Category: Byways
Southeast Idaho Byways
Hitch Up Your Wagon And Take A History Tour Of Southeast Idaho! Drive along the same route that the early Pioneers traveled and relive the history of the old west. Walk in the ruts created by the wagons on the Oregon Trail. Visit museums displaying the actual artifacts they left behind. Explore the homes and churches they built with their bare hands. Learn about Native American life and history.
Use the map below to find all of the stops listed below it.
Gold Road History Tour
Gold Road History Tour Travel the Idaho Gold Road Tour and learn about gold prospectors, the railroad, fur trappers and the Oregon Trail emigrants. The gold road through eastern Idaho was born during the Civil War years when John White and his party discovered gold on Grasshopper Creek in Montana in 1862. Soon a boom-town of 500 persons were runni…
Oregon Trail Bear Lake Scenic Byway
Southeast Idaho, from the Utah border, through Soda Springs and west to McCammon, has been traversed by travelers since before recorded history. First by various tribes of natives on their way to “Po-Ha-Ba,” the healing waters of the hot springs at Lava Hot Springs, later by fur trappers, then emigrants on the Oregon Trail. This scenic drive…
Pioneer Historic Byway
The National Pioneer Historic Byway abounds with undiscovered recreational opportunities, scenic and historic sites for families and travelers to discover and enjoy. Hitch up your wagon and take a ride back through time! The National Pioneer Historic Byway begins on US 91 at the Utah/Idaho border and continues north to Idaho 34, ending at the I…
This location along US 30 provides a spectacular view of the Bear River. Sherman Peak, at an elevation of 9,682 feet, can be seen in the distance. The 300-mile river is one of the most circuitous in the United States.
View moreThe January 29, 1863 Bear River Massacre of 250 or more Native Americans, by Colonel Patrick Connor and his troops, occurred here. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990. The battle became one of the worst disasters for Native Americans in the west.
View moreOver 300,000 emigrants used the Oregon-California Trail between 1840 and 1869. Three ruts are visible at the bottom of the hill, indicating that the wagons and oxen spread out to reduce the dust.
View moreOpen summer only. The oldest continually settled town in Idaho, Franklin was founded in 1860 by Mormon pioneers. Several original buildings stand in the historic district: the Relic Hall, the old ZCMI store, the Hatch House, and others. The Old Yellowstone Route is just outside of Franklin where stagecoaches full…
View moreSheep Rock was the location of the first split of the Oregon-California Trail. The Bidwell-Bartleson Party and the Hudspeth Cutoff diverged from the main trail here. Oregon Trail Public Park and Marina – This park, on the shore of Alexander Reservoir, features a marina, picnic area and playground, and a remnant of the Oregon Trail.
View moreOpen in the summer only. CHESTERFIELD is an early Mormon settlement 11 miles north of Bancroft, Idaho. Founded in 1881, it is now unoccupied, but history buffs won’t let it go away. They formed a foundation to refurbish and maintain 27 original structures now on the National Historic Register. Many…
View moreFree, clear sparkling soda water still is available in a beautiful Soda Springs city park located two miles north from the center of town. A prime attraction for more than 160 years, soda water from these springs was known nationally after rail service reached this resort area in 1882. W.H….
View moreMassacre Rocks State Park is one of the Historical Areas operated by the State of Idaho to remind visitors of the march of history through the state. Ten miles west of American Falls on I-86, take exit 28 and follow the signs. The park has stories to tell which date…
View moreGutzon Borglum was a prolific American sculptor best know for his presidents' sculptures on Mount Rushmore, South Dakota. Borglum was born in St. Charles, Idaho in 1867. His marble head sculpture of Abraham Lincoln is on display in the Capitol Rotunda.
View moreJesse Cariboo" Jack Fairchild discovered gold high on this mountain in 1870 and a mining rush from Utah followed. Millions of dollars worth of gold were mined before it ran out."
View moreThe first department store in Idaho, the Evans Co-op, which was part of the Mormon cooperative movement, ZCMI, of the 1860s, in which local production and purchasing was encouraged through cooperatives. The co-op has been used as a bank, a True Value Hardware Store, and others. Visit the Idaho History…
View moreThis preserve north of Soda Springs provides habitat for migrating waterfowl such as Sandhill cranes, Franklin's gulls, geese, ducks and hawks.
