Day Trip to McCall

Well, after a week of Boise, we were looking forward to a little getaway when the weekend came around.

It was going to be 90 degrees on Saturday, and I had some cabin fever after spending way too much time at our hotel.  So I stole my mother's iPhone and did some online research.

I found out that there was a peaceful lake town called McCall, Idaho that apparently had some great ice cream. And if you know anything about me, I LOVE ice cream.

So I made my parents jump in the rental car around 10:30AM, and make our way up north. Based on Google Maps, it was about 105 miles but would take a little over 2 hours because a long stretch of the drive up is along curvy mountain roads where you should slow down and enjoy the view.


McCall, Idaho was originally a logging community that's since become a resort town set on the southern shore of Payette Lake. When it's not crowded snow season, it's a cute little town (population of just under 3,000 people). From what I heard, it was quite a beautiful lake with a backdrop of the snow-capped mountains. As you can tell from the photo, I was really looking forward to seeing it because I only wear this hat when it's a big deal.


Like our trip to Terrace in British Columbia a few weeks ago, this long drive was another opportunity to see some stunning views of Mother Nature at her finest. I couldn't see that much from my rear-facing car seat, so I just passed out for a nap in the back seat, but my father was kind enough to pull over every once in a while to take a few photos.

When we finally got to McCall, we pulled into town and parked along the Lake Street in the downtown district. Free parking for 2 hours? Works for us!

A fun thing we saw was when you crossed the main street. Next to the crosswalks, they had these bright neon orange hand flags that pedestrians could use as they crossed the street so that the cars driving by would see you. I'm not sure you needed to use them, but it was a nice novelty to see.

The town itself was very cute and something my grandparents would love to visit. We went in and out of all the little shops along Lake Street and got a few souvenirs for some of my new baby friends. As you would have guessed, there were a lot of moose and bear themed items for sale. Not sure if this Welcome Moose would fit in our NYC apartment, but I liked it.

And of course, you know our trip wouldn't have been complete without me finally getting my ice cream. For just $2.25, I got "1 scoop" which ended up being closer to 4-5 scoops. I didn't complain! 

By mid afternoon, it was starting to get pretty warm so we walked down to the lake where the breeze was stronger. My mother sat down in the grass while my father and I got some quality "Daddy-Daughter Time." 

Nice little Saturday.