Southeastern

Southeastern Idaho covers the high agricultural-and-mountain country in the southeast corner of the state, the country running from the Pocatello area east to the Wyoming line and south to the Utah border. The terrain stacks from the Snake River Plain at about 4,500 feet up into the Caribou and Bear River ranges. Bear Lake — the half-Utah, half-Idaho turquoise alpine lake at 5,900 feet — anchors the southern edge. Bannock, Bingham, Caribou, Bear Lake, Franklin, and Power counties cover most of the region. Pocatello is the largest city and the regional hub, home to Idaho State University. Other anchors include Blackfoot (with the Idaho Potato Museum), Lava Hot Springs (a geothermal resort town in a narrow river canyon), Soda Springs, Montpelier, and Preston. Bear Lake State Park, Massacre Rocks State Park, and the Caribou-Targhee National Forest cover most of the public lands. Most trips here split outdoor and historical. Lava Hot Springs handles the geothermal soaking traffic year-round; Bear Lake pulls summer beach-and-water visitors; Soda Springs runs the only captive geyser in the country; the Oregon Trail Center at Montpelier and the Bear River Massacre site fill the southern stretch.