Much of Idaho’s landscape is dominated by the majestic Rocky Mountains, which means plenty of great snow and slopes for ski enthusiasts. Even if you can’t make it out to the region’s most storied slice of winter wonderland, the iconic Sun Valley Resort (150 miles away from the capital city and a popular spot for weekend getaways), there’s plenty of fantastic skiing to be had nearer to Boise itself.

With over 50 runs for downhill and 23 miles of groomed Nordic trails for cross-county, Bogus Basin Resort affords great views of the city of Boise below and challenging slopes for both expert and novice skiers, snowboarders and snow-tubers. And at only 16.5 miles north of the city along Bogus Basin Road—a twisting, turning two-lane road through the sagebrush foothills and snowy mountain forest—a trip to the resort can easily be done as either a daytrip or an overnight excursion.

As for other sports, Boise is the home of a number of minor league professional teams, the class-A Boise Hawks (affiliated with Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs), the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL (now a nation-wide minor hockey league) and the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League.