
If you are feeling really ambitious, you can ride your bike to Lucky Peak State Park (or even take a run). The greenbelt (that is what we call the bike path here in Boise), goes all the way from downtown to the park. We prefer to load up our bikes and get to the park first, which is what we did on a recent, beautiful summer Sunday afternoon.
We arrived late afternoon and although there were still plenty of people enjoying the park, we did not have any trouble finding a parking spot at Discovery. This is a great area to enjoy a picnic as well. It was from here that we hopped on our bikes and headed west. There was a bit of a headwind, but it felt nice in the summer sun.
Overall, we enjoyed about a 10-mile ride starting and ending at the park. After our ride, I put my feet into the very cool water of the Boise River. It felt amazing. All around me were people either enjoying the shade trees or kayaking and paddleboarding in the calm waters.
Lucky Peak State Park is probably best known for its lakeside and river outdoor recreation activities. In the past, we have enjoyed kayaking at Lucky Peak Lake. It is really nice to be able to load up and be on the water in less than 30 minutes. However, I will tell you, Lucky Peak Lake is busy. You will have to deal with a lot of other boaters and kayakers enjoying the lake as well. You may want to avoid the middle of the day if possible.
We love Lucky Peak State Park for biking and kayaking, but there is a lot more to do. If you live in the Boise area, you should absolutely be taking advantage of Lucky Peak State Park. It is convenient and has plenty to offer, especially in the summertime. If you are from out of town and are looking for an easy place to “get out” while you are visiting Boise, this state park makes a great option. It is an especially good option if you want to get out on the water.
We visited Lucky Peak State Park as part of our Idaho State Parks Challenge. The challenge consists of visiting all of Idaho’s state parks in one year. We made up this challenge to see a bit more of our beautiful state and help alleviate the restlessness caused by Covid-19 travel restrictions. Feel free to join the challenge!
Related posts you might like:
Or if you want to see all of our posts, visit Past Posts.
