There's nothing to compare to riding a horse-drawn sleigh through the winter wonderland of Idaho's wilderness. It is like something out of a fairy tale, with the frosted branches of the tall pines, your breath blowing small clouds of steam in front of you, and the jingle jangle of bells in the air.

Winter is the time of short days, and McCall wants vacation visitors to be able to take the best advantage of every bit of daylight. You must try and make it to this town in southwestern Idaho the first week of February, when you will be able to celebrate winter the right way – with the Annual Winter Carnival. You can enjoy the special ice sculptures created just for this event, before taking off on your fun sleigh ride into the high meadows.

The close-up view of the Elk feeding is something to remember in times to come, as you will be one of the rare few that get to enjoy this unique adventure.

If you are planning your winter get-away and chose the beautiful snowy slopes of McCall, you will need to make your lodging reservations early, as they fill up fast, particularly around Winter Carnival time.