Saved Account Join
A 4x4 with a roof tent parked on a rocky forest track below a volcanic spire.

The Overland Directory

Tires in Idaho

Tire and wheel shops that understand load ratings, airing down and what a loaded overland vehicle asks of its tires.

Get free quotes

Tires in Idaho

3 listings

  1. Buck's 4X4 Boise, ID Family owned off road center in Boise since 1966, selling suspension, tires and wheels, bumpers, winches and recovery gear, and doing custom builds and driveshafts.
  2. Backcountry Upfitters Coeur d'Alene, ID Family owned truck upfitting shop doing suspension and alignments, wheels and tires, lighting, spray on bedliners and full custom builds, and selling parts.
  3. Cutting Edge Customs Post Falls, ID Off road shop outfitting 4x4 trucks and Jeeps with lift kits and suspension, wheels and tires, lighting, re-gearing and lockers, and doing alignments.

Idaho by the numbers

Of Idaho is federal land 1
61.9%
32,785,766 of 52,933,120 acres, as of September 30, 2024. Only Nevada and Utah have a larger share
Acres of national forest 1
20.5M
Only Alaska and California hold more Forest Service land than Idaho
Acres of BLM public land, by the agency’s own count 8
12M
BLM Idaho says nearly one fourth of the state. The Congressional Research Service counts 11,768,027
Miles of BLM route managed for motor vehicles, as a floor 5
10,004
Roads and trails recorded for public or limited public motorized use in the BLM’s national route data
Borah Peak, the highest point in Idaho 2
12,662 ft
Custer County. The lowest point is 710 feet, on the Snake River in Nez Perce County
Approximate mean elevation 3
5,000 ft
From the USGS table of extreme and mean elevations by state
Acres in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness 21
2.37M
The largest contiguous wilderness in the lower 48. No motor vehicle may enter it
Federal campgrounds a vehicle can reach 6
329
280 Forest Service, 39 BLM, 7 Army Corps and 3 National Park Service. 220 can be booked ahead

Tires, rock and the Idaho stud dates

Buy for sharp rock and long gravel. The Forest Service says the Lolo Motorway has no surface but what nature supplies, and recommends a tough vehicle with high clearance and good tires, and its packing list for the road puts a spare tire beside the map and the fuel.

Winter is written into the statute rather than into a traction code. Idaho Code prohibits studded tires on public highways between May 1 and September 30, and allows retractable studs to protrude only between October 1 and April 30. Its chain provisions are written for commercial vehicles at Lookout Pass, Fourth of July Pass and Lolo Pass, so a driver’s winter tire choice here is a practical decision rather than a legal one.

The full guide to overlanding Idaho

What a good tire shop does

Tires are the only part of the vehicle that touches the ground, and on a loaded rig they work close to their limits. A good tire shop starts with load rating and size, then tread. It will also tell you when the tire you want will rub, need different wheels or throw off your gearing.

Expect help with

  1. 01Choosing a tire by load, terrain and season
  2. 02Wheels with the right offset and load rating
  3. 03Mounting, balancing and tire pressure sensors
  4. 04A matching full-size spare
  5. 05Alignment, rotation and repairs

How to choose tires for overland travel

Tread pattern is the last decision, not the first.

  1. 01Match the load rating to your real axle weights, not to the badge on the fender.
  2. 02All-terrain tires suit most overland travel. Mud-terrains are louder, heavier and wear faster, and earn it only in real mud and rock.
  3. 03Buy five. A matching full-size spare that you rotate in is worth the money when the nearest tire shop is a day away.
  4. 04Check the wheels too. Wheels have load ratings, and the wrong offset stresses bearings and rubs.
  5. 05Ask whether the shop can move or reprogram your tire pressure sensors.

What to have ready before you ask for a quote

A tire quote is quick when the shop knows what the tire has to carry.

  1. 01Vehicle, current tire size and wheel size
  2. 02Lift height, if any
  3. 03Loaded weight, or a list of what is on the vehicle
  4. 04Where you drive most: pavement, gravel, rock, sand, snow
  5. 05A budget range for five tires

Questions people ask

What does load range mean?

It describes how much weight a tire can carry at a given pressure. Heavier builds, vans and truck campers usually need a higher load range than the vehicle came with. The tire's sidewall and the placard in the door jamb are the places to start, and a tire shop can work through the numbers with you.

How big can I go?

Every platform has a size that fits at stock height, a size that fits with a modest lift, and a size that needs trimming and gears. Tell the shop your lift and wheels and ask what fits without rubbing at full steering lock and full compression.

Should I air down?

On washboard, sand and rock, lower pressure gives a better ride and more traction and is easier on the vehicle. It also means you need a way to air back up before pavement. How low depends on your tire, your weight and your speed, so ask your tire shop and start conservatively.

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.

Towns

  1. Stanley Where 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
  2. Ketchum On 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
  3. Arco Where 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
  4. Challis On 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
  5. McCall On Payette Lake north of Boise, in the Payette National Forest, which reaches east to the Frank Church-River of No Return. 5,013 ft
  6. Elk City End 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
  7. Salmon Headquarters 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
  8. Twin Falls On 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
  9. Grangeville On 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
  10. Boise State 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
  11. Marsing On 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
  12. Coeur d’Alene On I-90 in the Panhandle. BLM district and field office, and the service town for the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. 2,192 ft
  13. Sandpoint Where 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
  14. Riggins On 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
  15. Kamiah On 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
  16. Lewiston Where 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

  1. Borah Peak The highest point in Idaho, in Custer County. No road to the top 12,662 ft
  2. Galena Summit Sawtooth Scenic Byway: Shoshone north through Ketchum to the Sawtooth Valley 8,701 ft
  3. Magruder Road Corridor Red River, east of Elk City, to Darby, Montana 7,920 ft
  4. Lemhi Pass Lewis and Clark Back Country Byway and Adventure Road: A loop from Tendoy on State Highway 28, 19 miles south of Salmon 7,368 ft
  5. Willow Creek Summit US 93 between Mackay and Challis, below the west face of Borah Peak 7,165 ft
  6. Banner Summit Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway: Stanley to Boise on State Highway 21 7,056 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.

