Friday marked the beginning of spring, and we know many of you have already planned trips for when your kids get out of school for spring break.
For those of you who didn't plan ahead, however, Laurie McConnell, a tourism specialist with the Idaho Tourism Bureau, has seven trip tips for places you can take your family for spring break right here in Idaho.
1 - All of Idaho's state parks are open for day-use activities – hiking, fishing, picnicking, etc. – and Bruneau Dunes and Three Island Crossing state parks are already open for camping. $5.00/car entry fee. Camping fees vary depending on the site you choose.
2 - Wallace – Visit Coeur d'Alene's Old Mission State Park and see the Black Robes exhibit that was once on display at the Smithsonian Museum. Travelers may also enjoy spring skiing at Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg – they have a great indoor water park. And there are also a number of biking trails in the area.
3 - Twin Falls area – See Shoshone Falls, Thousand Springs State Park, zip the Snake, Hike Snake River Canyon trails, see BASE jumpers jump from the Perrine Bridge and visit the Hagerman Fossil Beds. There are also a few hot springs in the area.
#4 - In eastern Idaho there are also some fun hot spring resorts: Heise Hot Springs and Lava Hot Springs. Both have the hot pools for soaking and swimming and zipline tours that are family friendly, as well as convenient lodging.
- Heise Hot Springs ($6-$10 daily pool pass) and
- Lava Hot Springs ($2-$5.00 daily swim pass).
- All have the hot pools for soaking and swimming, and Lava and Heise have zipline tours.
- Zipline tours are $38 at Lava and $65 at Heise.
5 - Sun Valley – spring skiing, bike trails, hiking trails and ice skating. Also, at Galena Lodge, just north of Sun Valley, families can take a guided snowshoe hike with a Ranger (confirming weather conditions are still OK for the ranger hike).
6 - Day trip ideas include Bruneau Dunes State Park, Celebration Park, Givens Hot Springs, hikes in the Boise Foothills or up around Idaho City.
- Bruneau Dunes State Park ($5 per car, camping fees vary),
- Celebration Park (day use fee is $2, camping fee $5),
- Givens Hot Springs (new hours are noon to 9 p.m., 7 days a week, prices from $5-$8)
7 - The Treefort Music Fest is March 25-29, and it's going on right here in Boise. As part of the festival they will have Skatefort with a mix of skate and music events at Rhodes Skate Park from 1-5 p.m. March 28. New this year is Kid Fort, a creative collection of classes, performances and experiences designed for all those Treefort kiddos March 27--29.
