[Music] [Applause] there are places in idaho many of them where you see nothing but mountains and sky [Music] you pause listen and hear only the wind montana may have coined the expression big sky country but his skies have nothing on idaho's our wide open skies and the freedom from crowds and conformity that they symbolize are part of why people live in idaho [Music] most idahoans couldn't live in the hills hollows or concrete canyons of the east there just isn't enough sky [Applause] [Music] i guess this will make 41 years that i've been doing this now i think we figured when i retired that i had written 3 800 columns and most of course were about idaho i had the chance to discover a state of great diversity and great beauty i love this state and i love writing about it [Music] it is a state of wonders natural wonders you know places like craters of the moon the sautes the big lakes and it's a land of wonders as far as people are concerned too i think idaho may have more interesting characters per square mile than any other state i hope that the viewers who live in idaho will be reminded of just what a great place they live we tend to take that for granted people tend not to see the things close to home we used to have an editor who said there was no corner of the state i hadn't tried i'm not sure that's true but not too many that i haven't done it a thousand times but never gets old [Music] i think i said if you're tired of idaho you're tired of life [Music] it's always new it's always surprising it's always interesting that's why i'm still doing that after all these years [Music] winter is a time of quiet rejuvenation in idaho hunters and hikers have left the hills stillness descends the quality and reliability of idaho snow was a factor in the creation of sun valley america's first ski resort and others that have followed [Music] snow's greatest benefit of course is what it becomes [Music] spring thaw releases millions of acre feet of water essential for everything from farming to the recreation we prize to the water we drank [Music] without snow idaho as we know it wouldn't exist [Music] it's been said that if its mountains could be pounded flat idaho would be bigger than texas [Music] no one's proved it but it's mountains that give the state much of its character and for which it's justifiably known [Music] idaho has more than a hundred name mountain ranges and fifty peaks over ten thousand feet we have the bitterroots and the bighorn crags the seven devils and seven sisters the selkirks the soldiers the sawtooths and more [Music] [Music] if mountains are idaho's signature geographic feature the sawtooths are a big part of the reason why [Music] their jagged spires are the state's trademark [Music] the hundreds of lakes nestled among them hidden gems [Music] scores of peaks rising more than ten thousand feet frame alpine lakes of crystal and clarity [Music] sawtooth national recreation area attracts visitors from all over the world they explore lakes shimmering in granite basins and rivers winding through lodgepole pine forest in spring and summer verdant meadows are peppered with a profusion of yellow red and lavender wildflower blossoms [Music] abundant wildlife glistening lakes and streams snow-capped peaks pink in the sunset are more than a national recreation area they're a national treasure [Music] the sawtooths are one of the most dramatic landscapes i've ever seen and for me i've traveled all over the world and i keep coming back and just nodding my head thinking wow this is truly spectacular there's nothing like it zach christ is a professional ski racer and mountain guide so he's explored mountains all over the world but he chooses to make his home and raise his family in sun valley in the heart of idaho's mountains the mountains i've always said are the great equalizer because strips away all of the material and social construct that exists in our everyday lives and it's one of those experiences that you know you walk out here on any given day and you're going to see something different and you're going to see something great [Music] i don't see myself ever leaving it's the kind of place that uh i want to be for the rest of my life and i want my kids to grow up here and spend the rest of their lives here too it's just the ultimate playground there's no better place [Music] [Music] today the obstacles that kept lewis and clark from navigating the salmon are what make it idaho's best known river [Music] the salmon is the longest undammed river in the lower 48. nicknamed the river of no return because pioneers could run its rapids going downstream but not upstream salmon is world renowned for rafting canoeing and kayaking [Music] across idaho our rivers contain more white water miles than any of the lower 48 states [Music] from the lock saw to the payet the snake to the salmon idaho's rivers treat visitors to whitewater thrills savory meals on sandy beaches and canyon scenery remembered for life [Music] [Music] a jet boat ride from the confluence of the salmon and snake rivers through hills canyon is an unforgettable experience [Music] north america's deepest gorge hells canyon is a land of towering immensities a place that inspires awe and all who see it