View moreChina Hat and China Cap are rhyolite domes that formed around older volcano lava flows. There are many faults located in the area which have had a part in forming these land forms as well as multiple "grabens". This is also a great Bird Watching area. The best bird viewing…
View moreOpen year round. Visitors will discover dinosaurs, ice-age mammals, how to live off the land, and more. They can also experience science hands-on in the Discovery Room! See fossils of animals that used to live right here in Idaho, including whorl tooth sharks and dinosaurs! Children will get excited about…
View morePart of Massacre Rocks State Park, was an emigrant campground where travelers inscribed their names on basalt boulders. As travelers on the Oregon Trail paused at Register Rock, they succumbed to the all too human desire to leave word of their passage. They inscribed their names and often the date…
View moreSummer only. This small log and wood frame building over 125 years old, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In Georgetown’s early settlement, it functioned as a local chapel, schoolhouse and general meeting hall. For many years it was a focal point for the female society of…
View moreThis beautiful gem of the byway could be easily passed or overlooked if travelers aren't already aware of it. The Black Canyon Gorge is just one mile west of Grace and offers display of a basalt lava flow combined with the effects of nature over time. The Bear River formed…
View moreThis store was built in 1908 and is a last remnant of a small but important livestock community in that time. The once famous Henry Stampede Rodeo and Stockman's Reunion began here in 1918. This mercantile store played an important role in the history of this place, and today, the…
View moreIn 1878, Ben Waldron lost his leg in a threshing accident. The leg was buried on the east side of the cemetery and was given a headstone with a leg carved on it, along with the initials “B.W.” and the date. Ben himself did not die until 1914, and he…
View moreThis waterfowl refuge, along the north shore of beautiful Bear Lake, is great for observing white-faced ibis, Canada geese, ducks, sandhill cranes, and a variety of songbirds.
View moreThe site is a 7 mile segment of "The Lander Cut-off of the Oregon Trail", the first road commissioned by Congress with funding for location and construction. F.W. Lander supervised the project.
View moreOpen year round. The Bannock County Historical Museum houses exhibits, objects, and records relating to Bannock County and Pocatello's history. Exhibit themes include railroad history, early medical practices, general store, the military, Victorian era parlor and Shoshone-Bannock Indian artifacts. It sits adjacent to the Fort Hall Replica and the zoo in…
View moreThis Building was built in 1914 by R.B. Davis and used as a Drug Store for many years. Miles Slater was the pharmacist. The original pressed-tin ceiling and the original safe are still in good condition and are interesting features of the Oneida Pioneer Museum.
View moreThe Cave was formed when basalt lava flowed out of a vent 500 thousand years ago forming a lava tube typical to this type of volcanic activity on the Snake River Plains. It was important to early settlers and native Americans for food storage. John A. Dalton, the original homesteader,…
View moreIn 1989, 160-acres surrounding Formation Springs was turned into a preserve established by the Nature Conservancy to protect the crystal clear pools and unique wetland complex. The water feeding these terraced pools is very high in travertine (calcium carbonate), which has created a unique geology for the area, the most impressive…
View moreThis forested area offers public-lands-campground, recreation and wildlife viewing in the great outdoors of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
View moreThis site offers wildlife viewing, fishing, and (further up the river) kayaking and canoeing.
View moreStop in at this visitor center after entering Idaho from Utah to discover all there is to see and do in Idaho.
View moreFort Hall Replica and Commemorative Trading Post & Pocatello Junction, A Frontier Town Replica The Fort Hall Replica and Commemorative Trading Post is a replica of the historic facility that served pioneer travelers along the Oregon Trail. Enter the massive wooden gates and wander through the Company Hall, Frontier Room,…
View moreSulphur Springs was noted in numerous early explorer and emigrant diaries. It was the first of several notable springs encountered in the Soda Springs area. When the wind is right, the distinct rotten egg odor can still be easily detected along Highway 30 east of town. The cold water and…
View moreThis place of worship is recognized as one of the true pioneer landmarks of the West and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1889, this Romanesque Mormon tabernacle was constructed of red sandstone that had to be transported by wagon or sled from a quarry 18…
View moreEmigrants by the thousands entered present day eastern Idaho at this location traveling along the Oregon-California Trail. Emigrants on the trail encountered Big Hill, thought to be the steepest and longest descent found on the trip west.
