The wilderness peaks and pinnacles of the Sawtooth, Salmon River and Clearwater mountains make traveling through the heart of Idaho impossible. There are only two routes from south to north: up the eastern fringe from Idaho Falls, or, more enjoyably, along US-95 via Hwy-55 out of Boise. At first barren and infertile, not until just before Lewiston does the scenery unfold into superb pastoral farmland. The
Nez Percé
hunted buffalo, gathered berries and fished here for hundreds of years, until gold was discovered and they were forced to beat a bloody retreat.
The heavily forested far north of the Idaho Panhandle is broken by hundreds of deep glacial lakes, the largest of which have resort towns such as
Coeur d'Alene
and
Sandpoint
. While not major destinations, they can make good one- or two-day stops.
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