Hi;

I hope someone here can help me with some useful suggestions.

Soon I am going to spend about 10-12 days exploring central Idaho. I
want to visit the silver mining area north of Boise and do some
general family sight seeing, photography and easy day hiking in the
mountains. My wife is _not_ inclined to suffer on rough dusty roads
unless there is a reward at the end - such as a good mineral
collecting spot or picturesque town. I think we will set up our tents
at a commercial campground at a central location and do day trips
from there, and then move on after 4 or 5 days. I need some
entertainment for the kids, and a pool to escape the August heat.

It looks as if McCall would be a good central location, but I need
another spot or two further south and east. Any suggestions?

Is Hell's Canyon tolerable in August? I want to do a jet boat ride up
the Snake River from Lewiston, but if it's waaay to hot I will return
in a cooler season.

I would love to do some easy 4wd trails that wouldn't shake up the
wife too badly and either have great views or interesting stops along
the way. Suggestions? I have a copy of "Idaho Backcountry Byways"
which has some routes I could choose from.

I plan to go no further south than Boise and I-84, and no further
east than Arco. Since I anticipate travelling on rough roads I will
not be bringing our mountain bikes along. My kids are 9 and 12.

Thanks very much for any help, and sorry for the OT post.



John Davies
http://home.comcast.net/~johnedavies/
'96 Lexus LX450
'00 Audi A4 1.8T quattro
Spokane WA USA