My own private Idaho: A journey into one of the less-known American states in search of bison steaks, hot potatoes and wild vistas

Home Top

The stunning multi-coloured light show created by air traffic control boss that represents 3,000 planes flying over southern England from five major airports
Frozen in time: Inside the space age TWA terminal at JFK built in 1962 that is soon to be turned into a boutique hotel
Get him to the Greek! As bookings plummet, holiday boss reveals Brits could bag discounts of up to 30 per cent in the troubled country
Don't put your gorilla in the backseat and carry a weapon if you're wearing a bikini while driving: The weirdest traffic laws revealed
Eau de tiger! Siberian big cat marks its territory by turning its back on zoo visitors and spraying them with its scent
Revealed: Londoners are the most adventurous tourists while the Welsh prefer a staycation (and Scots are lured by food)
It's all about Location, Location, Location: Phil Spencer set to name Britain's beach hut of the year
Carnival's luxurious giant cruise ships to set sail for Cuba - but passengers will have to volunteer when they arrive there
Forget crisps and a can of Coke: The world's most over-the-top hotel mini-bars offer everything from oxygen canisters to aged Japanese whisky
Angry passengers arrested after upgrading themselves to business class and refusing to move in protest at three-hour flight delay
A spot on the red carpet at the Oscars and a round of golf at Augusta: The luxury concierge that can get you inside the world's most exclusive events
We'll drink to that! In-flight 'Air Hook' gadget eliminates the need to put down a tray table to rest a cup on
The provocative images of 7/7 bombings and 9/11 it's hoped will prevent a Tunisia tourism boycott in wake of terror attack
Terrifying video captures planes tilting sideways and bouncing off the tarmac as pilots battle strong crosswinds while coming in to land at Birmingham Airport
'Scariest landing in my entire life': Panic of passengers on flight forced to return to Denver with a BLOWN TYRE
The ultimate summer holiday packing hack: The secret to folding T-shirts to the size of a burrito revealed
Don't point with your finger, avoid physical contact and NEVER give them room number four: The customs hoteliers should learn to lure more Chinese tourists revealed
An Inspector Calls: Making a big Deal of Bear's Well - a family home turned pretty small hideaway on the east coast of Kent
No tasteless pasta here! The elite dining of Michelin-star first class airline cuisine revealed, menu by menu
Thousands of travellers face summer flight chaos as easyJet aircrew consider strike in payrise row
All bets are off: Inside the haunting remains of Romania's crumbling ghost casino
British tourists vote yes! Holidaymakers ignore financial crisis as searches for flights to Greece soar by 16%
A Mediterranean cruise with a twirl in every port: A fabulous European voyage to Ephesus, Nice, Sicily, Santorini and beyond
Five-figure payout for holidaymakers from Thomas Cook after they were ravaged by BED BUGS at Caribbean resort and suffered severe rashes and blisters

Tucked into the north-west of the USA, Idaho is America for adventurers
It sits between the better known states of Washington and Wyoming
It hosts a small part of Yellowstone National Park - and other fine scenery

Published: 10:35 EST, 6 July 2015 | Updated: 10:36 EST, 6 July 2015

View
comments

It's rush hour in Yellowstone National Park, and the road is gridlocked. Along the ruler-straight track, bordered by tundra that rolls towards snow-topped mountains, cars come to an abrupt halt.

Doors are flung open and people jump out excitedly. 'Another bison jam,' says my guide, Anthony. The sight of buffalos nonchalantly crossing the road is a common one in these parts.

America's most famous protected wilderness - located in the north-west - has been luring visitors for thousands of years.

A really wild show: Buffalo graze in Yellowstone National Park - which crosses the Idaho state line

Native tribes first settled in this land of waterfalls and hot springs more than 11,000 years ago. These days, it's tourists, hikers and campers.

The vast majority of the park is in Wyoming, but a small slice (roughly one per cent) lies across the state border in Idaho, a place best known for its potatoes - a claim to fame that even features on its car registration plates.

But there is much more to this overlooked state than sensational spuds.

Inside the park, we drive along some of the 141 miles that circle Yellowstone Lake, keeping our eyes peeled for the wolves, elk and grizzlies that stalk the pine forests and snow-dusted peaks.

The park's most sought-after sight - which sits firmly on the Wyoming side of the state line - is Old Faithful, a geyser that earned its name for its regular eruptions (roughly every 90 minutes).

A large crowd gathers around and anticipation is high. 'Any minute now,' says the American woman behind me. 'Do they turn the geyser off at night?' asks her husband.

My loud scoff is drowned out as Old Faithful blows, shooting a plume of steam more than 100ft into the air.

The great outdoors is what Idaho does best.

Slither on through: Idaho is home to dramatic waterways like the Snake River - which dissects Hell's Canyon

Rivers teeming with trout snake through valleys while woodlands are criss-crossed with mile after mile of walking and biking tracks.

One man who sings its praises louder than most is Jon Huntsman.

This self-made billionaire (he invented the egg box) has recently returned to his childhood state to launch his latest venture, Huntsman Springs - a sprawling estate in the blink-and-miss-it town of Driggs, 30 miles from Jackson Hole in Wyoming.

'I grew up in a two-bedroom house with outdoor plumbing, but I always loved the majesty of the mountains and the tranquillity of the land,' he tells me.

'It's the last remaining pristine place in America.'

Dotted around the landscaped property are mountain-style lodges of stone and wood, as rustic as they are grand, with antiques, hand-woven rugs and leather armchairs.

Epic: Yellowstone National Park offers some of the most famous scenery west of the Mississippi

Elsewhere, there's an award-winning golf course, fly-fishing ponds and a spa. Plans are under way for a five-star hotel set to open in 2017.

A large tract of the estate - around 500 acres - has been set aside as a nature reserve, with a two-mile boardwalk erected over the wetlands and ponds.

Waiting beside one is John Pehrson, the resort's fly-fishing guru.

'It's all in the flick of the wrist,' he tells me, as I haul a trout from the water.

Driggs is an early-to-bed kind of town, but there's still fun to be had after dark.

Dinner at Forage, a quiet downtown restaurant, consists of roasted bison (with Idaho fries, naturally) and a glass of fruity Idaho Tempranillo.

Out of town, hungry locals queue for spud buds (fried cubes of Idaho finest root vegetable) at the Spud Drive-In cinema, its entrance flanked by a model of a pick-up truck carrying a giant over-sized potato.

Part of the furniture: John Huntsman (with wife Karen) owns the Huntsman Springs luxury lodge

All is quiet on Main Street. Cars pause momentarily at the town's only traffic light while those on foot pop into Big Hole Bakery for a quick bagel.

Over a creamy huckleberry milkshake from the Corner Shop, I spy a notebook on the counter inviting shoppers to 'record their memories of the store'.

Next to that sits a stack of local newspapers. 'Grizzlies spotted in South End' screams the headline.

Tucked away on page nine of the Teton Valley News is the Sheriff's Report, a weekly log of the 911 calls and how they were resolved.

One involved an alarmed woman, who reported a suspicious-looking man peering through her windows.

Investigating officers gleaned it was her estranged husband and, according to the Sheriff's Report, the couple 'were going to work out their differences by phone'.

Surely it's nothing that a night at the Spud Drive-In and a plate of Idaho fries couldn't fix.