This summer, the Idaho Lottery Wooh Crew took the ultimate Idaho Road Trip! From Sandpoint to Ashton, the Selkirks to the Sawtooths, and all points in between, we passed through nearly every town, taking the road less traveled along Idaho’s twenty four scenic byways, and celebrating Idaho’s great outdoors and adventures! We partnered with Idaho Tourism and Airstream Northwest Adventures to help promote the Gem State along with our Idaho Lottery Scratch GameTM, Idaho Road Trip, and the game’s $50,000 top prize! If you came out to one or several of the Idaho Road Trip events, thank you so much, we’re so thankful for having spent that time with you. Since we couldn’t actually bring you along for the entire trip, we’ve put together a glance into the Idaho Lottery’s Wooh Crew road trip!
Our Idaho Road Trip began in Hagerman at Thousand Springs! We had an amazing time at the 1000 Springs Resort and would recommend it to anyone that’s either driving through or wants to get out-of-town for the weekend. We pitched a couple of tents, made a toasty fire, and looked out on the beautiful falls streaming down the cliffs on the opposite side of the Snake River.
After a good night’s sleep, we were ready for a big day of fun at the Western Days Parade! In preparation for the parade, the multi-talented Wooh Crew got warmed up by showing off their skills on the disc golf course.
BALL made an appearance during the Western Days Parade, which had everyone clamoring for a photo opportunity!
During the Western Days Parade, we asked all the locals in Twin Falls the one place we needed to visit during our stay! Hands down, the unanimous consensus was Shoshone Falls.
WOW WOW WOW! We’re so glad we stopped, the water was flowing so fast and crushing down at the bottom. Fun fact: at 212 feet, the falls are higher than Niagara Falls! Click HERE to take a 360 degree tour of Shoshone Falls provided by Visit Idaho!
After our trip to Twin Falls, we drove northwest along I-84, east along Hwy 21 past Lucky Peak State Park and continued north to Idaho City! Idaho City was once home to over 200 businesses and 7,000 residents in the 1860’s during the gold rush. The Wooh Crew decided to bring back the ol’ western feel by visiting the Idaho City Old Time Photo & Studio for a classic western photo shoot!
Now that we’d satisfied our inner old time western selves, it was time to travel west to the deepest river gorge in North America, Hells Canyon! At 10 miles wide and 7,993 ft deep, Hells Canyon is an absolutely breathtaking, unfathomable sight.
From the deepest gorge in North America, to one of Idaho’s most well-known mountain ranges, our next stop was the Sawtooth Mountains…and a couple of must see places along the way!
The Sawtooth Range has 57 peaks that exceed 10,000 ft, and the Range encompasses an area of 678 square miles spanning parts of Custer, Boise, Blaine, and Elmore Counties! There are also nearly 350 miles of trails for hiking, backpacking, and horseback riding. So the next time you’re thinking of a weekend getaway into the mountains, make sure the Sawtooth’s are on your list!
There are nearly 400 lakes in the Sawtooth Wilderness, and one of the largest is Redfish Lake, where we “attempted” to fish. Our hearts to catch a fish were in it 100%…however, our equipment was a little lacking.
“Who ya gonna call?!” The Wooh Crew! We got the call from our friends in Ketchum and made a stop at the 23rd annual Sawtooth Relay! Since we didn’t want to make anyone look bad, we decided to cheer on the racers this year (cough…instead of running) as they completed a whopping 62 miles from Stanley to Ketchum. We were in awe of all the runners; thank goodness we had a truck and Airstream to take us from place to place!
After becoming completely exhausted from watching all those incredible runners, we drove through Ketchum into one of Idaho’s most treasured towns, Sun Valley, and got a tour of the Sun Valley Lodge! From the beautiful rooms and the ice skating rink, to the famous photos on the wall, it was a pleasure!
