Bear Lake & Lava Hot Springs — Historic Soaks, Turquoise Water & the Oregon Trail

Southeastern Idaho holds a string of the state's most distinctive escapes, and this relaxed three-day loop strings them together far from the crowds of the central mountains. It opens in Lava Hot Springs, the historic resort town whose naturally heated, odor-free mineral pools have soothed travelers for more than a century, then crosses to the astonishing turquoise water of Bear Lake — the 'Caribbean of the Rockies' — and the raspberry farms of Garden City on its shore. The final day drops into the depths of Minnetonka Cave in the Bear River Range and visits Montpelier's National Oregon/California Trail Center, which tells the story of the emigrants who crossed this very country. It's a weekend of warm water, impossibly blue lake, cool caverns, and deep pioneer history, with soaks and lakeside nights bookending the days.