and butterflies and those with fear of heights [Music] overlooking the snake from 8 000 feet above are the brooding snow streaked seven devils idaho's steepest and arguably its most rugged mountain range a sense to devil's tooth the goblin mount ogre and other peaks can be challenging but climbers are rewarded with views like being on top of the world [Music] [Music] the wetlands of eastern idaho are the sort of places that are good for the soul [Music] flowing waters and breathtaking sunrises [Music] panoramic views of storms moving in birds on the wing [Music] the sky literally fills with birds during the annual snogies migration [Music] so many waterfowl flock to mud lake that small grains are grown there to help feed them [Music] the migration is wondrous beyond words that have to be their experience [Music] not a birder there's usually a moose or two to watch and photograph or sandhill cranes awkwardly perched on impossibly thin legs [Music] but it's the thrumming swirling snow geese flights that take your breath away the stories of pioneers claim that waterfowl taking to the air blackened the sky a popular slogan once claimed that idaho is as america was in parts of the state that's long ceased to be accurate but in these invaluable wildlife sanctuaries it comes close [Music] remnants of the old west dot idaho's landscape like weathered signboards from a bygone [Music] era decaying buck boards collapsing barns rusting farm equipment idaho is where the old and the new west meet buckaroos move herds the traditional way even as modern ranching and farming methods evolve much of this would have been impossible without the snake river its water has sustained crops and livelihoods for generations [Music] idaho's most important agricultural region its largest cities and the majority of its people live within a short drive of its banks but the snake is more than a working river [Music] it has carved scenes majestic beyond describing [Music] the snake river describes idaho starting from the highest alpine meadows the headwaters of the snake and the tetons and then going down through plains and canyons clay morgan grew up as a free-range child in idaho he had one rule be home by dart he's the author of a number of books including idaho unbound a traveler's guide he knows plenty about the snake river and lots of other places in idaho i always wondered why they called it the snake river but i have read that it is named because of indian sign language back in the day was this for this river and the french trappers took it to mean snakes and call this the river of serpents but i've read that this actually meant fish and salmon swimming up this river so this could have been called the salmon river or the fish river as well [Music] falls is the niagara of the west it's higher than niagara falls in the spring in may and june the water coming over it is just incredible and the steam comes up the vapor comes up it is just absolutely magnificent [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] travelers on interstate 84 cross a narrow span of the malad gorge in a flash many never suspect the dizzying spectacle beneath them a rocky gorge 250 feet deep with a crashing cataract dropping into the boiling devil's wash bowl [Music] downstream a sparkling river and burdened wildflowers clinging to mossy rocks [Music] blue heart springs water is clear as polished glass and so blue it could almost be in the caribbean [Music] it's off the beaten path and accessible only by boat but divers and sightseers alike say it's worth the trip and then some small wonder that thousand springs help give the magic valley its name their source is the snake river plain aquifer one of the largest groundwater systems in the world [Music] a captivating desert oasis for tourists odors and divers [Music] pure highly oxygenated water underground for over a century springs from basalt bluffs to create white water ribbons emerald pools and icy showers [Music] those who venture beneath the surface are treated to views of verdant vegetation through water so clear it hardly seems to exist [Music] crossing southern idaho by train author thomas wolf described it as the abomination of desolation an enormous desert bounded by infinitely far away mountains that you never get to if he'd gotten off the train long enough to investigate wolfe would have found beauty he never expected [Music] is there beauty in the idaho desert you'd have to be high balling down a railroad track or a freeway or blind not to see it [Music] you know most people think that the deserts there's nothing to it but it makes you feel free it makes you feel just good it makes me feel good pinot bennett is the best songwriter i know and an idaho treasure he's lived in nashville he was a star in england and all that time he was thinking about building his retirement package a sheep wagon in the idaho desert he still lives there today what do i like about it it's big talk about elbow room lots of sky lots of air and lots of big country you got your son in the morning and the last you get on that horizon and then it goes all the way to that horizon and you just get more time it's home [Music] [Music] among the idaho desert's many surprises are four dunes [Music] the largest nearly 500 feet tall are the bruno dunes [Music] prevailing winds blow sand from the surrounding desert and drop the heavier particles creating serpentine ripples on wind sculpted slopes [Music] recreationalists are drawn to the dunes state park to hike camp view the wildlife or study the stars the bruno dunes night sky is gloriously free of light pollution and the site of the state's only public observatory [Music] oregon and california trail pioneers could be forgiven a few jitters while guiding their wagons through what is now city of rocks national reserve centuries of wind and rain have carved eerie shapes into the granite rising from the desert floor spires domes and steeples can play bizarre tricks with the imagination some are 600 feet high [Music] internationally renowned among rock climbers the city of rocks attracts visitors from around the world [Music] lava tubes spatter cones cinder buttes no small wonder that apollo astronauts trained at craters of the moon before their lunar missions [Music] idaho's only national monument craters of the moon and its preserve cover some 400 square miles and are home to some 40 separate lava flows [Music] in spring they create a panorama of unexpected beauty thousands of delicate bitterroot flowers growing from the rock [Music] [Music] an hour's drive from craters of the moon the antithesis of desert southern idaho's luxuriant centennial marsh camas roots were an important food source for native americans but today it's camus flowers that bring visitors here [Music] in may and june the marsh blossoms with millions of delicate purple petals [Music] from spring to mid-summer centennial marsh is a haven for waterfowl and other birds from ducks and geese to sand hill cranes and snow egrets southern idaho's long hot summers dry the marsh up completely by mid-july but in spring it's a wetland of exquisite beauty and not just to the eye listen [Music] the only sounds you'll hear are the music of songbirds and a gentle breeze blowing across the kamas prairie [Music] [Music] the jagged spires of the tetons are on the wyoming side of the border but the view from the idaho side is unsurpassed [Music] picturesque farmland gives way to stunning views of the teton peaks rising to more than thirteen thousand feet [Music] archie teeter one of idaho's best known artists spent much of his life painting the teton country painting or photographing it hiking it or just looking at it it isn't hard to see why [Music] many of idaho's rivers today bear little resemblance to the streams the pioneers knew idaho author bartus fisher wrote that the south fork of the snake river before it was damned was so powerful that it rattled dishes and covers as it thundered by today anglers test their skills on its gentler waters the southwark of the snake is an extremely wonderful stretch of water the fishing here has brown trout cut throats a few rainbow lonnie allen is a fly fishing guide and the mayor of one of idaho's smallest towns warm river population three her grandparents settled near ashton not far from the south fork in henry's fort rivers you could say she has rivers in her blood on the south fork of the snake something that is very spectacular is fall creek falls it's absolutely beautiful wonderful fishing around that spot you can actually cast a small little dry fly right under the falls and occasionally catch a native cutthroat there's bears and moose and eagles the most prolific eagle population probably in the united states [Music] it is quiet it's listening to birds it's listening to the ripple of a stream it's listening to the oars along a boat the wind through the trees as you go it is the most spectacular rewarding experience i think you would have [Music] the henry's fork of the snake river is one of idaho's loveliest streams meandering through evergreen and cottonwood forests and providing habitat for wildlife from moose to trumpeter swans [Music] its cold clear waters comprise one of the state's most productive rainbow trout fisheries today the henry's fork is world renowned for its dry fly fishing [Music] one of the best things about idaho is that it's brimming with miracles even many long time idahoans have never seen east idaho's mesa falls is such a place the henry's fork of the snake river plunges 114 feet over basalt cliff a small niagara in the proverbial middle of nowhere [Music] no tour guides no crowds ticket booths or snack bars just the northwest's last untouched waterfall of consequence in a verdant forest that looks much as it did when it was created millennia ago [Music] to stand by mesa falls is to know the power and majesty of nature and to be glad you're alive and in a state of wonders [Music] [Music] north idaho's is different from southern idaho as minnesota is from colorado it is the land of lakes hundreds of them sparkling like oversized jewels and densely wooded forests it is the west greatest concentration of lakes [Music] lake pondaray is the fifth deepest lake in the nation all but one of the great lakes are shallower it's so deep the navy has used it to test submarines dotted with islands and ringed by forested slopes that seem to rise straight from its depths it is irresistibly picturesque [Music] lake coeur d'alene combines the beauty of an alpine lake with the attractions of a destination resort while quiet priest lake is like going back in time to the uncrowded beaches and idyllic summers of youth you can paddle a canoe for hours without seeing another soul you can feast on sunsets and big skies sit on a beach and hear only the gentle laughing of the waves [Music] [Applause] you could almost be on the seacoast or in your own private paradise but you're not it's idaho surprising you all over again [Music] palouse some say the name derives from the french word for lawn if so it's accurate hills and hollows dotted with crops as lush as any lawn a checkerboard of rich browns and neon bright greens and yellows the palouse's rich soil and abundant rainfall have made it one of the world's most productive agricultural regions lentils peas wheat and barley grown there are shipped all over the world the undulating hills of the picture-perfect palouse are also a magnet for photographers writers and artists sometimes people who are born and raised in idaho can't wait to get out i'm not one of those people kim barnes grew up in the rough-and-tumble logging camps of northern idaho the first member of her family to graduate from college she's now a world-renowned author she'll be the first to tell you that her writing draws heavily on the people and places of our idaho life the light on the plus is amazing in the fall and as harvest is going on and of course the golden fields uh you know are so stunning but it's not just the fields it's the way the plus buckles and folds and humps and rises and when the light hits that especially in the evening it turns not just golden but all kinds of apricot and violet and lavender and every color you can imagine and it's stunning [Music] to me idaho it's like saying my own name you know it just means home [Music] the word most often used to describe north idaho's saint joe river is shadowy [Music] an apt choice for a stream densely lined by tall leafy cottonwoods [Music] the saint joe runs still and deep for much of its length and like the valley through which it flows so captivates the eye that a traveler's byway has been named for it [Music] sunlight paints mirrored masterpieces on its placid waters [Music] in the fall dappled greens become a pallet of autumn hues foreshadowing the land's snowy rebirth [Music] fall on saint joe and throughout idaho is a celebration of color [Music] so [Music] payet lake in central idaho could almost be part of the north idaho chain of lakes like them it's a scenic delight with clear deep water and sandy beaches ringed by forest half of it is protected as a state park [Music] from a beach a boat or an overlook you can see nesting ospreys waterfowl and big game animals the biggest difference between payette lake and most of the northern lakes is in numbers of people for generations it's been a playground for residents of the boise valley all manner of boats from canoes and sailboats to cabin cruisers ply its waters in summer a year-round resort area peyad lake the city of mccall and nearby brundage mountain ski area draw crowds for activities from water sports to skiing they're important contributors to the outdoors lifestyle that draws people to idaho and keeps them here [Music] recreation in myriad forms is the key that lets us unlock and make the most of idaho's treasures [Music] i love to fly fish and i can drive south and fly fish for still head and salmon i can go north and fly fish for cutthroat i can be in lake country i can be in desert country i can be in mountains i can be in rivers i can be anywhere i want to be [Music] to me being not only on the south fork but anywhere in the wilderness of idaho you feel nothing but where you are and it is an absolutely comfortable place to be you don't have to go to church to be in church you can talk to god anywhere but it's neat to be able to talk to him out here because it's it's where i like it the best [Music] got all sorts of activities available from world-class rock climbing incredible hiking just a huge chain of high mountain lakes for me it's just the ultimate playground there's no better place [Music] it's just full of wildlife you'll see antelope and beaver you'll see deer you'll see bobcats it's just full of life and all i see is beautiful beautiful nature [Music] [Music] it's not for nothing that this film has portrayed idaho as a state of surprises it doesn't just surprise newcomers and visitors it's a source of never-ending wonder even for long-time residents i was born in idaho and spent most of my life here and it's still surprising me in producing this film one of the challenges was to decide which natural wonders which obscure facts and which breathtaking footage to include and which to leave out because there just wasn't time as a journalist who spent a career writing about idaho and idahoans crisscrossing the state untold times i was a little embarrassed to discover during the making of idaho the movie that there were still a few places i hadn't been maybe that's part of what's kept me here all these years as someone once said when you're tired of idaho you're tired of life [Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] you