These 17 Aerial Views of Idaho Will Leave You Mesmerized

Back in the 1800s when Lewis and Clark were trekking their way through the Rockies on their way to the Pacific Ocean, they stumbled across a treacherous and awe-inspiring landscape like no other -- a striking combination of rushing rivers, humbling mountains, fear-inducing gorges, suffocating deserts, and millions of trees which we now know as Idaho.

As any adventure-seeker or outdoors enthusiast will tell you, the Gem State's landscape is beautiful enough when seen at eye-level, but these aerial photos from all across Idaho show just how breathtaking a bird's-eye view of our great state can be. Ol' Meriwether and William never saw the panhandled state quite like this...

1. Snake River Canyon

2. Sun Valley

There's no doubt that Idaho's foothills and mountains are breathtaking, but this shot of the valley as the clouds roll in is beyond words.

3. Middle Butte

One of Idaho's hundreds of natural wonders rising up out of the desert. Wow.

4. Redfish Lake

You've never seen this sparkling blue lake - aptly named for its historic abundance of fish - quite like this before.

5. Mt.Baldy Forest Fire Aftermath

6. Silver Creek Preserve

Immaculate waters weave in and out of the high Southern Idaho desert.

7. (Old) American Falls

American Falls was the first town in the U.S. to be entirely relocated; the old townsite now sits at the bottom of the reservoir, northwest of the present city. The Oneida Milling and Elevator Company’s grain elevator was the only structure not moved in 1925, standing as a fortified reminder of the city's history.

8. Lake Payette in McCall

9. Canyon County

This stunning shot of freshly cut fields adjacent to a solar farm outside of Nampa looks too picturesque to be real.

10. Sandpoint

Nestled between the mountains of Northern Idaho and Lake Pend Orielle, and just south of the Canadian border, Sandpoint is a quaint community enveloped in unrivaled natural beauty. Lake Pend Oreille is the 5th deepest lake in the country.

11. Snake River

12. Weiser

The quaint town of Weiser, ID doesn't look quite as small when seen from the air -- but boy, those patchwork farmfields are lovely!

13. Lake Pend Oreille

Is there anything more magical than these crystal clear waters in Northern Idaho? Pend Oreille is also sometimes used for Naval testing, as its depth is enough to mimic the sound properties of the open ocean.

14. Perrine Bridge, Twin Falls

The infamous Snake River Gorge is not only the site of Evel Kneivel's failed jump in 1974, it's also home to one of Idaho's most photographed arched bridges.

15. Snake River Birds of Prey Conservation Area

16. Bear Lake

17. Downtown Boise at Night

A picture is worth a thousand words, and with all of its natural splendor, Idaho is quite the novel! Of course, these are just an assortment of submissions that we've gotten, so stay tuned for Part II as we seek out the best of the best.

Have you ever taken any awesome perspective photos like these? What did you have to do capture the shot? Share in the comments!