Idaho Vacay

We had the absolute best week exploring Idaho and Yellowstone for our 2022 family vacation!!!  Could not have asked for a better week with my crew and the Nelson crew!  

First mask-less plane ride in years and it felt so good to see these smiles and their excitement to kick off vacay!

We flew into Spokane, Washington and headed straight to Couer d'Alene for a quick one night stay!  Just enough time to explore the lake and have dinner with fabulous lake views!  

Can't beat watching the sunset over the lake!  Great way to kick off vacation!

This dinner view at Dockside Coeur d'Alene Resort was spectacular!

The next morning we woke up early to head to Mullan, Idaho to ride the Route of Hiawatha bike trail. The trail was 15 miles long with 10 train tunnels and 7 sky-high trestles.  The trail actually started in Montana riding through an almost 2 mile pitch black tunnel!  

Love this bike riding crew!  We first conquered Vail Pass together years ago and now onto Hiawatha!

All headlamps on going into the first tunnel.  It was pitch black, cold and muddy!  Definitely a once in a lifetime type of ride!

The best travel crew!

The views were spectacular!

Looking down the first trestle was cool and terrifying at the same time! It was a long ways down!

Just a little mud on their backs from that initial tunnel ride :)

The chipmunks were definitely used to all the bike riders and they loved sharing lunch.

After the bike ride we were off to Stanley, Idaho which was about a 6.5 hr drive.  There was a fire along the way that was encroaching the highway and threatening a possible road closure.  We kept calling the fire hotline as we got closer and it sounded like we would be good to pass. We chanced it and thankfully we were able to pass through!  It was scary and sad to see the forest burning but the firefighters were working hard to contain the fire.

The smoke combined with the sun setting and clouds made for some beautiful pictures!

We finally made it to Stanley, Idaho population 63!!!  This little town is a hidden gem and truly is a slice of heaven on Earth!  Stanley, Idaho is at the base of Sawtooth Mountains with the Salmon River running through it. Stanley has it ALL!

We stayed at the amazing Redfish Lake Lodge!  Almost 10 years ago I saw someone blog about the lodge and how amazing it was!  I've had Redfish Lake Lodge on my list ever since and was so happy to finally visit!  We had to book our cabin the Tuesday after Labor Day of 2021.  The cabins/rooms booked for the entire summer within minutes so we were lucky to get a reservation.  The lodge was built in 1929 and still remains basically the same, other than a few renovations. It felt like a little step back into time and a slower passed lifestyle, which is what the Miller crew so desperately needed!  No cell service or tvs for the next 3 days!

The Creekside Cabin was perfect for our two families!  It had 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, full kitchen, living room and a great little patio.

Our first morning in Stanley the girls went horseback riding at the Redfish Corrals and it was a blast!  These two sweet girls are both big horse lovers so they were in heaven!

The best horseback riding I have ever experienced with the best view of the Sawtooth mountains and Redfish Lake!

While the girls were horseback riding the boys went on a fly fishing trip on the Salmon River!  The dads said it was the best fly fishing ever!  All the boys caught multiple fish which was a success.  

Cutest group of fishermen!

Fly fishing has always been Mason's dream!  Jackson isn't as big as a fisherman but fly fishing won him over!

The boys weren't too sure about kissing their catch!

But Tyler had no hesitation!

That afternoon we crammed in hiking to Sawtooth Lake which was a 10 mile hike with an elevation gain of 2,000 ft.  It was intense (and long) but the end views were totally worth it!  The Miller crew is always up for a hiking challenge.  There might be some whining and tears along the way but we always finish and have good stories from our adventure.

It was hot so the kids cooled off in the creeks along the way . . .

This was the first alpine lake we passed and we were tempted to stop here since it was so beautiful but we kept on going!

As we started getting higher we came across snow!  Snow in July is always a treat and gave the tired kids a glimmer of hope along the way!

Finally made it to Sawtooth Lake and it was beautiful and so worth it (at least I thought so)!  The water was crystal clear!

Lots of hand holding and piggyback rides on the way down but I was open to all of it!

We all earned a toast for finishing such an amazing and challenging hike!  So proud of my crew!

Our next morning in Stanley we rented a pontoon boat from the Redfish Marina and explored Redfish lake!  

The boat views of the Sawtooth mountains were breathtaking!  

The water was a chilly 52 degrees but these kids were determined to give it a shot!  Definitely took your breath away!

The water was so cold it kept the Coors mountains blue!

Afternoons at the Lodge felt like summer camp full of games, ice-cream and pre-dinner football on the lawn . . .

We kicked off our last full day in Stanley with more fly fishing

The girls snuck out to relax in some hot springs  . . . our first stop was the snake pit

Next stop,  Boat Box Hot Springs . . . which was so incredibly hot we couldn't even put a foot in the water.  We kept filling the boat box with cold water from the Salmon River but we couldn't get it any cooler.  So a picture next to it was all we could get.

Our last adventure in Stanley was white water rafting!

We were so sad to leave Redfish Lake Lodge and Stanley, ID but it was time for our next adventure!  On the way to Yellowstone we stopped at Craters of the Moon National Monument.  Such a cool and unique place that we never knew existed within the states!  It looks like we were on the moon but in actuality it is old lava flow that has harden.

The kids ran up the inferno volcanic cone to see 360 views of the volcanic flow!  This was a short but super steep climb that kicked our butts on a sunny/hot day!

Exploring the volcanic caves consisted of lots of rock climbing!

We drove straight to Old Faithful and couldn't have timed it any better!  Old Faithful went off within 10 mins of us arriving!  Such a cool experience to share with the kids! 

We also hit up Geyser Basin on our first evening in Yellowstone!  It was amazing to see as the sun was setting. 

On our way out of the park we encountered our first buffalo!  The first is always the most exciting, especially when it walks alongside your car!

We had to pull over to capture this amazing Yellowstone sunset!

Day "2" in Yellowstone . . .

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is incredible and by far my favorite Yellowstone stop!

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This was ALL Mason's idea and he nailed it!

Driving through Hayden Valley was a hit!  Seeing buffalo up close never gets old!

But seeing these Elk swim in Lake Yellowstone was icing on the wildlife spotting cake!

The Grand Tetons were a must stop as we drove to Jackson Hole!

Mason had been saying our summer vacation was to Jackson's "Butt" Hole for months leading up to our vacation so this picture was a must!  We laughed every time . . . never got old!

Can't go to Jackson without a visit to the Cowboy Bar!

We got one extra night of vacation when we missed our connecting flight in Denver.  The kids were pumped for one more night in a hotel.  Bonus we got two rooms, the hotel was super nice and we all got a great night of sleep to head home rested!

We spent some extra time at the airport with the missed connection and Mase didn't waste anytime!

That's a wrap on the Miller summer 2022 vacation!  One of my favorites so far!  Lots of fun, adventure and memories made with my favorite people.  We sure do love exploring new places together.  Idaho you are a true gem and we hope to visit again soon!