These hard path trails are perfect for a low-impact walk or bike ride. Enjoy the scenery and wildlife in Idaho’s many state parks or explore one of the longer trails like the Coeur d’Alene Parkway or the 73 mile Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes.

Idaho offers excellent fishing opportunities for everyone in the family, especially if you’re looking to catch a Chinook, Salmon, Steelhead or Trout. Several Idaho state parks offer great fishing experiences. Most parks offer overnight camping and accommodations. Select Idaho State Parks offer world class Fly Fishing opportunities.

Idaho law requires that any motorized or non-motorized boat operating in Idaho requires an Invasive Species Sticker. See tab below for details.

Fishing legally in Idaho

To find out what you need to do fish legally in Idaho please visit Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

FAQ: Cyanobacterial Blooms

Have you always wanted to camp outdoors, bike, fish or engage in paddle sports, but didn’t know the basics, have the proper equipment, or even know where to go? Our First Time Adventure Program brings families and the great outdoors together! We host a fun-filled, outdoor experience for first-time adventurers. Our park’s knowledgeable and friendly staff will provide you with gear, show you the ropes and make sure you have fun in the process.

Note: The program has resumed but please note that we are still adhering to Coronavirus guidelines. Please refer to the following document, here, for more information on our Coronavirus employee expectations. 

First Time Adventure Programs within Idaho’s State Parks are generously sponsored by:

Experience Idaho Loaner Backpacks: An Extension of the Junior Ranger Program offered within Idaho’s State Parks

Getting children outside and exploring the natural world is one of Idaho State Park’s most important goals. We thank you for making plans to take your child to an Idaho State Park and want to help you help them have a great experience outdoors. The Experience Idaho Loaner Backpack program provides a backpack for your child, filled with great items to learn about and explore Idaho’s State Parks. The backpacks are made available free of charge for use during your stay.

Each Gootium backpack contains all that you need for a self-guided trek through the park. With binoculars, magnifiers, field guides, and other equipment to enrich your exploration and understanding of nature.

The Experience Idaho Loaner Backpack Program is the legacy of Governor Dirk Kempthorne, encouraging Idahoans to experience the wonders of nature. The program was made possible by very generous donations to the Friends of Idaho State Parks. Special thanks to Gootium for donating the program backpacks.

To check-out a backpack, visit with park staff inside the visitor center.

Disc golf is becoming more and more popular in Idaho state parks. Visit Dworshak, Eagle Island, Farragut, Lake Walcott and Massacre Rocks state parks for courses that are fun for all ages and abilities.

Idaho has a long snow season and high elevations, which translate into hundreds of miles of Nordic activities including: skate skiing, traditional skiing, and snowshoeing opportunities. In addition to 300 miles of groomed ski trails you will find a few hundred more miles of marked trails that provide solitude and untouched powder. The following parks offer overnight accommodations during the winter months:

• Castle Rocks State Park
• Farragut State Park
• Harriman State Park (premium)
• Lake Cascade State Park
• Ponderosa State Park (premium)
• Priest Lake State Park
• Winchester State Park

Winter Updates

Avalanche Warnings, Road Conditions, & Weather Reports

• Avalanche Warnings
• Snow Conditions
• Road Conditions
• 10 Day Forecast
• For more information, visit our programs tab for Winter Safety information.

For information on other great climbing experiences in Idaho visit: www.visitidaho.org/rock-climbing/

Contact our Reservation Program 1-888-922-6743 

Confirmation:

Payment:

Fees:

Changes to reservations:

Cancellations:

Reservation No-Shows:

Additional Vehicles:

Campsite Occupancy:

Refunds:

Three Options for Boating Education

1. Free Boating Safety Class. View the current listing of classes and contact the instructor as directed (limited availability at this time).
2. Home Study. Review materials and take a test in the comfort of your own home at your own pace (no cost). To request the study materials call 208-514-2426 or complete the online order form. Please use the form below to submit your Home Study test.
3. Online Education. The following vendors are approved for the state of Idaho (fees may apply).

• • Boat-Ed (fee applies)
  • Boater Exam (fee applies)
  • Boat U.S. Foundation (free)
  • Boat Smart (fee applies)
  • Interactive Boating Course (fee applies)

Life Jacket Loaner Stations 

Find a Life Jacket Loaner Station near you!

Videos

• Boat-Ed Safety Matters Video Series
• Boat U.S. Foundation How to Select and Fit a Life Jacket on a Child
• Coldwater Safety Training and Information
• Boating Safety PSA #1- with Idaho’s Hale Family
• Boating Safety PSA #2 – with Captain Keith Colburn

Resources

• Idaho Boating Handbook – Provided by Boat-Ed
• Idaho Statutes – Idaho Safe Boating Act
• Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation Rules (IDAPA)
• Sharpen your Skills – Boating Safety Practice Quiz
• Free Online Paddling Course
• Learn about Navigation Rules

Why should your kids wear a life jacket?