Free build quotes

Looking for tire shops in Idaho? Tell us about the project and get free quotes.

Tell us about your project

Free build quotes

Tell us about your project

What are you building on?

Do you have it yet?

What do you want done?

Choose everything that applies.

What are you working with?

Budget for this work

When you want it done

A range is enough. It tells a builder which conversation to have with you.

Where should the shop be?

How far will you go for the right shop?

Where should the quotes go?

Best way to reach you

Free, and no obligation. We use these details only to connect you with builders. See our privacy page.

Sources for this page

48
  1. Congressional Research Service. Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data (R42346), Tables 1 and 2, data as of September 30, 2024. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
  2. U.S. Geological Survey. Elevations and Distances in the United States, online edition. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  3. U.S. Census Bureau, from U.S. Geological Survey data. Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2012, Table 366. Extreme and Mean Elevations by State. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  4. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Idaho State Climate Summary 2022 (NOAA Technical Report NESDIS 150-ID). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  5. Bureau of Land Management. Ground Transportation Linear Features, public display. Sum of GIS_MILES by administrative state for routes managed for public or limited public motorized use.. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
  6. Recreation.gov. Recreation Information Database (RIDB) full export. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  7. U.S. Geological Survey. Geographic Names Information System and 3D Elevation Program point query. Elevation of the 3DEP surface at the GNIS coordinates of the named place, rounded to the nearest foot.. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  8. Bureau of Land Management. Idaho state office, with the district office list. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  9. Bureau of Land Management. Idaho Recreation Activities. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  10. Bureau of Land Management, Idaho. Camping Guidelines on Public Land (2022), with the Idaho district and field office list. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  11. Bureau of Land Management. Idaho Byways. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  12. Bureau of Land Management. Owyhee Uplands Back Country Byway (visitor page). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  13. Bureau of Land Management, Idaho. Owyhee Uplands Back Country Byway guide, 2016 (PDF). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  14. Bureau of Land Management. Lewis and Clark Back Country Byway and Adventure Road (visitor page). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  15. Bureau of Land Management, Idaho. The Lewis and Clark Back Country Byway and Adventure Road, Tendoy, Idaho (BLM/ID/GI-15/006+1220, PDF). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  16. Bureau of Land Management. Idaho Centennial Road/Trail. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  17. Bureau of Land Management. Bruneau Canyon Overlook. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  18. Bureau of Land Management. Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  19. Bureau of Land Management. Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  20. USDA Forest Service. Salmon-Challis National Forest. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  21. USDA Forest Service, Bitterroot National Forest. Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  22. USDA Forest Service, Sawtooth National Forest. Sawtooth National Recreation Area. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  23. USDA Forest Service, Sawtooth National Forest. Sawtooth National Recreation Area: Occupancy and Use order, in force June 19, 2026 through December 31, 2031. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  24. USDA Forest Service, Sawtooth National Forest. Scenic Drives: the Sawtooth, Salmon River and Ponderosa Pine scenic byways. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  25. USDA Forest Service. Boise National Forest. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  26. USDA Forest Service. Payette National Forest. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  27. USDA Forest Service. Idaho Panhandle National Forests. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  28. USDA Forest Service, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  29. USDA Forest Service, Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. Magruder Road Corridor. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  30. USDA Forest Service, Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. Scenic Drives. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  31. USDA Forest Service, Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. Lolo Trail Corridor, with the Lolo Motorway description. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  32. USDA Forest Service, Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. Lewis and Clark on the Lolo Trail (guide to the Lolo Motorway, PDF). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  33. USDA Forest Service, Nez Perce National Forest. Travel the Elk City Wagon Road (brochure, PDF). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  34. USDA Forest Service, Salmon-Challis National Forest. Custer #1 Campground, on the Custer Motorway. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  35. USDA Forest Service, Salmon-Challis National Forest. Challis Area. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  36. USDA Forest Service, Northern Region. Northern Region Camping and Target Restrictions, Pallet Prohibition (Order R1-2025-01). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  37. National Park Service. Idaho. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  38. National Park Service. Visiting Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  39. National Park Service, Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. Camping. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  40. National Park Service. City of Rocks National Reserve. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  41. Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. ATVs, UTVs and Motorbikes: the certificate of number and how the fees are used. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  42. Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. Idaho to require non-resident sticker for OHVs beginning January 1, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  43. Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. Land of the Yankee Fork State Park. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  44. Idaho Department of Lands. Endowment Land and Recreation: camping information, livestock buffers and grizzly food storage. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  45. Idaho Department of Lands. IDAPA 20.05.01, Rules Pertaining to the Recreational Use of Endowment Land, Section 020. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  46. Idaho Department of Lands. Fire Restrictions Finder, with the 2026 Idaho Fire Restrictions Plan. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  47. Idaho Department of Lands. Understanding Stage 1 and 2 Fire Restrictions. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  48. Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code Section 49-948, Restrictions as to tire equipment. Retrieved September 19, 2026.

Reviewed September 19, 2026. Conditions, closures and rules change; check with the managing agency before you travel.

More in Idaho

Keep going

Join Overlanding Life
Saved Account

Start with a region

Browse the directory