Between Boise And The Oregon Border Is A City Gateway To Canyons, Basalt Cliffs, Riverfront Hot Springs

About 40 minutes from the Oregon border and less than two hours from Boise, the underrated "city of trees," a charming gateway town leads to some of Idaho's most stunning and dramatic landscapes. Cambridge is a tiny city home to less than 350 permanent residents, but its location in west-central Idaho is big on natural beauties like Hells Canyon, the deepest gorge in the United States. There, you can tackle the Pacific Northwest's largest (and some of America's best) whitewater rapids or explore surreal granite and basalt cliffs by hiking, biking, or even horseback riding in this wild, remote area shaped by volcanic activity millions of years ago.

While Idaho may be known for its potatoes, perhaps it should be better known for its volcanoes. The state has the most hot springs in the U.S., some of which you can access easily from Cambridge. It's not just hot water that marks the area either. Cambridge is also on the lengthy Weiser River Trail, an 84-mile nature path that brings you up close and personal with some of the state's wildlife and riparian landscapes.

If you'd rather explore the area on a road trip, there's always the option of cruising the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway, which zigzags over the Snake River, which partially forms the border with Oregon. This route allows you to enjoy epic views of Hells Canyon and its dam from overlook points. Whether road-tripping or not, a car is a must in Cambridge, as the closest major airport is in Boise.

There are a few ways to access Hells Canyon from Cambridge. Whitewater rafting trips typically begin at the Hells Canyon Dam, just under two hours away, since this area has the largest rapids and deepest elevations. Jet boat trips may begin at Pittsburg Landing, another two hours from Cambridge. For those looking to hike in the Hells Canyon Wilderness, Copper Creek Campground is just over an hour away from town and is a great starting point thanks to its free, primitive campsites, restrooms, and access to the southern end of the wilderness. Other hiking spots, such as the Heaven's Gate and Windy Saddle trailheads, are over two hours north.

Whether tackling the river or staying on dry land, you'll be in a forbidding and remote wilderness that's hard to reach but worth the effort. Elk, deer, and bighorn sheep roam the mountains while eagles coast in the sky above a volcanic landscape that once formed the North American continent's western coast. That's right, landlocked Idaho was once on the west coast, until tectonic activity raised the floor of the Pacific Ocean and pushed a volcanic island chain into the continent whose ancient remnants are still visible in the Seven Devils Mountains in the Hells Canyon Wilderness.

No matter how you choose to visit Hells Canyon, you'll want to be prepared. For rafting trips, bathing suits are essential, as is quick-dry clothing, dry bags, sandals for rafting and hiking, and waterproof phone cases. If you're hiking, be sure to bring layers, plus quick-dry clothing, broken-in boots, and hiking poles.

Aside from being a gateway to Hells Canyon, Cambridge has its own specific draw. Just five minutes outside the city are the Mundo Hot Springs, where you can soak in a natural pool just steps off the Weiser River. Mundo Hot Springs offers lodging and camping options for both RVs and tents for those who want to relax on their Hells Canyon trip. Many of Idaho's hot springs are concentrated in and around the batholith, a massive igneous rock formation created when magma in the earth's crust rises to the surface and cools without erupting (the word itself comes from the Greek "bathos," meaning "depth," and "lithos," meaning "stone").

Idaho's batholith covers 13,500 square miles of the center of the state. While Cambridge is outside of its borders, it's close enough to reap some hot spring benefits. Of the 200 or so total around the state, over 120 of Idaho's hot springs are soakable. It may not be able to make the same claim as Wyoming, which has more hot springs than towns (there are currently 197 incorporated cities in Idaho), but one isn't exactly at a loss for choice here in the state with the most hot springs of all.

Cambridge's other water-based attraction is the Weiser River Trail, which passes through the city on its extended journey from Weiser to Rubicon. The former railroad tracks of the Pacific and Idaho Northern line were transformed into this nature trail, where visitors can stroll an unpaved path along the Weiser River and enjoy its wildlife, like deer, bears, and turkeys.