Idaho map

Where Idaho is

Idaho is in the Pacific Northwest interior, between the Cascades and the Rockies. It runs about 480 miles from the Canadian border to Nevada and widens from 45 miles across in the Panhandle to about 310 miles along the southern line. Canada (British Columbia) is to the north, Montana to the northeast and east, Wyoming to the east, Utah and Nevada to the south, and Oregon and Washington to the west. Boise lies in the southwest on the Snake River plain, where most Idahoans live; the centre of the state is roadless mountain wilderness, and the Panhandle reaches north past Coeur d'Alene to the Canadian line.

Major cities

Geography

• Borah Peak — 12,662 feet, the highest point, in the Lost River Range of the Rockies in east-central Idaho.
• Snake River — crosses the whole south of the state in a wide arc, then turns north to form the Oregon border through Hells Canyon, at about 7,900 feet the deepest river gorge in North America. See the Snake River map.
• Salmon River — the "River of No Return", 425 miles entirely within Idaho, draining the central wilderness to the Snake.
• Lake Pend Oreille and Lake Coeur d'Alene — the largest lakes, both in the Panhandle; Pend Oreille is about 1,150 feet deep. See US lakes.
• Sawtooth Range — jagged granite peaks around Stanley in central Idaho; Craters of the Moon, a lava field on the Snake River plain, lies to the south-east.
• Lowest point — 710 feet where the Snake leaves the state at Lewiston, the farthest inland seaport on the Pacific coast.
• Time zones — southern Idaho, including Boise, is on Mountain time; the Panhandle north of the Salmon River is on Pacific time.

Borders

Idaho's borders mix natural features and surveys. The Montana border follows the crest of the Bitterroot Range and the Continental Divide from Yellowstone north-west to Lookout Pass, then jumps to a straight meridian north to Canada — the line that gives the Panhandle its narrow shape. The Wyoming border is a meridian, the Utah and Nevada border is the 42nd parallel, and the Canadian border is the 49th. On the west, the Snake River divides Idaho from Oregon for about 200 miles; north of Lewiston the Washington border is a surveyed meridian.

Regions of Idaho

The Panhandle (Coeur d'Alene, Sandpoint, Moscow), North Central Idaho (Lewiston, the Clearwater country), Southwest Idaho or the Treasure Valley (Boise, Meridian, Nampa), the Magic Valley (Twin Falls), Eastern Idaho (Idaho Falls, Pocatello, the Teton valley) and Central Idaho (the Sawtooths, Sun Valley, the Salmon River wilderness).

Related maps

• Idaho county map — all 44 counties with seats.
• Blank Idaho map — outline for printing.
• Printable Idaho map.
• Boise — the capital since 1865, on the Boise River.
• Neighbors: Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, Washington.
• Region: West · Mountain · Pacific Northwest · Rocky Mountains.
• Time zones: Mountain and Pacific (Panhandle).
• Geography: Snake River, Rocky Mountains, Continental Divide, Yellowstone.