Salt Lake City to Idaho Falls

Today we planned a pretty easy day since we didn't want to make the long drive all the way to Yellowstone in one shot. So, we have two relatively easy days to get there. We're going to stop in Idaho Falls, Idaho, which will only leave a very short way to get to Yellowstone tomorrow morning. On the way, the kids wanted to stop at Nielson's Frozen Custard, which is infamous in this part of the country. The custard, nicknamed "Concrete Custard" was very thick, creamy, and delicious. Watch out though, the portions they give you are HUGE! It is definitely a must-stop if you are in the area.

There's not too much to say about the drive north through Utah and into Idaho other than "farmland." It's pretty much all you see on the way, but the one difference from other parts of the country is that the hills are rolling green. It's really very pretty, as farmland goes.


After only a few hours we were welcomed to Idaho Falls, Idaho by a really pretty sign! We didn't have much planned for the city, other than some rest and relaxation. It was already late afternoon, so we were sure it would not be hard to fill our day.

We were really surprised by the great view right from our hotel room. The hotel is located next to the Snake River and there's a wonderful view of a Mormon Temple directly across the river. Walking outside of our hotel we were immediately on a great walking path along the river.

And, as the name implies, there were falls! Just a short walk along the river we had wonderful views of falls that are used for hydro-electric power. They were beautiful and good for the environment, what could be better?


We headed over the bridge of the river and into the "old historical part of downtown." It was a bit longer of a walk than anticipated, but the guides recommended it. So, we took the challenge...

Unfortunately there were not even any stores that we found appealling enough to walk into. The restaurants were pretty limited in the historical part of town, and other than this cool Psychodelicatessen, it lacked pretty much all the things we were looking for!

We did stop off on the way back at the Brownstone Restaurant and Brewery. The restaurant was located directly along the river across from the falls. We were expecting typical brew-pub food, but were incredibly surprised by the excellent meal we had.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel and did some laundry and played rummy. Ethan finally won a game, so Idaho is his favorite state so far since he was on a losing streak since we started the trip! Tomorrow morning we will head off early to Yellowstone and keep our fingers crossed that the weather will hold out!

Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn - We rate these hotels a 10. Breakfast is free. Wi-fi is free. Rooms are nice, clean, and big. This hotel was right on the Snake River with an excellent view of the Mormon Temple and river. Awesome hotel.