The Idaho Trip We Never Took: How Weather Changed Our Entire Road Trip

Typically, when we travel, our plans are loose. We know the big destination, but the route and itinerary evolve as we go. We gather information on the road and make decisions based on what we see and hear.

This Idaho trip was different.

I spent hours planning the route. I researched hikes, historical sites, and even located pickleball courts along the way. I built a custom Google Map of the entire loop and downloaded it for offline use.

Then I did something I rarely do.

I prepaid and reserved campgrounds.

The plan was to spend three weeks exploring Idaho. Our loop included City of Rocks, Shoshone Falls, Twin Falls, Ketchum, Stanley, Challis, Craters of the Moon, American Falls, and Massacre Rocks State Park. Along the way, we planned to fill in the gaps with whatever local discoveries we stumbled across.

Before we ever made it to Idaho, the trip started going sideways.

Late one afternoon, we were traveling west on Interstate 80 near Laramie, Wyoming. I still had plenty of energy and planned to keep driving. A few miles ahead, however, highway officials had closed the interstate to RV traffic because of high winds.

Cars could continue.

Semi-trucks could continue.

Our RV could not.

Apparently, a tall RV is much more likely to get pushed around by strong crosswinds than a fully loaded semi.

Instead of making progress toward Idaho, we spent the night in a truck stop.

Back on the Road

The next morning, we were back on the road before sunrise. The wind warning had expired, the highway was open, and we were making good time. We had reservations waiting for us that evening and expected to arrive early.

Around 7:00 AM, Gail was looking at the weather forecast on her laptop.

“You know they’re calling for snow where we’re headed, right?”

I wasn’t interested in hearing that.

The forecast showed snow arriving at our first Idaho stop within a couple of days. If we continued west, we would likely spend part of our trip dealing with cold temperatures and precipitation.

Then Gail pointed out something else.

“If we reroute deeper into Wyoming now, the Wind River Range doesn’t have snow in the forecast for five days.”

I immediately rejected the idea.

I had spent hours planning this trip.

I had built the map.

I had researched the hikes.

I had reserved the campgrounds.

We were going to Idaho.

Gail listened patiently and then asked a simple question.

“Did you plan for snow?”

Our Abandoned Idaho Road Trip Decision

That question was harder to answer than I wanted it to be. It turns out that weather doesn’t care how many hours you’ve spent building a Google Map.

I pulled over so we could look at the map and talk through the options. For the next thirty minutes, we debated whether to stay with the plan or follow the weather.

The discussion never became heated, but I was definitely more emotional than logical.

Eventually, I realized Gail was right.

The whole reason we travel this way is to enjoy the experience. Driving toward bad weather simply because I had invested time planning the trip didn’t make much sense.

So, we turned towards sunshine.

The Idaho trip was officially canceled.

At least for now.

Our First Reward for Changing Plans

Once we made the decision to stay in Wyoming, our first stop was Split Rock Historic Site. It was a place neither of us knew much about before the trip, but it ended up being a fun way to stretch our legs and officially begin our unexpected Wyoming adventure.

From there, we made our way to Sinks Canyon State Park near Lander.

As luck would have it, the campground had only recently opened for the season. The water system wasn’t operational yet, but campers were still allowed to stay overnight. Better yet, they weren’t charging anyone.

After canceling campground reservations in Idaho, finding a free campsite along a river felt like a small victory.

We settled into a beautiful site with the sound of the river in the background and very few neighbors around us. In fact, the nearest occupied campsite was several sites away. After spending the morning debating whether we should abandon our carefully planned itinerary, it felt like confirmation that we had made the right decision.

The next day we explored the area, including a hike to Popo Agie Falls, one of the surprises of the trip. Had we stayed committed to our original route, we never would have seen it.

At that point, I started to relax.

The stress of changing plans was fading and the advantages of our new direction were becoming obvious.

More Snow?

A few days earlier we had abandoned Idaho because of snow in the forecast. Now the same thing was beginning to happen in Wyoming.

From Sinks Canyon, started to travel north toward Dubois and possibly Jackson. But when we looked at the forecast there, the temperatures were dropping and snow was once again showing up in places we wanted to go.

Rather than wait around and hope the forecast was wrong, we pulled out the map again and started looking for alternatives.

Again.

At this point, the trip had become less about following a route and more about following the weather.

After some research, northern Utah looked promising.

So for the second time in a week, we changed directions.

Northern Utah Wasn’t Supposed to Be Part of the Plan

At this point, every major decision seemed to require a weather forecast. Our goal was simple: drive away from freezing temperatures and snow and toward sunshine. The Idaho trip had already become a Wyoming trip, and now Wyoming was threatening to become something we didn’t want.

