The Most Overrated and Underrated Places in Idaho and Surrounding States
The popular places as apposed to the best places. I bet you already have some in your mind. Think about these states and what you know about them. Take a guess before you scroll and see if you guess the most overrated places and attractions and the most underrated ones. Check out the most overrated and underrated places in Idaho, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and California.
Far and Wide gathered, analyzed and compared the opinions from a Rent Café study where they surveyed 2,500 people from all around the U.S. to get the local perspective on which spots are the most overrated (too pricey, too many crowds, too boring) and which attractions are the most underrated (gorgeous, interesting, affordable, crowd-free). Far and Wide compared those responses with traveler experiences and ratings on TripAdvisor. Then they narrow down the must-see attraction in every state and the ones that maybe aren't worth all the hype.
CALIFORNIA:
Most Overrated: Disneyland Park, Anaheim
Long lines and lots of money is what a lot of adults see when they think about Disneyland.
mysterioustraveler90: "Extremely expensive. Waited for hours in line. I think we managed to get on four rides the entire day. I would never go back."
California: Most Underrated: Legoland, Carlsbad
California has fantastic national parks, beaches and museums. To fairly compare something to Disneyland though, it is certainly worth noting this underrated and less expensive spot. Rides, a water park, incredible Lego creations and much more are waiting just a few hours from Disney.
Cory D: "Great place for kids AND adults! Legoland had much more than I expected. Plus there was the Sea Life aquarium and the water park. We had an amazing time with our son! Reasonable pricing."
OREGON:
Oregon: Most Overrated: Voodoo Doughnuts, Portland and Eugene
This place at some point became viral and suddenly the place to go. While it's certainly good, there are better options, with fewer people.
filbert78: "If you want to wait in line for overly sweet doughnuts with a bunch of hipsters who have not showered in days, then this is the place for you."
Oregon: Most Underrated: Crater Lake National Park
It truly is stunning. I have been in all seasons and it never gets old. Crater Lake is one of the worlds deepest lakes, almost 2000 feet deep! TripAdvisor reviewers speak as highly of this under-hyped national park as the people of Oregon do, with 97 percent of reviewers rating it as very good to excellent.
loveliveplay: "My wife Kate and I visited this magnificent wonder on our way through touring Oregon. The truth is I do not even have words to describe how it made me feel. Appreciation, wonder, overwhelmed with emotion. I felt like a child again as if seeing something for the first time."
Washington:
Washington: Most Overrated: Space Needle, Seattle
The folks in Washington may not think the Space Needle is a big deal, but not seeing the city icon seems like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower. Then again, if it's expensive and has long lines, we get it.
Lanab64: "We waited more than 80 minutes to ride up the elevator which takes less than one minute. Then after seeing the view, waited more than 30 minutes to go back down. View was good but not worth more than 2 hours of our time."
Washington: Most Underrated: The Gorge, George
Red Rocks in Colorado may be more famous, but Washington's outdoor amphitheater set into a hill touts fabulous views and is the perfect spot for music lovers. Its nickname says it all: Heaven's Amphitheatre.
Partera60: "I had fantasized about seeing a gig at this concert venue, and finally made it happen. The views are incredible. The sound and sight lines are perfect."
Montana:
Montana: Most Overrated: West Yellowstone
West Yellowstone is Montana's portion of the national park. It's beautiful but also sees a lot of visitors, about 4 million a year.
muleyfever: "Sad to say over the years the bison, elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, moose and antelope populations [seem] to be in a steep decline. The last 15 years seems to have done a lot to lessen the population of these beautiful animals."
Montana: Most Underrated: Glacier National Park
Considered "The Crown of the Continent" for its glacier-carved landscape. Waterfalls, river rafting, hiking and horseback trails with less people then Yellowstone.
weswwwz71: "A beautiful place and nice hike. We really enjoyed going to Grinnell Glacier. Lots of scenery and wildlife!"
Wyoming
Wyoming: Most Overrated: Yellowstone
Montana and Wyoming locals had this one in common, Yellowstone is simply not the best options to visit in the state.
Grfy86: "The amount of people and trying to find parking sucked any enjoyment out of the experience. I would suggest hiking to one of the lesser known geysers and doing your research on what time to arrive."
Wyoming: Most Underrated: Devils Tower
This spot is 99 recommended from Trip Advisor. There are pretty hiking trails around the base of the tower. You may also recognize it from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"
Sandyd264: "This trail is about 2 miles 4 km long. It is paved with some relatively steep parts at the beginning and end. It provides an excellent perspective of the Tower from all sides."
Nevada
Nevada: Most Overrated: The Strip, Las Vegas
The famous 4.2-mile stretch while a usual bucket-list item for non residents, but it is way overcrowded with tourists for locals to want anything to do with it. Even travelers many times are disappointed.
TeleOp: "Crazy. Came to see it and now we have; my wife and I will doubtless never return. Noisy, bright, smells of weed, dirty, unbearably hot in August even at night, rude people who think they are oh-so-important, expensive, young children out way too late seeing stuff they don’t need to .... why bring them to a place like this? Been here and do not want the T-shirt."
Nevada: Most Underrated: Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas
It is crazy to think this gorgous spot is just a 30 minute drive from the strip. Red Rocks Canyon is a national conservation with a beautiful one-way scenic loop trail.
Gaylemae: "The colors of rock and how it is worn will amaze you. The breeze will be a wonderful escape from the heat of the Strip. Also, the only sound is the birds! No smoke, no crowds, just beautiful nature."
Utah
Utah: Most Overrated: Temple Square, Salt Lake City
The architecture and landscape is beautiful yes but unless you are there for a specific reason or are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there are better visit points in the state.
HotelierJohn: "This is the heart of the Mormon faith, but a visit to the center of Salt Lake City is disappointing because it seems so uninviting. The tallest building in the city is the head office of the church. Business must be good."
Utah: Most Underrated: Arches National Park
Unique and awe inspiring, there are plenty of hiking trails, and a scenic road option too.
Says MichiganCrew: "This drive is one not to be missed. We did in the morning and early evening to beat the traffic. Unbelievable views, lots of great shopping points. Highly recommend that you do this drive a couple of times!"
Idaho
Idaho: Most Overrated: Sun Valley
Sun Valley is one of the most popular destinations in Idaho but is it really worth all the hype?
Natsy42: "We didn't stay here, but everyone said we simply 'had to see the resort.' Honestly, I don't see what the big deal is. If you like overpriced boutiques and food, go ahead and swing by. We wandered around for about an hour trying to figure out what all the hype was about. Maybe if you stay there, you'd like it more, but honestly, I don't know who could afford it."
Idaho: Most Underrated: Craters of the Moon, Arco
Old lava flow left behind a unique landscape that today comprises this National Monument. You'll feel like you're walking on the moon. Lave tubes provide for memorable cave-trail hiking, and the park is an International Dark Sky Park, meaning the stargazing is out of this world.
mvetock: "If you are in the area this is a must stop. You can take a scenic 7 mile drive through the park with stops along the way. The lava and scenery is unique yet beautiful. It's like being on another planet."
If you want to see more you can check out the full article as well as all 50 states most underrated and overrated attractions from Lissa Poirot with Far and Wide.
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