Payette River Scenic Route Road Trip

75.3 miles: 1 hours, 34 minutes

During this 90-minute drive from Banks to New Meadows, you'll see plenty of ponderosa pines in Boise and Payette National Forests. Enjoy recreation like water skiing on Lake Payette's North Beach. The fertile green hills of the Palouse farm country at the other end of the route provide an alternate experience.

75.3 miles: 1 hours, 34 minutes

The Payette River follows the two-lane road to the west—or maybe it's the road that hugs the river—as you begin climbing north before dipping again into the farmland near Lake Cascade in the shadow of the forested mountains. The waters that find their way to the bottom of the route are filtered through Payette and Boise National Forests.