Eastern Idaho Memorial Day weekend activities
Friday marks the beginning of Memorial Day weekend. With that comes a whole lot of traveling– AAA expects around 41.5 million people to be on the road this weekend. That’s about 2 million more than usual. AAA predicts that among all those people traveling this weekend, around 220,000 Idahoans will be hitting the roads. With all those people, how are those weekend plans looking?
“One of the wonderful things about public lands is there are a lot of camping opportunities and currently the campgrounds within Idaho Falls District BLM are all open,” said Sarah Wheeler, of the Bureau of Land Management.
So places like the Kelly Island River and St. Anthony sand dunes campsites are available. They are on a first come, first served basis. Which could be good for some campers this weekend.
“So if you haven’t been thinking of it until today, you’re not out of luck,” Wheeler said. “It is first come, first serve. If you show up first, hey you get the spot.”
But, it’s maybe a little difficult for others.
“We don’t have the opportunity to reserve sites,” Wheeler said. “You kind of have to be willing to show up and take a risk.”
If you are going camping this weekend, it might be a good time to do some fishing.
“We as a department stocked our local lakes and fisheries, so there’s a lot of fish out there to be had,” explained James Brower, Idaho Fish and Game.
This weekend also brings some fun free events for all.
“Saturday at Ryder Park, our fishing trailer will be there from nine o’clock to one o’clock, we have people staffing that,” Brower said. “If you go sign in, as long as the trailer is there, it is also a free fishing opportunity for anybody. Adult, youth alike.”
Idaho Fish and Game also plan on having another free fishing day on June 9.
With all the Memorial Day weekend fishing opportunities, Idaho Fish and Game warns everyone to keep safe. Especially with the high water levels.
“We’d really like people to pay attention,” Brower said. “If they have little kids on the bank, just don’t let them get too close. Make sure you’re watching them and keeping an eye out for them.”
Gas prices are also on the rise this Memorial Day weekend. AAA says that Idaho’s prices are higher than the national average, at $3.16 a gallon.
