If you’re looking for an easy way to experience downtown Boise without overplanning or overexerting, Anne Morrison Park, the Boise Footbridge, and Julia Davis Park make one of the most relaxed walks in the city. This stretch along the river is flat, scenic, and genuinely enjoyable—perfect if you want to be outside, see a lot in a short amount of time, and still have energy left for food afterward. This Anne Morrison Park Boise Footbridge walk ended up being one of those low-effort, high-reward moments of our trip.
Anne Morrison Park sits on the south side of the Boise River and immediately feels calmer than you’d expect for something so close to downtown. It’s wide open, peaceful, and easy to wander without a plan. We walked casually, took in the river views, and appreciated how quiet it felt despite being right in the city. This is a great option if you want fresh air and movement without committing to a hike or anything remotely strenuous.
If you’re piecing together a short visit, this walk fits perfectly into a flexible itinerary—especially if you’re following something like my Boise in One Day plan and want an easy outdoor break between stops.
From Anne Morrison Park, crossing the Boise Footbridge is simple and seamless. The bridge connects the south side of the river directly to downtown and takes just a few minutes to cross. You get clear views of the Boise River below, and while it’s not a dramatic “destination” on its own, it’s a really nice part of the overall experience. Flat, quick, and naturally part of wandering around the city—exactly what you want from a downtown walk.
This section is especially nice if you enjoy slow travel moments. No rushing, no crowds to battle, just a pleasant stroll that keeps things moving without feeling like a checklist stop.
On the north side of the river, you land in Julia Davis Park, which immediately feels more structured and active. This park is home to several of Boise’s cultural institutions, including the Boise Art Museum and the Idaho State Museum, and it has more defined paths and activity around it. Compared to Anne Morrison’s open green space, Julia Davis feels more downtown-adjacent and energetic.
You don’t have to visit a museum to enjoy this part of the walk, but if you’re interested, it’s easy to pair the stroll with a short indoor stop. If you want to plan that ahead of time, you can book museum tickets or other nearby experiences through GetYourGuide, which makes it easy to add something structured without locking yourself into a full-day plan.
What really stood out to me is how seamlessly all three areas connect. Walking through Anne Morrison Park, crossing the Boise Footbridge, and ending up in Julia Davis Park honestly feels like one continuous riverside walk rather than three separate stops. You can take it slow, turn around whenever you want, or extend it by hopping onto the Greenbelt if you’re feeling ambitious.
This Anne Morrison Park Boise Footbridge walk is ideal for first-time visitors, casual walkers, or anyone who wants to experience Boise without feeling like they’re “doing too much.” It’s also easy to slot into a day of exploring downtown restaurants—after this walk, we were very ready for dinner, and places like Fork are close enough to plan around. If you’re curious where we ate afterward, see my full review of Fork Boise, which is one of those spots that’s good enough to justify a repeat visit.
Downtown Boise is very walkable, so if you’re staying nearby, you can easily do this entire route on foot. If you’re staying farther out or planning to explore beyond the city, renting a car makes everything easier overall—especially if you’re pairing Boise with hot springs or scenic drives. We found Discover Cars helpful for comparing options and picking something simple for the trip.
As for timing, this walk works well any time of day, but mornings and early evenings are especially nice if you want softer light and fewer people. It’s also an easy add-on before or after brunch, which is never a bad thing in Boise.
If being able to walk this route easily matters to you, staying downtown is the move. Hotels near Anne Morrison Park and Julia Davis Park put you close to the river, restaurants, and museums without needing a car for every little thing. You can find hotels near downtown Boise here, which makes it easy to compare locations and pricing.
If you want something specific and centrally located, the Inn at 500 Capitol is a solid downtown option with easy access to this walk and the surrounding area.
This Anne Morrison Park Boise Footbridge walk is one of those experiences that doesn’t try to impress—it just quietly works. It’s simple, scenic, and exactly the kind of low-pressure exploring that makes a city feel approachable. If you’re deciding where to base yourself to make walks like this easy, learn more in my post about Where to Stay in Boise, which breaks down the best areas for first-time visitors.
Sky Ranch Lodge, Sedona. Booked it for the location, stayed for the sunsets.
