All of my friends laughed at me when I told them Idaho was my next destination. But after explaining to them that Idaho is surrounded by the beautiful states of Oregon, Wyoming, Utah, Washington and Montana, it’s easier to understand why Idaho was on the top of my list. The state known for its potatoes is an outdoorsman’s paradise and still a hidden gem.

I spent 10 days in southern Idaho to visit two of the state’s most popular backpacking destinations – the Sawtooth Mountains and Hell’s Canyon Wilderness area, both 2 ½-hour drives from Boise.

The landscapes were beautiful, but hard to capture with a half-dozen or so wildfires blazing out of control in the northern part of the state. Smoke from the fires spoiled some of the photos, but every photo still ended up being postcard-worthy.

Brian Quines is the blogger for Adventure16.com. He covered Orange County’s outdoors as a writer for Squeeze OC Magazine and the Orange County Register newspaper. He knows Orange County’s trail system like the back of his hand and he also frequents many backpacking spots in Arizona, Nevada, Utah and California.