So, we pointed Alice south.

One of the things I love about traveling this way is that changing plans doesn’t require much effort. There were no flights to change, no hotel reservations to cancel, and no complicated logistics to sort out. We simply opened the map, looked at the forecast, and picked a new direction.

What started as a weather detour quickly turned into the best parts of our haphazard trip.

After a stop at Bear Lake, we made our way into Logan Canyon. Before this trip, I knew very little about the area. Looking back, that may have been one of the reasons it impressed us so much.

The canyon was beautiful. The temperatures were comfortable, the scenery was outstanding, and the hiking exceeded our expectations. We ended up hiking both Wind Cave Trail and Crimson Trail back-to-back, and they were easily among our favorite hikes of our random adventure.

But the day wasn’t over.

The map led us to Antelope Island for an overnight stay, where we experienced the Great Salt Lake for the first time.

By this point, we weren’t talking about Idaho or Wyoming anymore.

Now, we were fully committed to Utah and not looking back.

Spruces Campground

The next challenge came when we decided we wanted to stay at Spruces Campground in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

If you’ve spent much time around Salt Lake City hikers and campers, you’ve probably heard of Spruces. It has a reputation as one of the most desirable campgrounds in the area.

We heard about it from a salesperson at REI. Basically, we left the store after shopping for gear and drove straight to it.

Unfortunately, when we first arrived, it wasn’t open.

Workers were busy preparing the campground for the season and informed us it would officially open in two days.

Most people would have moved on.

Instead, we adjusted the plan again. This time we navigated Guardsman’s Pass to Heber.

We spent the next couple of days playing pickleball and exploring that area while keeping an eye on the calendar. Then we did something that still makes me laugh.

Determined to stay at Spruces, we set our alarm for 3:00 AM. We figured there was so much demand for this campground, arriving at the gate three hours before the spring opening was a smart move.

Our goal was simple.

Be first in line.

We arrived at Spruces around 4:00 AM. We expected to be third or fourth in line. Instead, we were first. Apparently, most campers are smarter than we are.

There wasn’t a single vehicle there.

We had three hours to kill before the campground opened and sleeping was our best option.

Luckily, we had a bed in the back.

The Early Morning Welcome

As it turned out, being first had an unexpected benefit.

While we sat there waiting for sunrise, a moose casually walked past the van.

Not a bad way to start the day.

When the campground finally opened, we had our pick of every available campsite. After all the route changes, weather forecasts, and abandoned plans, it felt like another reminder that sometimes the best experiences happen when you’re willing to adapt.

Every Trip Has an Ending

Two days later, from Spruces, we continued east toward Flaming Gorge. By then we had completely stopped thinking about the Idaho trip we never took and were focused on enjoying the trip we were actually having.

We spent time exploring Flaming Gorge, hiking along the rim, and taking in views of the reservoir. From there, we continued to Dinosaur National Monument.

I was ready to spend more time exploring the area.

Gail was less convinced.

After a couple of hours, I could tell her enthusiasm level wasn’t quite matching mine. One of the benefits of traveling together for years is that you learn when it’s time to move on.

So we did.

The Decision to Go Home

We pointed Alice east, found a place to play one last morning round of pickleball, spent a final night on the road, and started making our way home.

Somewhere during that drive, it occurred to me that we had spent weeks planning a trip that never happened.

Yet somehow, it didn’t feel like we had missed anything.

The memories we brought home weren’t from the places we planned to visit.

They came from the places we discovered on a whim.

Lessons Learned

When we left home, I thought this trip was about Idaho.

I spent hours planning the route, researching hikes, building maps, and reserving campgrounds. Then, five hours from our first stop, we changed directions.

Looking back, that decision shaped the course of our trip. It also, layered on memories we share in our van Alice.

The best campsite we stayed in wasn’t planned. Some of our favorite hikes weren’t planned. Logan Canyon wasn’t planned. Flaming Gorge wasn’t planned. Even the moose that walked past our van at 4:00 in the morning wasn’t planned.

Our abandoned Idaho road trip is now on the shelf waiting for another day. We didn’t lose that trip. We simply traded it for a different adventure.

In the end, traveling in a van is about freedom.

And sometimes, the best thing you can do is point it in a different direction then you planned.

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Have you ever changed travel plans at the last minute because of weather, road conditions, or something unexpected? Did it work out better than the original plan?

Share your story in the comments below. We’d love to hear where the road took you.