Ultimate 5-Day Idaho Potato-State Adventure

🥔✨11-hr road dash Bay Area ➜ Boise 1 responsive Notion board (expense tracker + map embeds) 1 tiny blue shipping-container warm-up 1 night in the world-famous 6-ton potato hotel Infinite carbs, zero regrets 🗺️ Tool Stack Apple Maps – offline pins, share ETA to mom Notion – mobile-optimized tables for fuel, food, farm animals encountered Day-by-Day Micro-Guide Day 0 – Red-Eye Haul 5 p.m. leave Bay Area → midnight Mountain Time in Boise Overnight: Airbnb “tiny house” filter = Blue Container Cabin in the desert foothills. Solar shower, stargazing deck, coyote soundtrack. Day 1 – Boise Carboloading Morning fuel: 📍 Big City Coffee – industrial garage vibes Pumpkin Latte (light on spice, heavy on coziness) Spanish Breakfast skillet (chorizo, egg, peppers, cheese avalanche) – size = feed a rugby team 🏉 Check-in to the SPUD: 📍 The Big Idaho Potato Hotel (South Boise farm lot) 28-ft long, 11,000-lb plaster tater, A/C, queen bed, pink-neon “TATER” sign. Bathroom = converted grain silo 30 ft away; bring slippers & courage for 3 a.m. bathroom dash. Calf neighbor Dolly will photobomb every selfie. 🐄 Snack attack: 📍 Westside Drive-In (historic 1957) Potato Ice-Cream – vanilla scooped into oval, rolled in cocoa “skin,” topped with whipped “sour cream” & chocolate “chives.” Looks like baked potato, tastes like childhood. 📍 Boise Fry Company – sample flight: Russet, Gold, Purple, Sweet, Yam + 10 DIY salts (try blueberry-habanero). Evening: sunset paddle on Boise River Greenbelt (rental kiosk 2-min walk from fry shop). Day 2 – Stanley & Sawtooths (drive 3 hr) Morning dip at Valley Creek Hot Springs – 98 °F pool, snow-capped peaks, free. Lunch: sandwich picnic on Redfish Lake beach. Camp: Glacier View (reserve early) or Little Redfish first-come. Night activity: milky-way photography—no moon, no light pollution, pure space. Day 3 – Sun Valley Glitz (1 hr south) Bike the 20-mi paved Trail Creek / Wood River system (rent at Sturtevant’s). Village ice-rink in summer = roller-skating disco under fairy lights. Apres: order a Huckleberry Margarita at Sun Valley Lodge’s Duchin Room, watch dollar-movie history clips on the wall. Day 4 – Twin Falls Adrenaline (1.5 hr southeast) Morning: BASE-jump viewpoint at Perrine Bridge (you can tandem jump if you book ahead). Afternoon: kayak to Blue Heart Spring (see pic) – 58 °F sapphire water, pet 24-inch trout through the transparent hull. 🐟💙 Snack: Scooter’s Shakes – peanut-butter malt the size of your head. Day 5 – Craters of the Moon Moon-Walk (1 hr northeast) Lunar lava flows, cinder gardens, spatter cones. Do the 0.25-mi Inferno Cone summit for crescent-shaped crater panorama. Pack jacket – black rock radiates heat then turns cold when clouds roll. Exit via Arco (first city lit by atomic power) for a quirky milk-shake at Pickle’s Place. Continue 2 hr to West Yellowstone or loop back to Boise (3.5 hr) for late-night flight home. 💰 Quick Cost Sheet (2 people) Gas (SFO ➜ loop) 1,400 mi ≈ $220 Tiny house night $120 Potato hotel $200 (splurge, but c’mon) Food & fun $35 pp/day National Forest camps $20 / night (vs. $180 hotels in Sun Valley) Total 5-day on-the-road spend ≈ $700–800 for two—cheaper than a long weekend in Napa. 🎒 Pack Me Slippers for potato midnight bathroom run Headlamp (camping + lava field night) Quick-dry towel (hot springs) Wide-angle lens – potato hotel interior is tight PDF National Parks Pass – covers Craters of the Moon Next post: detailed foodie map, secret hot-spring GPS pins & printable Notion template. Stay tuned and keep the carb dream alive! #US #ID #Boise