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100 free Idaho trivia questions with answers — geography quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
50 free Idaho trivia questions with answers. Welcome to the ultimate Idaho trivia quiz! Whether you're a proud Idahoan or just curious about the Gem State, this comprehensive 100-question quiz will test your knowledge of Idaho's rich history, stunning geography, famous landmarks, and unique culture. From Boise to Sun Valley, from potatoes to outdoor recreation, see how much you really know about this fascinating state.
30 of 100 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What is the official state flower of Idaho?
Syringa
Syringa (Philadelphus lewisii), also called mock orange, became Idaho's state flower in 1931; its Latin name honours Meriwether Lewis, who collected it on the expedition's 1806 return trip.
Q 02Which bird is recognized as Idaho's official state bird?
Mountain Bluebird
The Mountain Bluebird became Idaho's state bird in 1931; Nevada adopted the same species in 1967. The migrants arrive in late February or March and leave by October.
Q 03What is the official state tree of Idaho?
Western White Pine
The Western White Pine (Pinus monticola) was adopted as Idaho's state tree in 1935; the species was devastated in the 20th century by white pine blister rust, an introduced fungus.
Q 04Idaho is known by what nickname, reflecting its geological riches?
The Gem State
Idaho produces 72 varieties of precious and semi-precious stones, which earned it The Gem State; the unofficial rival nickname is, inevitably, the Potato State.
Q 05What is the capital and most populous city in Idaho?
Boise
Boise is the capital and largest city in Idaho, located in the southwestern part of the state along the Boise River. It developed near Fort Boise along the Oregon Trail.
Q 06In what year did Idaho become the 43rd state?
1890
Statehood came on 3 July 1890, a year after neighbouring Washington. Along the way a federal attempt was made to split the territory between Washington and Nevada.
Q 07How many other U.S. states share a border with Idaho?
Six
Six: Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, plus a short international border with British Columbia.
Q 08What is the highest point in Idaho?
Borah Peak
Borah Peak, standing at 12,662 feet (3,859 meters) in the Lost River Range, is the highest point in Idaho.
Q 09The Snake River, Idaho's most important waterway, is a major tributary of which river?
Columbia
The Snake rises in Yellowstone, crosses southern Idaho and joins the Columbia near the Tri-Cities of Washington; dams and locks let barges run from Lewiston, Idaho, to Portland.
Q 10Which gemstone is Idaho's official state gem?
Star Garnet
The Star Garnet was designated Idaho's state gem in 1967; needle-like rutile inclusions produce its four- or six-rayed star, and gem-quality stones are mined in quantity only in Idaho and India.
Q 11What is the vast protected wilderness area in central Idaho called?
Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness
The Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area, at 2.3 million acres, is one of the largest contiguous areas of protected wilderness in the continental United States.
Q 12Which Idaho lake straddles the state's border with Utah?
Bear Lake
Bear Lake straddles the Idaho-Utah line; suspended limestone particles give it a turquoise colour that earned the nickname 'Caribbean of the Rockies'.
Q 13The state of Idaho spans across how many time zones?
Two
Q 21What is North America's deepest river gorge, partly along Idaho's western border?
Hells Canyon
Hells Canyon, carved by the Snake River along the Idaho-Oregon line, drops 7,993 feet from He Devil peak to the river, making it deeper than the Grand Canyon.
Q 22Idaho's first state governor, George L. Shoup, resigned after a few weeks in 1890 to do what?
Take a seat in the U.S. Senate
George L. Shoup, also Idaho's last territorial governor, resigned in December 1890 to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he served until 1901.
Q 23Which U.S. President signed the act admitting Idaho into the Union?
Benjamin Harrison
Idaho keeps two time zones: areas north of the Salmon River, including Coeur d'Alene and Moscow, use Pacific time, while the south, with Boise, Idaho Falls and Pocatello, uses Mountain time.
Q 14What major agricultural product is Idaho most famously associated with?
Potatoes
Idaho is widely known for its potato production, although agriculture in the state is diverse and includes a variety of crops and livestock.
Q 15Who designed the official state seal of Idaho, making it the only state seal created by a woman?
Emma Edwards Green
Emma Edwards Green won the 1891 contest to design the Great Seal of the State of Idaho; hers is the only U.S. state seal designed by a woman.
Q 16Which Idaho resort installed the world's first chairlift in 1936?
Sun Valley Resort
Sun Valley Resort's single-seat chairlifts were designed at Union Pacific's Omaha headquarters that summer and installed on Proctor and Dollar mountains that autumn.
Q 17What is Idaho's official state fruit?
Huckleberry
The huckleberry became Idaho's state fruit in 2000 after schoolchildren proposed it; the wild plants can take 15 years to mature, grow only at certain elevations and usually die when transplanted.
Q 18What is Idaho's official state raptor?
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon became Idaho's state raptor in 2004 and appears on the 2007 Idaho state quarter; Boise hosts the World Center for Birds of Prey, headquarters of The Peregrine Fund.
Q 19Which fish is designated as Idaho's official state fish?
Cutthroat Trout
The Cutthroat Trout was designated Idaho's state fish in 1990; named for the red slash under its jaw, it is native to Idaho waters such as the Snake and Clearwater drainages.
Q 20Which body of water in northern Idaho is the largest and deepest lake in the state?
Pend Oreille
Lake Pend Oreille reaches about 1,150 feet deep, the fifth-deepest lake in the United States; during World War II its south end hosted Farragut Naval Training Station, the second-largest in the world.
Benjamin Harrison signed the Idaho statehood act on 3 July 1890; the new state counted just 88,548 residents in that year's census.
Q 24Roughly what was Idaho's population according to 2024 Census Bureau estimates?
2 million
The Census Bureau estimated Idaho's population at just over 2 million in 2024; growth of 17.3% between 2010 and 2020 was the second fastest of any state that decade, behind Utah.
Q 25What did lobbyist George M. Willing later claim about 'Idaho', sold to Congress as Shoshone for 'gem of the mountains'?
He had invented it himself
Willing later admitted he had invented the name himself. Congress balked in 1861 and called that territory Colorado, but a Columbia River steamboat and Idaho Springs already bore the name, and it went to Idaho Territory in 1863.
Q 26Which city overtook Pocatello and Idaho Falls in the late 1990s as Idaho's second-largest?
Nampa
Nampa grew from under 29,000 people in 1990 to almost 52,000 in 2000, edging past Pocatello and Idaho Falls; neighbouring Meridian grew faster still and overtook Nampa in the 2010s.
Q 27Which central Idaho mountain range towers over Redfish Lake and the town of Stanley?
Sawtooth Range
The Sawtooth Range rises directly above Redfish Lake and Stanley; its jagged granite peaks anchor the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, created by Congress in 1972.
Q 28What was the primary attraction that led to large-scale settlement in Idaho after 1860?
Gold discoveries
The first strike came at Pierce in 1860, and by 1862 mining camps had sprung up in both north and south. From 1860 to 1866 the territory produced 19% of all the gold mined in the United States.
Q 29The state of Idaho has approximately how many miles of rivers and streams?
About 93,000
The state also has more than 2,000 lakes, 1,228 of them named, according to the Department of Water Resources.
Q 30Which 1846 agreement with Britain made the future Idaho part of the United States?
Oregon Treaty
The 1846 Oregon Treaty set the boundary with British North America at the 49th parallel, ending joint occupation of the Oregon Country; Idaho Territory was organized from that land in 1863.