View moreOlive Osmond, born Olive May Davis, who died in 2004, was born in the cabin in 1925. Olive Osmond was the mother of Marie and Donny Osmond and the Osmond Brothers. The cabin was rebuilt Luke Waldron.
View moreThe Academy is a unique 3-story Romanesque stone building, constructed in the early 1890s. It is one of three, out of 35, similar surviving buildings from the days of Mormon Church sponsored education. It was moved from Preston High School to it's current location in 2004.
View moreSoda Springs boasts having the world's only captive geyser. On November 30, 1937 in an attempt to find a hot water source for a local swimming pool, a well driller set free the natural geyser at a depth of 317 feet. It is located on Pyramid Spring, a travertine mound described by Fremont in his 1840s expeditions, along with other area springs.
View moreA Shoshone Indian Chief who gained national notoriety during the struggle between white emigrants and Native Americans. When he died in 1884, he was buried in a deep spring in Idaho along with his clothing, guns, knives and hunting equipment. The city of Pocatello is named in his honor and erected his statue at the Pocatello Visitor's Center.
View moreOpen year round. Both permanent and rotating exhibits about the history of the Lava Hot Springs area and development of the surrounding rural communities of Arimo, Inkom, Downey, McCammon, Virginia and Swan Lake.
View moreThis district is architecturally and historically significant and is one of the regions most diverse and well-preserved urban street scapes. A variety of architectural styles are represented in the district, including Gothic Revival, Romanesque Revival, Sullivanesque and Art Deco, as well as many adaptations of early 20th-century commercial styles with…
View moreHistoric Thomas Mercantile in Swan Lake Idaho has been restored and is now open. They have a convenience store, deli, game tables, souvenirs, fresh bakery items and much more! Located on Highway 91 between Preston and Downey. Visit their Facebook page for daily specials and restoration stories and photos.
View moreRed Rock Pass was cut through a sill of resistant Paleozoic shale, limestone, and dolomite, and forms a narrow gap two miles long. At one time the pass was at the shoreline of Pleistocene Lake Bonneville, 300 feet higher. Lava flows in the vicinity of Pocatello diverted the Bear River through Lake Thatcher into Lake Bonneville.
View moreThis site is the point on the Bear River where water was first diverted by Mormon settlers to develop an agriculture industry in Gem Valley. It was completed in the early 1900's and was an engineering masterpiece for it's time. The Last Chance Canal Company was started with 64 original…
View moreCelebrate Welsh Culture and History in Samaria Idaho. Malad Valley Heritage Square is a wonderful collection of Pioneer era cabins, an old fashioned Ice Cream store, covered wagons and farm machinery. It includes the Osmond Family Homestead. Visit their Facebook page for news and events. View a poster of Malad Valley…
View moreThis cabin, one of the first built on the Nine Mile Creek in Marsh Valley, was erected by William Jason and Cyrus Coffin before 1866. Later it was purchased by Abigail Coffin, who with her sons, Nathan, Cyrus, and William were among the first settlers. They used the cabin for the first school and store.
View moreClosed in the Winter. The National Oregon/California Trail Center is located near the Clover Creek Encampment of the Oregon Trail in Montpelier at 320 North 4th Street. The trail center depicts the 2000-mile, 5-month journey along the Oregon Trail in daily Living History tours during the summer. Allinger Community Theatre…
View moreFeatures a covered picnic area, other picnic sites, and a boat ramp for fishing and boating. Birdwatchers can view pelicans, sea gulls, hawks, geese, and ducks.
View moreTour through a wondrous half-mile of stalactites and stalagmites in the largest limestone cave in Idaho.
View moreOpen year round. Step into the past with a visit to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Museum. This museum is dedicated to those kind and generous people in our community who see a real need to tell our story from our point of view. With old photographs, displays and exhibits you will…
View moreBuilt in 1892 by Isaac Evans, the Blue Goose was originally a furniture store and Post Office. Clarence Hughes runs this charming store, which was moved to the town park in Samaria to keep it from being torn down. He sells local crafts, cookbooks, candy and sodas, and has video rentals.
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