National Geographic Adds This Idaho City to Its Elite List of World-Class Destinations for 2025

Boise, Idaho

Skip the played-out mountain towns and head to Boise, where the Rockies meet real city life without the hype. Idaho’s capital is doing its own thing: loading up on breweries and food halls while keeping prime hiking trails and ski runs just minutes from downtown. Here are some of the best parts of a Boise trip.

Hike the Foothills for Epic Views

The Boise foothills are basically the city’s backyard playground. They stretch along the northeastern edge, rising up from downtown to the tree line, with over 190 miles of trails that connect thanks to this cool Ridges to Rivers Partnership.

While you’re out there, keep your eyes peeled for deer, foxes, and tons of birds. You’ll hike through everything from sagebrush fields to Douglas fir forests. Most locals will point you toward Hulls Gulch, Table Rock, or Military Reserve trails.

Oh, and those trails stay so nice because locals roll up their sleeves for maintenance days throughout the year.

Float Down the Boise River

Summer in Boise can get toasty, but the river is your best friend on those hot days. Most people do the 6-mile float from Barber Park to Ann Morrison Park, which takes about 2-3 hours. They’ve got tube, raft, and life jacket rentals right there from late June through Labor Day.

The water stays a refreshing 55-65°F even when it’s blazing 90+ degrees outside. The current’s super gentle too, so it’s totally fine to bring the kids. There are sandy beaches dotted along the route where you can pull over, stretch your legs, and maybe have a snack.

Boise Greenbelt

The Greenbelt is seriously one of the best things about Boise. This 25-mile path hugs the river with smooth trails that are perfect for walking, biking, or just chilling and watching nature do its thing.

Need wheels? Just grab a rental bike from one of the Green Bike stations downtown. The path links up 12 major parks and has these cool signs that tell you about local plants and animals. If you’re into fishing, you’ve got nearly 100 spots to drop a line.

Art lovers will dig the 50+ public sculptures along the way. And winter visitors, don’t worry, they keep sections cleared of snow so you can still enjoy it year-round.

The Basque Block

So there’s this little slice of Europe right in downtown Boise. The Basque Block runs along Grove Street between 6th and Capitol, and it’s the heart of one of the largest Basque communities outside of Spain.

These folks came here in the late 1800s to work as sheepherders. If you’re coming in 2025, you’re in for a treat with Jaialdi, this massive Basque festival they only hold every five years. You can watch these crazy-strong athletes do traditional sports like lifting massive stones or chopping wood at lightning speed.

Hungry? Pop into Leku Ona for some authentic pintxos (they’re like Basque tapas). The Basque Museum even offers language classes and can help trace your family roots if you’ve got Basque heritage.

Old Idaho Penitentiary

This place is seriously cool in a slightly creepy way. The Old Idaho Penitentiary ran from 1872 to 1973, and get this, the prisoners actually built it themselves using stone from nearby Table Rock.

The massive structure in southeast Boise gives you a real glimpse into Idaho’s criminal justice history. You can walk through 30 historic buildings including cell blocks, check out the gallows room, and even peek into solitary confinement cells. Over 13,000 inmates did time here during its operation.

If you’re into spooky stuff, they run ghost tours every October weekend with actual paranormal investigation gear you can use. The gardens feature plants grown from seeds the inmates originally planted way back when.

World Center for Birds of Prey

Bird nerds and casual visitors alike love this place. The center has these amazing interactive exhibits and live demonstrations where you can see birds of prey up close and learn how they’re saving endangered species. We’re talking about over 500 birds from 45 different species.

Their conservation work has been incredible, especially with California condors, bringing them back from just 22 birds to more than 500 today. The daily shows are spectacular, with trained raptors showing off their hunting skills. They’ve also got the Archives of Falconry with the world’s biggest collection of falconry stuff.

Idaho Botanical Garden

Green thumb or not, you’ll dig this place. The Idaho Botanical Garden spreads across 15 acres next to the Old Penitentiary with a simple mission to ‘Cultivate. Educate. Celebrate.’ through beautiful plants and cool learning programs.

You can wander through 14 different themed gardens, from the formal English Garden to the super fun Children’s Adventure Garden. Winter brings the Garden aGlow event with more than 500,000 holiday lights transforming the place into a magical wonderland. Summer nights mean concerts in their natural amphitheater.

They’re big on saving endangered Idaho native plants too. Check out the Meditation Garden to see how beautiful a water-saving garden can be.

Downtown Boise

Downtown Boise packs a lot into a small space. It’s where all the government and business stuff happens, but it’s also got tons of fun spots like the Discovery Center, Boise Zoo, the Capitol Building, and that newly redone riverfront area.

Foodies will go nuts with over 100 restaurants within a super walkable 10-block area. First Thursday is a blast, with gallery openings and live music all over downtown each month.

During summer, ‘Alive After Five’ brings free concerts to the Grove Plaza every week. Shoppers can browse more than 70 boutiques with stuff from local designers and artists. The best part is you can walk everywhere without killing your feet.

The Treefort Music Fest

Music fans, listen up. Treefort Music Fest is coming back March 26-30, 2025, and basically takes over downtown with more than 400 acts playing all over the place, with the main hub in Julia Davis Park. It’s way more than just music though.

They’ve got all these ‘forts’ like Foodfort for tasty bites, Comedyfort for laughs, and Filmfort for indie movies. For 2025, they’ve moved the main stage to Julia Davis Park. Getting around is a breeze with free ‘Treeline’ buses connecting all venues, and bands actually perform on the buses between stops, which is wild.

The 2025 lineup includes a live recording of the ‘How Did This Get Made?’ podcast. They’re big on being eco-friendly too, with compostable products at the main stage.

Getting Here and Getting Around

Getting to Boise is super easy. The airport is just 4 miles from downtown, with direct flights from 27 cities. You’ll be in the city center in about ten minutes by Uber, taxi, or hotel shuttle. Once you’re there, swing by the Visitor Center at 1101 W. Front Street for maps and local tips.

Then hop on the Valley Regional Transit buses to hit all the major spots. Downtown is tiny, just 10 walkable blocks, so don’t worry about killing your feet.

Most folks visit between May and October, but if you come December through February, you’ll score better hotel deals (except during ski season when prices jump again). Each season has its own vibe, from summer river floats to fall foliage hikes to winter ski trips just 16 miles from downtown.