BOISE (KTVB) -- Idaho and its rugged wilderness is highlighted in a recent CNN article of places off the beaten path for those looking for an adventure.

In addition to the Gem State, the CNN 10: Dare to Go list includes such places as Mongolia, Malawi, the Arctic Circle, and even space. Idaho was the only destination in the article that is located in the United States.

The article acknowledges that most people outside the state know little of Idaho, aside from its famous potatoes. It gives readers a general overview of some of Idaho's unique features, including Shoshone Falls (the Niagara Falls of the West), Hells Canyon (deepest river gorge in North America), and the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness (second-largest wilderness area in the lower 48).

Noted is Idaho's history of "stubborn individualism" and some colorful characters forever associated with the state, including Ernest Hemingway, Evel Knievel, and even Napoleon Dynamite.

Then the article gets to the heart of why adventurers should consider Idaho for their next trip -- the "pristine beauty of its mountainous midsection and forested panhandle."

Visitors are encouraged to start their trip in Boise before making their way to Stanley and the Sawtooth Mountain Range.

"Or for a real adventure," the article reads, "pack a tent and head deeper into the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area, a vast swath of rugged forest that’s home to bears, moose, mountain lions and wolverines."

Here's a look at the CNN 10: Dare to Go:

  1. Bolivia
  2. Malawi
  3. Mongolia
  4. Idaho
  5. Romania
  6. Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
  7. Arctic Circle
  8. Bhutan
  9. Northland New Zealand
  10. Space

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