A little while back on our month long RV adventure with my hubby, 3.5 year old and 3 big doggies we were driving along happily across the country. We had just explored Couer d’Allene in Idaho and passing through the Silver Valley on our way to Missoula, Montana. We had NO plans to stop but a belt in our motor snapped and we broke down on the side of the highway in the 10 mile stretch with NO cell phone reception. We waved at people for a long while and then 6 hours later a state trooper came over and sent a tow truck our way. Woot Woot! He kindly towed us 15 miles down the freeway to a small town called Kellogg where we promptly set up our beds in our RV and went to sleep. They said it would be about a day and we would be on our way…well that one day turned into 5 and it was the perfect break to our fast track way of roadtripping. So what does one do in the Silver Valley:
1. Mountain Bike the Idaho/Montana State Line on the Route of Hiawatha
2. Huckleberry picking off of Exit 0…hike about 2 miles uphill and there are troves of huckleberries (tastes like a tart blueberry and sweet blackberry put together. Tip: Beware of bears, they like huckleberries as much as humans. If you do not feel like picking huckleberries trying all things huckleberry is a must. Some of my favorites include the milkshake, ice cream, wine, sweet cream pancakes, lemonade, licorice and jam. Yummy!
3. Check out the longest Gondola Ride in North America with a 3,400 elevation gain at Silver Mountain Resort. We happened to go on a Friday night and enjoyed a BBQ and live music. Tickets are $18 per adult and free for kids 3 and under. Tickets may be used several times in a day. Dogs and mountain bikes are welcome. Also there is a bouncy house, play structure and hiking trails at the top. Bonus: If you choose to stay at the resort you also get free tickets to the indoor water park on location
4. Visit the Crystal Gem Mine Tour at the edge of town. It was very cool to learn some history of the Silver Valley. How they mined in the 1800-early 1900s. See quartz veins and gold patches. Awesome! Bonus we were taught how to properly gold pan at the end of the tour. They also add in some fun stones for kids to mine for.
5. Antique shop in Wallace