Across southern Idaho, the I-84 freeway has effectively replaced the older highways, especially in the area southeast of Boise. The huge Mountain Home Air Force Base, 35 miles southeast of Boise, is the only thing for miles, which is no doubt by design: The base is a testing ground for the latest high-tech weapons systems and aircraft. One of the more contentious side effects of Mountain Home’s presence is that the powers-that-be have decreed that much of the surrounding wilderness, including the wild Owyhee Mountains and almost the entire southwest corner of the state, should be closed to the public and turned into a bombing range—so pilots can gain experience firing missiles and dropping live munitions.
Eighteen miles south of Mountain Home and the I-84 freeway via Hwy-51, Bruneau Dunes State Park (208/366-7919) protects the highest free-standing sand dune in North America—rising over 400 feet above the Snake River plain. Since the temperatures can hit 100° throughout the summer months, mornings or sunsets are the best times to exercise your legs by climbing up and careening back down the white sands.
