Better Hurry If You Want To See The Best Fall Foliage In Southern Idaho
The next few weeks are the peak viewing days for the best fall foliage in Southern Idaho. Even just sitting in my backyard and looking around I can see the leaves are changing on the trees in my neighborhood. Under normal circumstances and in a normal year, we could easily head to the South Hills to take in the beauty of fall. But this is 2020 and nothing is normal. The Badger Fire has destroyed much of the area in the South Hills that would have been a prime location. Bostetter and Father and Sons campgrounds have been destroyed by the fire and the burn has also extended further down the mountain, encroaching on cabins and the Magic Mountain Ski Resort. For that reason and the continued danger of the Badger Fire as it spreads, fall foliage in the South Hills is probably no longer your best choice.
Instead, this year you may want to take a little longer of a trip and head north to Sun Valley or the Stanley area for breathtaking color changing leaves. Yellowstone would also be a great option for a quick trip to see the multi-colored leaves, plus Yellowstone is always a good choice for a quick trip.
If you can't take few hours for a sight-seeing trip this week, you can still see some good colors next week. But, you will need to take your drive soon as the leaves will be past their peak by October 12th this year. According to an interactive map at the Smoky Mountains website, between now and early October will be the best time to see the fall leaves before they all fall to the ground.