Sand boarding, yes please! The Wooh Crew’s next stop took them southwest 130 miles to the Bruneau Sand Dunes! Bruneau Dunes State Park is home to the tallest freestanding sand dunes in North America, with the highest reaching 470 feet. So naturally, we walked to the top, strapped on our boards, threw up some peace signs, and flew down…repeatedly!
From tall sand dunes to the powerful raging white water of the Payette River system, we had arrived at the North Fork Championships in Banks; it was time to GET RAD! If it weren’t for us being a part of the Wooh Crew, we totally would have entered our names into the competition!
We cannot express our gratitude and amazement enough to the North Fork Championships for yet another incredible event put on in Idaho’s backyard! Best river system in the world? Most definitely! One of the coolest parts of the event was every time a kayaker flew off the ramp, “wooh’s’ were the word/expression of choice by spectators and other competitors! Until next year, NFC, we can hardly wait!
Who wants to celebrate Emmett’s bountiful harvest? WE DO! Onward Wooh Crew, to the Emmett Cherry Festival! The crowds were electrifying during the 82nd annual celebration of this great event. We were honored to be a part of it! Be sure to put it on your calendar for next year; it’s completely FREE and you’ll have the best time with your friends and family!
If you’ve ever driven east or west along HWY 26, you will understand our shock & awe when we started to see the lava fields as we approached Crates of the Moon National Monument & Reserve! We couldn’t have chosen a better day to visit; t-shirt weather, yet not too warm, and the sky was a perfect shade of blue! We ventured through the lava caves, walked a half mile to the top of Inferno Cone, and learned a lot from the knowledgeable staff at the visitor center.
After a couple days of camping, considerable walking and hiking, and hours of driving, we were delighted to lay our heads in what epitomized class and comfort! We had the absolute pleasure of staying at the Teton Springs Lodge & Spa during this portion of the Idaho Lottery Wooh Crew Road Trip! If you’re ever in Victor, ID and need a place to stay, book your night here. You can thank us later!
Who wants to make a pit stop and go tubing? We had a blast soaking up the rays and cooling down while floating the Portneuf River at Lava Hot Springs!
Once we dried off, we hopped back in the Ford and pulled our Airstream to the next destination. To be honest, going into our next stop we were extremely curious and a little worried. The Enders Museum and Hotel has been thought to have some paranormal activity. While none of the Wooh Crew members “admitted” to being scared or having seen any ghosts, we are happy to say we made it out alive!
In all seriousness, the Enders Building is really remarkable! The world around us is constantly changing and becoming more modernized, but the Enders Building prides itself in its historic preservation since 1917; in 2002 it even won an Orchid Award for Excellence in History Preservation by the Idaho Historic Preservation Council.
On this next portion of the Idaho Lottery Wooh Crew Road Trip, we made our lip syncing talents known at the Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheatre! We had the honor of hanging out with great people, celebrating big wins at the Idaho Lottery booth, and singing along to the legendary rockers BOSTON and STYX! Please, please, sing along, and come sail away with us!
After “singing” our hearts out and getting a good night’s sleep, we were ready for our next adventure; northern Idaho, here we come!
Approximately 480 miles from Pocatello and the previous night’s concert at Portneuf Heatlh Trust Amphitheatre, was the destination of our next stop; Wallace, Idaho! Along with caffeine and ‘More Than A Feeling’ playing in our heads, we had something in store that would keep us awake and energized during the next 7 hours of driving. The Idaho Lottery Wooh Crew was going zip lining!
When we showed up, we had no idea that we would be partaking in an 1,800ft descent from high up in the forest, FLYING at 65 mph! Nervous? YES! Anxious? Absolutely! Excited beyond expression – DEFINITELY! With all this fun happening during the Idaho Road Trip, there was no way that we weren’t going to include our Idaho Lottery fans on the zip lining adventure – click HERE to watch the video we did live!
And what would a trip be without visiting the ‘Center of the Universe’? Who knew it was right in our backyard – Wallace, Idaho!
