280 Forest Service, 39 BLM, 7 Army Corps and 3 National Park Service. 220 can be booked ahead
Building a van for Idaho
A van sees a great deal of Idaho, because the paved byways are the spine of the state. The Sawtooth Scenic Byway runs 116 miles over Galena Summit at 8,701 feet, the Ponderosa Pine covers 131 miles over Banner Summit at 7,056, and the Salmon River byway links them with 162 miles of pavement.
The limits come when you leave them. The Forest Service does not recommend driving RVs or motor homes on many stretches of the Lolo Motorway, and says the same of large recreational vehicles on the Elk City Wagon Road. Build for cold too: at a mean elevation near 5,000 feet, with mountain snowfall over 100 inches, the heater and the plumbing decide how long the season is.
A conversion is a small house on a moving, flexing, weight-limited platform. The builder insulates and lines the shell, installs the electrical system, plumbing, heat and ventilation, builds the bed, galley and storage, and cuts the holes for windows, fans and vents that you do not want to get wrong.
Some shops build complete vans to a set floor plan. Others build to order, and a few will take on partial work such as electrical only.
A typical conversion includes
01Insulation, wall and ceiling panels, and flooring
02House battery, alternator charging, solar, inverter and shore power
03Roof fan, heater, and sometimes air conditioning
04Fresh and gray water, a sink, and sometimes a shower and water heater
05Bed, galley, seating and storage
06Windows, racks, ladders, awnings and exterior lighting
How to choose a van builder
Floor plans are easy to fall for. The questions underneath them matter more.
01Decide between a shop's standard layout and a custom build. Standard layouts are faster, and the shop has already solved their problems.
02Ask what the finished van weighs with water and gear. Sprinters are sold in several gross weight ratings, and a heavy build on the lightest chassis leaves little margin.
03Ask how the electrical system is protected and documented, and whether the components can be serviced on the road.
04Ask how cabinetry is fastened to the van. Furniture that is only screwed to thin wall panels works loose on rough roads.
05Ask how added seats and seat belts are engineered and anchored if anyone rides behind the front row.
06Get the scope, price, payment schedule and delivery date in writing.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
The van you order decides what can be built in it, so it helps to talk to a builder before you buy.
01Model year, 144 or 170 wheelbase, roof height, and two-wheel, all-wheel or four-wheel drive
02How many people sleep in it and how many ride in it
03The seasons and climates you travel in
04Whether you need to work from it
05What goes inside with you: bikes, boards, dogs
06A budget range and the date you want to be traveling
Questions people ask
Do I need to own the van before I contact a builder?
No. Many builders would rather talk first, because the wheelbase, roof height and drivetrain you order decide what can be built. Some shops can also source a van.
How long does a Sprinter conversion take?
A full custom build is usually measured in months, plus whatever wait the shop has before it can start. Standard layouts are quicker. Ask for both numbers.
Should I get the 144 or the 170 wheelbase?
The 144 is easier to park, turn and drive on tight roads. The 170 gives you room for a fixed bed and a real galley without compromise. Think about where you will actually drive it, then about how you want to live in it.
Can these builders work on a Ford Transit or Ram ProMaster?
Many do. If you are on another platform, say so in the form and we will look for shops with that experience.
How high is Idaho?
From Lewiston at 740 feet to Borah Peak at 12,662.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
StanleyWhere State Highway 21 meets State Highway 75 in the Sawtooth Valley. The Salmon River and Ponderosa Pine scenic byways both start here, and the Custer Motorway leaves Highway 75 eleven miles east.6,260 ft
KetchumOn State Highway 75 at the south end of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The Sawtooth Scenic Byway climbs north from here to Galena Summit.5,844 ft
ArcoWhere US 20, US 26 and US 93 meet. The gateway town for Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve and its Loop Road.5,325 ft
ChallisOn the Salmon River Scenic Byway. BLM field office, and the north end of the Custer Motorway past the Land of the Yankee Fork interpretive center.5,246 ft
McCallOn Payette Lake north of Boise, in the Payette National Forest, which reaches east to the Frank Church-River of No Return.5,013 ft
Elk CityEnd of State Highway 14 and of the Elk City Wagon Road. The Forest Service calls it a small, full-service community with fuel; the Magruder corridor starts past Red River.4,011 ft
SalmonHeadquarters of the Salmon-Challis National Forest and a BLM field office. The BLM calls it a full-service community, and the Lewis and Clark Back Country Byway starts at Tendoy, 19 miles south.3,941 ft
Twin FallsOn I-84 above the Snake River canyon. BLM district office, with the Jarbidge Field Office, for the desert south of the highway.3,733 ft
GrangevilleOn US 95 at the edge of the Camas Prairie. State Highway 14 runs east from here toward Elk City and the west end of the Magruder Road Corridor.3,398 ft
BoiseState capital on I-84. BLM Idaho state office and Boise District, with the Four Rivers and Bruneau field offices. State Highway 21, the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway, runs from here to Stanley.2,700 ft
MarsingOn the Snake River southwest of Boise. The BLM’s Owyhee Field Office, which looks after the Owyhee Uplands Back Country Byway, is in town.2,297 ft
Coeur d’AleneOn I-90 in the Panhandle. BLM district and field office, and the service town for the Idaho Panhandle National Forests.2,192 ft
SandpointWhere US 95 meets US 2 north of Lake Pend Oreille. Endowment land north of the lake carries a grizzly bear food storage requirement.2,101 ft
RigginsOn US 95 where the Little Salmon meets the Salmon River, between the Payette and Nez Perce-Clearwater national forests and below the Hells Canyon rim.1,806 ft
KamiahOn US 12 beside the Clearwater River. Supervisor’s office for the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests and the western approach to the Lolo Motorway.1,239 ft
LewistonWhere US 12 meets US 95 on the Snake River, close to the state’s low point of 710 feet. West end of the Northwest Passage Scenic Byway and a base for Hells Canyon.740 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Borah PeakThe highest point in Idaho, in Custer County. No road to the top12,662 ft
Galena SummitSawtooth Scenic Byway: Shoshone north through Ketchum to the Sawtooth Valley8,701 ft
Magruder Road CorridorRed River, east of Elk City, to Darby, Montana7,920 ft
Lemhi PassLewis and Clark Back Country Byway and Adventure Road: A loop from Tendoy on State Highway 28, 19 miles south of Salmon7,368 ft
Willow Creek SummitUS 93 between Mackay and Challis, below the west face of Borah Peak7,165 ft
Banner SummitPonderosa Pine Scenic Byway: Stanley to Boise on State Highway 217,056 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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