5 Amazing Natural Phenomena Hiding In Plain Sight In Idaho — No Hiking Required

Idaho is home to some of the country's most spectacular natural scenery, magnificent natural oases, and sublime wilderness areas. However, many of those natural wonders are tucked away in secluded corners of the state that require explorers to embark on a hike. The good news? Idaho's landscape has more than just epic geologic formations and beautiful panoramic views! In our forever-stunning Idahome you can discover some majorly intriguing natural wonders and witness unique natural phenomena that require little to no hiking at all. They're not what you expect, but we think you'll love them!

1. Alpenglow

While this gorgeous natural phenomenon isn't limited to just Idaho, when our state's brilliant sunshine meets our stunning mountain ranges (all 80 of them!), magic happens. A reddish pre-dawn or pre-sunset light that wraps mountain peaks in an extraordinary glow, thought to be the sun reflecting off of the mountain's edges while they're still in the earth's shadow. Both Sun Valley and McCall are well known for their distant glows, but the Sawtooths - as always - are remarkable in their own light.

2. Snow Rollers

Just the right combination of wind and snow can create these adorably mobile tubes. While not a "natural wonder" as we traditionally think of the term, Idaho is a hotbed for these little wonders due to our open landscape and rolling hills... no pun intended. Keep your eyes peeled for snow moving on its own on your next winter drive!

3. Ice Caves

While all of Idaho's caves are chillier than the temperature aboveground, our ice caves are a wonder of their own. These frigid caverns are often natural lava tubes, which trap pockets of cold air permanently beneath the surface. Depending on the cave, icicles, iced-over streams, and ice-covered walls are what you'll find. Check out the Niter Ice Cave, Paris Ice Cave, and Shoshone Ice Cave just to start!

4. Geysers

Eastern Idaho's unique man-made Soda Springs geyser may not be natural the way you typically think about it, but the geologic power, concentrated gases, and heavy minerals that propel the water is all "Idaho." You can watch this fascinating Yellowstone ecosystem wonder from Geyser Park, where plenty of benches and trees surround the fountain.

5. Terraforming

Of all of Idaho's unique natural phenomena, this one is quite possibly the most fascinating to witness in person. While "terraforming" actually refers to reshaping another planet to be more earth-like, when it comes to Idaho's landscape, this is an otherworldly natural wonder worth mentioning. As Idaho's lakes freeze, the heat and currents below the surface are pushing upwards and outwards. The result? Layered plates of ice that move, shift, rotate, and seem to crawl up the sandy beaches. It's a little eerie - the sound is almost haunting - and if you look closely, you might just see large chunks of ice shoot across the solidly-frozen portions of the water as though thrown by an underwater entity.

Do you have any other natural wonders or phenomena to add to this list? Let us know!