From Wallace, the Center of the Universe, we continued northwest and made a stop at a very special place to the State of Idaho, the Cataldo Mission. The Cataldo Mission was designated a registered national historic landmark in 1962 by the U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service, and commemorates and illustrates the history of Idaho.
As we drove further up into the Panhandle, our next stop was Sandpoint and the wonderful Lake Pend Oreille! We walked around the Sandpoint City beach, as well as did some window shopping in the quaint downtown area!
We learned that in the early days in Sandpoint there was quite a transportation problem. For most people there were two ways of getting around – walk or ride a horse. On September 17, 1909, that all changed, when the town acquired a streetcar! The cost of riding the streetcar was fair. It cost 20 cents to ride from Sandpoint to Kootenai, with a round trip costing 30 cents. It cost 20 cents to get to or from the train depot. Workers could ride the cars for $1.00 a week while the school children paid 50 cents a week.
The following day, after loving our time in Sandpoint, we started to make our way south. The next several days took us to Coeur d’Alene, the Moscow Farmers Market, Grangeville Border Days, and then the 4th of July in McCall.
While visiting Coeur d’Alene, we put on our walking shoes and trekked around Tubbs Hill. Tubbs Hill is a 120-acre natural preserve set aside for the enjoyment of residents and visitors. The park is named after a German immigrant, Tony Tubbs, who was Coeur d’Alene’s first justice of the peace. This is the perfect place to take a hike on trails around the hill, with great views of the lake, a swinging bridge to navigate and access to secluded beaches.
Ever wonder why they call Coeur d’Alene the lake city? ‘That Guy’ has it summed up pretty well here!
We brought our WOOH further south HWY 95 to Moscow for the Moscow Farmers Market and enjoyed local art, delicious fruit, and an incredibly inviting atmosphere! The Farmers Market is a very popular Moscow tradition and was established in 1977. If you visit, make sure you stop by Calhoun’s Family Fruit as we did; their peaches are a mouthwatering treat!
When at White Bird Summit Lodge, feed a goat!
Out next stop took us to another spectacular place for recreation in Idaho, Grangeville! A popular place for outdoorsmen, summer and fall open seasons are great for Salmon and steelhead fishing, as well as hunting deer, elk, and turkeys in the nearby forests.
If that weren’t enough, THE VIEWS! Can you believe this overlook!!?? These rolling hills felt like they were never ending!
Another big reason people flock to Grangeville in the summer: RODEO! Here we are singing the National Anthem at Grangeville Border Days, Idaho’s oldest rodeo; getting the festivities started!
We were amazed at what all these rodeo folk can do! Click HERE to watch our Facebook LIVE video from the event.
Have you ever been to McCall on the 4th of July!? It seems like the entire State of Idaho was there to celebrate the special occasion! During our time in McCall, we hung out at Shore Lodge, walked along the city beach at Payette Lake, and all through the town spreading WOOH!
McCall hasn’t always been a resort town! Originally a logging community, its last sawmill closed down in 1977. McCall is a year-round destination, known for its Winter Carnival, extended winters, and one of the highest average snowfalls in the state!
This trip has been an absolute whirlwind! Along with all of the fun stops, we had 27 retailer events throughout the State. During these events we gave Idaho Lottery players the opportunity to win prize packs, and anything from music festival tickets to FREE Idaho Road Trip Scratch tickets on the prize wheel! One of the highlights of these events had to be the Idaho Trivia & Corn Hole. Players would be selected to play Idaho Trivia, and for each question answered correctly they would receive a corn hole bag (up to 4). Then, for each corn hole bag they made in, they would get a FREE Idaho Road Trip Scratch ticket and the chance to win a Wooh! Camp Chair.
After traveling for 5 weeks, and covering over 4,000 miles, we just can’t imagine anywhere any more beautiful! Thank you so much for joining us on the Idaho Lottery Wooh Crew Road Trip – WOOH!
