Take a short 24 mile drive southwest of Kooskia and you’ll “top up onto the Camas prairie” at Grangeville. This little town, whose elevation and population meet at around 3500, sits on US Highway 95. US Highway 95 is Idaho’s major north/south highway from southern Idaho to the Canadian border. Grangeville, the county seat for Idaho County-one of the largest counties in the country and bigger that the state of New Jersey-is known locally for the only stop light in all of Idaho County.
The Camas Prairie gets its name from the beautiful Camas flower that blooms in the spring and covers the prairie with its blooms of purple and periwinkle blue. The Nez Perce dug the Camas root as a food source which provided starch in their diets.
The spirit of the West is alive and well in Grangeville Idaho. Grangeville’s Border Days is celebrated each Independence Day with 3 days of Idaho’s OLDEST Rodeo, parades, eats, arts and crafts, family fun and more.
Grangeville is surrounded by five wilderness regions and four national forest totaling around 5½ million acres to enjoy things from snowmobiling, skiing, snow tubing, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, ATV riding, jet boating, whitewater rafting to sight seeing, rock hounding and just enjoying life. Less than an hour from Grangeville, you’ll find Hells Canyon on the Snake River. Hells Canyon, the deepest gorge in
North America, is a popular destination for travelers. Pittsburg Landing Marina in Hells Canyon provides travelers with camp grounds and guided recreation to enjoy the extreme landscapes and abundant wildlife. With three
major rivers, the Snake, Salmon, and the South Fork of the
Clearwater River, flowing within a 10 mile radius of
Grangeville, makes this area a central point for water sports.
Grangeville has all you are looking for, such as motels, RV parking and many restaurants. There’s even a restaurant at the top of the hill that still offers bottomless coffee for just 25 cents a cup!!! Where else on earth can you find this?
|Pictures courtesy of idahocountyfreepress.com|