It’s the law!  Kids 14 years of age and under on boats 19 feet or less are required to wear a Coast Guard approved and properly fitting life jacket when underway.  It is recommended that all passengers on boats wear life jackets – it can be the difference between life and death in an emergency (especially in cold water).

Life Jacket Save Lives

• PFD’s (personal flotation devices) must be Coast Guard approved, properly sized, and in good condition (no broken buckles, torn straps, rips, tears, etc). They must also be within easy reach.
• Children 14 and under must wear an approved life jacket when they are aboard a boat 19 feet in length or less whenever the boat is underway or under power. This applies to manually propelled boats such as canoes and rafts in addition to powerboats, sailboats, personal watercraft (jet skis) and fishing float tubes.
• Regardless of age, you must wear a personal flotation device (PFD) aboard a personal watercraft (jet ski) and when being pulled behind a vessel (I.e. – waterskiing, wakeboarding, tubing, etc.)
• The size of the boat determines the specific design types and quantities of PFDs required:
• Boats less than 16 feet long, as well as canoes and kayaks of any length, must have at least one (1) Type I, Type II, or Type III PFD for each person on board. A Type IV cushion or ring buoy will not meet this requirement.
• Boats 16 feet and longer (except canoes and kayaks of any length) must also carry a Type IV PFD (ring or cushion buoy).
• A Type V is a special purpose PFD that may be used in place of a Type I, II, or III if listed on the label as approved for the type of boating the boater is doing, such as whitewater rafting.
• Exemptions: Seaplanes, sailboards, and certain racing boats are exempt from these PFD requirements. Fly fishing float tubes do not require a PFD on lakes less than 200 surface acres. Fly fishing pontoons do require PFDs on all Idaho waters.

Click here for more information on how to choose a life jacket.

Cold Water Kills!

Click here to watch a video depicting cold water safety training and techniques.

In the past ten years nearly 67% of the fatal boating accidents in Idaho were the result of victims involuntarily entering the water from small boats. The average water temperature of Idaho’s water is 52 degrees, even during the summer! Wearing a life jacket can greatly increase your risk of surviving a cold water immersion situation.

4 Dangerous Categories of Cold Water Immersion

Cold Shock – Initial entry – 5 minutes:

• Involuntary gasping, hyperventilation, & vertigo

Swim Failure – 5 – 30 minutes:

• Even the best swimmers cannot function in cold water  
• Muscles, nerves, arms & legs cool quickly
• Manual dexterity, grip strength & movement speed drop 60-80%

Hypothermia – 30 minutes or more:  

• Depends on water temperature, clothing, body type & behavior
• Heat loss is 25 times faster in the water

Post Immersion Collapse:            

• Heart problems can develop as cold blood is released into the body core from the extremities

To increase your chances of surviving cold water immersion, always wear your life jacket.

Learn more @ coldwatersafety.org

Life Jacket Loaner Stations

Find a Life Jacket Loaner Station near you!

Marine Event Law Enforcement Resources

Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation trains and provides resources to Idaho sheriff’s deputies and others responsible for patrolling Idaho’s waterways.

Marine Event Permit Application

Idaho law requires the person in charge of marine events to apply for a marine event permit 30 days prior to the event.  You can download an electronic copy of the application or request a hard copy of the form from your local county sheriff’s office. If you download the electronic form, please save it, print it, then submit it directly to your local county sheriff’s office.

Please note that events on Federally controlled waters may be subject to additional permitting by the United States Coast Guard.  Coast Guard permit applications must be submitted 135 days in advance of the event.  Some popular Federal waters in Idaho include Lake Coeur d’Alene, Priest Lake, Lake Pend Oreille, Dworshak Reservoir, Bear Lake, Snake River, Clearwater River, St. Joe River, Salmon River, Priest River and Brownlee Reservoir.  Associated tributaries for these bodies of waters may also be Federally controlled. 

• View the complete list of Federally controlled waters
• Apply for a Coast Guard Permit

• General Report Form
• Additional People Form
• Additional Boat Form
• Additional Injury Form
• Additional Fatality Form

County RBS Grant Links and Resources

Apply for recreational boating safety grant

Marine Law Enforcement Reporting Database

Boat Idaho Instructor Report Form

Boating Safety Outreach Report Form

Paddle Sports Instructor Report Form

IDPR Equipment Requests

Request use of IDPR equipment (PWCs, Almar, or Jet Boat)

Questions:  E-Mail the MLE program

FAQ: Cyanobacterial Blooms

Excellent birding can be found in many of Idaho’s State Parks.