This is not a five-star resort with ten restaurants and a spa menu the length of a novel. It’s a family-owned boutique hotel on Airport Mesa that knows exactly what it’s good at: red rock views from basically everywhere and one of the best sunset spots in town, private, with maybe four other couples instead of a crowd.
We booked a Premier Rim Room and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Watched the sunset from our own patio one night and it’s still one of my favorite moments of the whole trip.
✨ Six acres of botanical gardens to wander morning and evening
✨ Pool + hot tub that hit exactly right after a day of hiking
✨ On-site food truck for easy breakfasts and lazy room service nights
✨ Complimentary shuttle so you’re not fighting Sedona parking
✨ Robes, slippers, and a staff that felt genuinely happy to help
Two stays in and I’d book it again without a second thought. This is where to stay in Sedona if you want it to actually feel like Sedona.
Thank you to @skyranchlodge for having us, link in bio for the full review 🌵
Four hours on a train through a canyon you can’t reach by car — such a fun experience! We picked the indoor seats with unlimited access to the open-air viewing car, which honestly felt like the only right call. You’re not stuck in an assigned seat the whole time we bounced between the two, snacks in hand, chasing the best light.
The scenery is the whole point. Red rock cliffs, the Verde River, a 734-foot tunnel, historic trestle bridges views most people visiting Sedona never see, because you literally can’t drive to them.
The charcuterie box that comes with your ticket is shockingly filling ✨ so skip lunch at the Copper Spike Café beforehand, save your appetite for dinner back in Sedona.
Four hours with no stops did start to feel long by the end, but the trade-off for scenery like this? Worth it.
Would I ride it again? Yes. Would I buy lunch first again? No.
Link in bio for the full review cost breakdown, what to pack, and exactly how early to arrive 🚂
I ate chilaquiles while a Cessna taxied past the window, and that’s just a normal Tuesday breakfast in Sedona.
@mesa_grill_sedona sits right beside the Sedona Airport Scenic Lookout, so along with your food you get red rock views stretching in every direction and a front-row seat to tiny planes lifting off. Chef Mercer Mohr runs the kitchen, serving up Southwestern comfort food from breakfast through dinner, chilaquiles, elevated diner classics, burgers, steaks, seafood, all of it.
The view is what pulls people in the door, but the food actually holds its own. Good enough that this place stays packed with locals, not just tourists passing through on their way to the lookout. It also picked up the 2025 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice and OpenTable Diners’ Choice awards, so it’s not just me saying it.
Indoor seating if you want the AC, a pet-friendly patio if your dog’s along for the trip. Either way, get there before plane-spotting turns into a wait for a table.
Link in bio for the full Sedona breakfast roundup ✈️🌵
Confession: my newsletter is where the good stuff lives. Not the polished, edited-for-the-grid stuff, the “here’s the hole-in-the-wall I almost skipped” stuff, the packing lists I actually use, the “don’t book this hotel” warnings before you waste your money on them.
The newsletter is basically me texting you before a trip instead of after one. Sign up and you’ll be the first to know where I’m headed next, plus a few things I’ll never post here.
Link in bio if you want in. ✈️
Yes, it’s only July. Start planning anyway. Fall books faster than people expect, and a few of these destinations are worth getting ahead of. Here are five places worth putting on your radar right now.
Ireland: Cooler temps, moody skies, dramatic coastline fall was made for it. Tourist crowds drop, the green stays, and the whole country feels a little more like itself.
Great Smoky Mountains, TN/NC: Fall foliage in the Smokies is the real thing. The color peaks mid-October and the views from the ridgelines are hard to argue with. It’s also one of the most visited national parks in the country, so going on a weekday makes a real difference.
New York City: Fall is NYC at its best comfortable temps, the energy of the city shifting into a new season, and every neighborhood doing something worth showing up for. It’s also just a great walking city when it’s not brutally hot.
Japan: Fall foliage season is as good as spring cherry blossoms and somehow less talked about. The colors are dramatic, the temples and gardens are stunning, and it’s worth planning around peak dates by region.
Mystic, Connecticut: Small, walkable, genuinely charming Mystic in fall feels like exactly what a New England autumn is supposed to look like. Easy to pair with a broader New England road trip if you want to extend it.
Full guides linked in bio 🍂
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