When you think of Idaho and all you see is a sack of potatoes, it’s time to put that sack aside. Imagine instead a treasure chest full of sapphires, rubies, diamonds, and pure gold. Yes, Idaho is abundant in potatoes (though its dairy and wheat exports are actually larger). But it’s also so rich in precious and semiprecious stones that it has been dubbed “The Gem State.”

Finding all those jewels means mines and mining towns cover Idaho. Some are still active; some were shuttered long ago. In just a short drive outside of the capital city, Boise, you can walk the streets of mining towns once swarming with prospectors, and swindlers seeking their fortune out West.

But if the best things in life are free, Idaho’s got you covered there too. Her epic lakes, waterfalls, and geothermal wonderland of hot springs that dot the mountains will cost you nothing (or, at most, the price of park admission).

The quilts and quilters of Idaho are teeming with spirit and love of the natural world around them. Idaho has more “gems” to offer: its people and their stories.

Welcome to Idaho — a treasure of a state.

164 pages, offset printed and perfect bound, full color on uncoated paper. Printed in the USA.