Idaho

Idaho is one of the most rugged and least crowded states in the lower 48 — a sprawl of mountains, canyons, and high desert covering 83,569 square miles (216,443 km²). Its narrow panhandle reaches north toward Canada through lake-dotted forest, while the broad south is split by the Snake River, which arcs across the state in a great fertile crescent. Between them lies some of the wildest country in the country, including the largest contiguous wilderness in the contiguous United States.

The Snake River carved Hells Canyon along the Oregon border — at points deeper than the Grand Canyon — and waters the volcanic Snake River Plain, where most Idahoans and the state's famous potato farms are found. Borah Peak, the high point at 12,662 feet (3,859 m), stands among the Lost River Range. Vast national forests and roadless mountains cover much of the center, drained by clear rivers prized by rafters and anglers and left largely untouched by roads.