Idaho Road Info

Thanks for coming back to give us an update! We agree, Idaho is a secret state of beauty, but now the word is out.

Park Country - Thank you for recommending Warm River Campground. A beautiful spot and perfect for exploring Mesa Falls. Our trip through Idaho was awesome. One of, if not our, favorite states. Thanks again. Warm River is a must return to. Betsy.

Thank you all for the valuable info. Very much appreciated. Betsy.

The road over Teton Pass is not advisable for trucks. I live nearby. I would not pull my 5ver over it. The road from Ririe, Idaho through Swan Valley to Alpine, Wyoming then up the Snake River Canyon on 89 into Jackson is very scenic. There is a very nice campground for RVs south of Ririe off 26 about 2-3 miles, at Ririe Reservoir and others between there and Alpine. There are several pulls around Palisades Reservoir, but not bad. I recommend it.

Betsy, if you're coming from Salmon, it's better to take ID-28, then straight-shot it to Rexburg. Going via Challis and down US-93, then cutting back North via ID-22/33 seems to me to be a waste of time, IMHO. ID-28 is very lightly travelled.

As for the Scenic Byway out of Ashton on ID-47, it's nice but with your rig, it would not be advisable if you want to get out and see Mesa Falls. The parking lot and (possible) congestion would be problematic for the size of rig you are pulling. If you think you will want to park the rig and just walk down to the viewing area, again, I wouldn't advise it. The road is narrow in some spots and you definitely don't want to park it along the highway. As an aside, once you turn East out of Ashton, you will have excellent views of the Tetons along this road. Also, there is access to a little slice of Yellowstone Park in the extreme Southwest corner from this road leading to the Scenic Byway, called Bechler Ranger Station (and that's all it is, nothing more), and Cave Falls. Now, the road isn't paved, at least it wasn't the last time I was out there years ago. Bring your mosquito repellent if you plan on going there as they are thick out there for some reason. Also, bring your Bear Spray because it's definitely Grizzly country.

Before you start your climb into the Scenic Byway, there is a very, very nice campground in the Targhee National Forest at Warm River. They completely redid this campground years ago and I must say that it is one of the nicest NF campgrounds I've seen.

Going from Ashton to Jackson via the Teton Valley is beautiful, but you'll end up having to go over Teton Pass. I know that there are a lot of people here who would have no problem with it, but I do. No way I would stress my vehicle pulling that 5er up the pass and then DOWN again, stressing the tranny and brakes, but that's just me. For my part, I would go the roundabout way on ID-31 over Pine Creek Pass, through Swan Valley, ID, to Alpine, WY, then up US-26 to approach Jackson from the South. 2 years ago I happened upon a guy pulling a trailer whose Tow Vehicle must have catastrophically failed because he was at a DEAD STOP on a blind curve going up Teton Pass. I say Catastrophically because I'm sure he would have pulled over if he had had the means at all, but he completely blocked the lane in a very bad spot. This is not a pleasant scenario on your vacation and I couldn't help but feel that he had really made a BAD decision trying to drive the Teton Pass with trailer in tow.

Just my 2 cents. Hope this helps you and others on route planning. You can message me if you want further info.

CloudDriver wrote:


No issue with route 33, but do not drive route 22 over the Teton Pass! 10% grades and sharp curves. Take route 26 out of Idaho Falls to Alpine Junction then route 89/189 up to Jackson. Your tranny and brakes will thank you.

We drive route 22 over Teton Pass any time we go to or from Jackson. Sure it is a mountain road, but is one of the most scenic roads in America and if we can do it safely with a 42' motorhome pulling a full size truck, then he should have no problems and will see some awesome scenery.

Mesa Falls is fine. We have mostly driven the road w/o towing, but it would be ok - a few spots where you should slow down & take extra care around curves. North of Mesa Falls it's very good. Are you considering it as an alternative to Ashton Hill? (US 20) Heard the construction on Ashton Hill is a pain, so the Mesa Falls route could be a viable alternative. The only problem is, not too many places to pull off that you'd fit into. Do NOT try to get into the Mesa Falls parking lots with your full rig - just the TV.

The 28 from Salmon south will be fine for your rig. It follows a canyon valley until you get to south of Leadore to Gilmore, then is high desert, wide open, not really that scenic. There are some nice open camp sites along the Birch Creek area south of Leadore to Gilmore, and about Blue Dome is when I found it boring.

1. we didn't take 28 but 93 from challis to Idaho Falls is easy.
2. The Mesa Falls road is doable. There are a couple of grades, but nothing really bad. Unless you don't like mountain roads or your truck needs brakes. There is a nice little campground - Warm River - just off 47 on your way to Mesa Falls. As an FYI - we only went from Ashton to Mesa Falls and did not drive the road beyond that.
3. We just drove 32 to 33 to 22 yesterday over Teton Pass. If you are willing to do this road (route 22), then the Mesa Falls road will be nothing. There are 10% grades both up and down. They are long grades. We have an F250 diesel and a 8700 lb. tt. We made it no problem. But, we have tow/haul mode and use transmission 'braking.' I would not recommend it without a controlled descent and excellent brakes.

If you get the chance, Redfish Lake (near Stanley) is beautiful. There is a lot of great boondocking in the area but if you like campgrounds, try Redfish Outlet.
We stayed at the Aspen Grove Golf and RV resort while in Ashton. Do not drink the water - it has the most awful taste. The sites are a little difficult, the wifi is hit or miss, but the views over the golf course are great.
Stanley Baking Co. has the best breakfast!

Can't comment on route 28, but we drove route 93 all the way from Missoula to Arco a couple of years ago and rate it as one of our top 5 scenic drives.

No recent experience on route 47, but we did drive that road in the past in our 24 ft Class C.

No issue with route 33, but do not drive route 22 over the Teton Pass! 10% grades and sharp curves. Take route 26 out of Idaho Falls to Alpine Junction then route 89/189 up to Jackson. Your tranny and brakes will thank you.