Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Idaho (Lewiston) summer vacation ?'s.

OK, I'm determined to finally make it to Idaho. I've never been. It's been a boyhood dream of mine to live there (literally). I'd like to go to Lewiston this coming summer with my family (wife and 7 year old son). I'd appreciate any information/suggestions on where to stay what to do etc... Even where is best to fly into since aparently you can't get there from here.
I've less than a half clue. I hope they're not hiring when I get there. I'm tempted to bring a resume` just in case.

I think the closest airport to Lewiston is Spokane, Washington.

I don't get up that way too often, but there is some pretty country to the South and North of there.

However, hope you don't mind the smell of paper mills, as Lewiston has one right on the river and it gets pretty stinky at times!

Enjoy your stay!

Lewiston has an airport with car rentals: http://www.lcairport.net/ Horizon Air (Delta) and SkyWest fly in. There's a delta jet that flys in from Salt Lake City once a day.

Lewiston is a nice little city with pretty good fall steelhead fishing. It's located at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers. Lewiston chamber of commerce:
http://www.lewistonchamber.org/

There are a number of very nice hotels with good rates in both Lewiston and Clarkston(just across the river in Washington)

Be aware that Lewiston can get hot in the summer time. 100 degrees at times in July and August. The winters are mild.

Mike

Didn't know that about the airport there-that is good!

I grew up in Lewiston. PM me and I will answer any questions you may have.

GeauxLSU,My wife and I were out that way this spring.I have a stepdaughter in Moscow Id.and one in Pullman Wash.We get the best airfares out of Spokane.

We rented a BMW motorcycle and rode from Moscow through Lewiston down to Joseph Ore.along Hells Canyon then back to Moscow.Then we went out Rt 12 along the Snake river to Lochsa Historic Ranger Station.The last few days we spent in Cour d'Alene.
It's all great scenery good ,micro brews , river rafting etc.
Other then working in the collage town,farming or tourism industry there is not much work.

GeauxLSU,yes you can fly into Lewiston. I believe Delta flys from Salt Lake into Lewiston. If not I am sure Alaska does from Seattle. We flew out of Lewiston a few years ago to Atlanta by way of Denver. Their are some nice hotels and motels in Lewiston. Also Clarkston just across the river has some nice places to stay. Just pull up the chamber of commerce for both, and I'm sure they list plenty. Lots to do, and see. When you get closer to your date to leave, e-mail me and I'll put together a list of places to see and things to do. If you arrive early in the summer, ATK {CCI-Speer} will most likely be hiring. I am sure you will enjoy a visit here. Dave

I haven't done it but it's a must if you are going to spend some time in Lewiston. That is take the Jet Boat ride up into Hells Canyon you won't be disappointed.

+1 on the Hells Canyon jet boat. It's the deepest gorge in North America.

Lewiston sits in a hole, the convergence of 2 canyons. It's the lowest place in Idaho at around 750'. It's hot in the summer and can be foggy in the winter. There's a paper mill there that used to make the place unlivable but they've cleaned it up a LOT. The surrounding hills are mostly grass, but there's a lot of forest fairly close. It's a seaport, too, with barges coming up river from the coast to load grain, mostly.

In the winter, the airport can be iffy because of fog. It sits up on a bench above town in an area called the Orchards. Last winter, we landed there on our way to Moscow. The Moscow/Pullman airport was fogged in so we had to rent a car at Lewiston and drive the last 30 miles. We carpooled with several other passengers going that way.

I believe that ATK has been hiring right now. They make CCI rimfires, bullets, etc.

And be sure to visit the Jack O'Connor center there, just south of town on a little bluff on the east side of the river.

Here is a link: http://www.jack-oconnor.org/

Good suggestions on the river trip; good places to put in a Clarkston (just across the river from Lewiston).

I'd also suggest a driver down the canyon country south...it's a great trip and nice views, just somewhat slow going.

Your going to want to rent a car. Dworshack Dam near Orofino should be seen, Maybe they still do tours. Right below the Dam at Ahsahka is the largest Steelhead fish hatchery in the world, it's worth a stop. The Dam is well over 600' high IIRC. If you get chance, the Dent Bridge will surprise you, where and what it is.
The drive on up the Clearwater River is worth seeing. If you get as far as Kooskia, go on up HWY 12 along the middle fork of the Clearwater, toward Montana to at least Lowell, where the Lochsa and Selway rivers merge. That is a beautiful drive too.
I have taken the boat from Hells Canyon Dam to Lewiston and back, any of that by boat is worth the time and money.
Plenty of beautiful country and history to see close to Lewiston, although I don't think it is one of Idaho's prime vacation spots.
If I had work there, we would move to that area in a NY minute.
The mills don't smell near as bad as they did years ago. Kinda like over in Tacoma they have cleaned that part of paper making up a lot.

Some good suggestions here. I have done the Snake River trip twice, and would do it again. When I get rich and famous, I'll buy myself a jetboat so I can do it myself. I have also been to the Jack O'Connor museum, when I went to visit family up that way (in the sprawling metropolis of Pomeroy, WA, pop. just over 1500). As they said to me, "Good thing you come up this way so we can see the neat stuff in our town that we've never seen before". There's some good smallmouth bass and sturgeon fishing if the salmon/steelhead are not running.

Thanks all and keep 'em coming!
Jack's museum and the jet boat ride are definites!
Early summer (end of May/early June) or late summer (end of Aug/first of Sept) better?
The reason I picked Lewiston is the weather. Idaho has a lot of beautiful places, but I don't think this southern blood could handle the vast majority of it.

Early summer/late spring river flows will be high dirty from spring run off. They should be nice and clear in Aug.
Although I read Orofino has the highest mean temperature in the state, over all it won't be much different than SW Idaho. Average temperatures are less than 5 degrees difference between Lewiston and Boise, year round, IIRC.
You might have some hot days in Aug. but good chance you'll have a lot warmer evenings than in late May early June.

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