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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Wallace
Wallace, Idaho
Give Wallace one night, two if you ride the Hiawatha or hike Pulaski Tunnel: the whole downtown is a 10-minute walk and most sights close by 17:00.
Wallace is a silver-mining town of about 780 people in the Silver Valley, and the whole city is on the National Register of Historic Places. You come for one compact historic main street, two small museums, an underground mine tour and the 1910 Big Burn story. It works as a one-night stop on Interstate 90 between Coeur d'Alene and Missoula, or a two-night base for the Route of the Hiawatha bike trail and Lookout Pass.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Wallace, Idaho
- Best months
- Jun–Sep for trails and the mine tour; Feb for the downtown SkiJor
- Avoid
- Nov–Apr for the Hiawatha trail (seasonal closure); check snow on I-90 in winter
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $120–190 excl. bed · High $200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Diner breakfast | $10–18 |
| Pub burger or sandwich | $14–22 |
| Draught beer in a bar | $6–9 |
| Museum entry (mining museum, bordello tour) | $5–15 |
| Gallon of gas | $3.50–4.50 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- GEG · Spokane International
- About 1 h 30 min by car via I-90 east; the usual gateway
- MSO · Missoula Montana
- About 2 h 30 min by car via I-90 west
Typical fares
- Sierra Silver Mine Tour
- about $25 per person, check season dates
- Oasis Bordello Museum tour
- $5 per person, tours on the half hour in summer
- Route of the Hiawatha pass and shuttle
- about $35 per person, seasonal, check
Get around
Walk. The historic core is about 0.8 km end to end, and most businesses and museums sit within a block of Bank St or Sixth St. I-90 runs through town with Exit 61 at the west edge and Exit 62 at the east. A car is needed for the Hiawatha trail, Lookout Pass, Burke Road and the Pulaski Tunnel trailhead.Walk. The historic core is about 0.5 mi end to end, and most businesses and museums sit within a block of Bank St or Sixth St. I-90 runs through town with Exit 61 at the west edge and Exit 62 at the east. A car is needed for the Hiawatha trail, Lookout Pass, Burke Road and the Pulaski Tunnel trailhead.
See and do
Known for
- Silver mining history
- Historic downtown on the National Register
- Sierra Silver Mine Tour
- Route of the Hiawatha bike trail
- 1910 Big Burn and Pulaski Tunnel
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Kellogg | I-90 west, about 20 min by car | About 30 min |
| Coeur d'Alene | I-90 west, about 1 h by car | About 1 h 15 min |
| Route of the Hiawatha | I-90 east to Exit 0 at Lookout Pass, then the trailhead shuttle | About 30 min to the trailhead |
| Missoula, Montana | I-90 east, about 2 h 30 min by car | About 2 h 30 min |
Sleep
- Downtown Bank St and Sixth St
- Everything within a block: museums, bars, the Ryan Hotel. Best if you have no car.
- Exit 61 / Front St
- Wallace Inn and the RV park by the freeway; easy parking, 10–15 min walk to Bank St.
- Nine Mile Rd
- City Limits Brew Pub and Wallace RV Park; a short drive or 15-min walk from downtown.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the trailhead? | Where is the trailhead? |
| Is the pass open? | Is the pass open? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Burke Road has no cellphone service: bring a paper map or offline maps.
- The Route of the Hiawatha is seasonal and needs a shuttle or bike reservation: check dates before you plan around it.
- Mine tour and museum hours are limited and change by season: check ahead, especially outside summer.
- Winter I-90 over Lookout Pass can close or require chains: check Idaho road conditions before driving.
Wallace is a small, low-crime town and the downtown is safe to walk at night. The real risks are mountain weather, winter I-90 conditions over Lookout Pass, and no cell service on Burke Road and backcountry trails.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Wallace yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Silver mining history
- Historic downtown on the National Register
- Sierra Silver Mine Tour
- Route of the Hiawatha bike trail
- 1910 Big Burn and Pulaski Tunnel
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- City of Wallace: wallace.id.gov/
- Visit Idaho — Silver Valley: visitidaho.org/
- Idaho Transportation Department — road conditions: 511.idaho.gov/
- Route of the Hiawatha: www.ridethehiawatha.com/
- Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area: skilookout.com/
- Wikivoyage: Wallace (Idaho), revision 5315755 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5315755
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
WallaceWallace, Idaho
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
No consulates in Wallace; nearest consulates are in Seattle and Denver (check).
Small town: book beds and mine-tour slots ahead in summer and on festival weekends.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/wallace-idaho). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.