Idaho Birding Fun Facts

• The Mountain Bluebird is Idaho’s state bird.
• There are 119 species of birds in Idaho that are neotropical migratory birds.
• The largest nesting colony of Western Grebes in Idaho is on Lake Cascade.
• Western Grebes will nest on the Snake River, Massacre Rocks State Park is one example.
• Harriman State Park is one of the best sites in Idaho to see Trumpeter Swans.
• 409 species of birds have been recorded in Idaho.
• A new species of birdlisted in 2017, the Cassia Crossbill is found only in southern Idaho in lodgepole pine forests in the South Hills and Albion Mountains. It is a possibility at City of Rocks National Reserve/Castle Rocks State Park.
• Lake Walcott State Park and Bear Lake State Park are both located next to National Wildlife Refuges with abundant birdlife.

The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation has five sites listed as Important Bird Areas by the National Audubon Society:

City of Rocks National Reserve

One hundred and seventy-nine species have been documented in, or adjacent to, the reserve, including Long-billed Curlew, Golden Eagle, Burrowing Owl, Sage Grouse, Prairie Falcon, Red-naped Sapsucker, Gray Flycatcher, Plumbeous Vireo, Virginia’s Warbler, Green-tailed Towhee, Brewer’s Sparrow, and Pinyon Jay.

Harriman State Park

This state park near Island Park follows the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River and provides diverse habitat on its 11,700 acres, including lodgepole pine forests, lakes, marshes, and meadows. Winter is the best time to see large numbers of Trumpeter Swans, while summer and fall are key times for American White Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants. In spring, Silver Lake is a good place to spot Common Loon.

Henrys Lake State Park

Henrys Lake is incredible habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds and other waterbirds. In May 2007, migration surveys estimated 4000 waterbirds using the general area, including over 1600 Franklin’s Gulls. The lake provides habitat to Trumpeter Swans, grebes, coots, gulls, terns, pelicans, avocets, stilts, cormorants, loons, eagles, ospreys and dozens of species of ducks. Henrys Lake Flat and the rangelands and wetlands around Henrys Lake support additional populations of waterfowl and shore birds but provided critical habitat for Sandhill Cranes, Long-billed Curlews, Great Blue Herons, Black-crowned Night-herons, bitterns, Soras, Killdeer, Greater Sage Grouse, and many species of upland raptors including Swainson’s Hawks. Red-Tailed Hawks, Peregrine Falcons and Northern Harriers.

Heyburn State Park

A Great Blue Heron rookery with 35-50 pairs of breeding herons can be found at Heyburn State Park. During the summer, Osprey, Wood Ducks, and Canada Geese use artificial nest structures, which have been monitored for 10-25 years. Red-necked Grebes and Soras nest here as well. At least 5,000-10,000 waterfowl use this site as a staging area from October to freeze-up. Most abundant species are American Wigeon, Mallards, and Canada Geese. There have been several records of vagrant birds here including Eurasian Wigeon, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Bewick’s Wren, Greater Scaup, and even a record of an Ancient Murrelet.

Lake Cascade State Park

This site is extremely important for breeding Western Grebes, with at least 1400 birds nesting here, representing up to 3% of the world’s population for this species. Bald Eagles and Osprey have nested here for many years, and have been monitored annually since the late 1970’s. American White Pelicans are observed here in summer, although not nesting as of yet. Great Gray Owls have a nest adjacent to the Gold Fork Arm of the reservoir. Common Loons occur on the reservoir but are not known to nest. Peregrine Falcons have also been observed foraging over the wetlands. This site supports large numbers and diversity of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds each year.

Eagle Island State Park

The Boise River flows through the park and provides habitat for Wood Ducks, Belted Kingfisher, and Great Blue Heron. Some of the other birds recorded in the park include Osprey, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Swainson’s Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, Black-necked Stilt, Wilson’s Phalarope, Wilson’s Snipe, Killdeer, Great Egret, Sora, Western Kingbird, Black-billed Magpie, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Loggerhead Shrike, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, and Cliff Swallow.

Idaho Birding Trail

The Idaho Birding Trail is a source of information for birding in 250 areas in Idaho, including many of Idaho’s State Parks.

https://idfg.idaho.gov/ibt

The Idaho Birding Trail is a source of information for birding in 250 areas in Idaho, including many of Idaho’s State Parks.

https://idfg.idaho.gov/ibt