Silver Mountain Resort and Waterpark in Kellogg, Idaho: A Great Place for Young Families to Vacation

Northern Idaho is not necessarily known for its mind-blowing water park selection, but if you're visiting the Pacific Northwest and need a slightly more interesting place to stay than the Super 8 Motel, you might think about checking into the Silver Mountain Resort and Waterpark in Kellogg, Idaho.

Silver Mountain Waterpark's signature ride is the Flow Rider. You're probably familiar with wave rides of other sorts, but this one is one of a kind, and its cousins are found only at a few other waterparks across the country.

The Flow Rider features surfs traveling up to 30 miles per hour climbing an incline of firm, blue foam. The ride allows all eligible children and adults to ride the knee board without taking surfing lessons, as this is the first step to successfully riding the Flow Rider. However, if you or your kids want to graduate to the next level, the waterpark offers morning lessons (for a fee that begins at about $15, depending on the season). Children under 18 must have a parent sign their waiver for them, as there have been known injuries on the Flow Rider. The coaches highly recommend getting training to learn how to fall off the surf board without causing head damage or trauma.

Silver Mountain Waterpark has a few other rides children can enjoy either by themselves or with their parents. Moose Sluice is their signature tube ride, featuring a completely dark tunnel slide that can hold four or more people depending on their size and weight. You don't even have to carry the tube up the three flights of stairs for Moose Sluice, as the tubes are lifted on a conveyor belt.

Prospector's Plunge and Gold Rush are two other tube rides in slightly lighter-colored slides (for those who don't like the dark). You can ride either single or double on these tubes, but you will need to carry these up the slick steps if you want to ride them. There really aren't any body slides at Silver Mountain; the only ones there are in the kiddie section at the fort area.

In addition to the Lazy River and the children's fort, there's also a basketball pool and obstacle course; neither of these are incredibly challenging, but they're fun for kids under 12.

If you're staying at Silver Mountain, you might want to bring some of your own snacks or buy them at the grocery store. Any meals at Silver Mountain, whether they're inside the waterpark or in the village, are very pricey, since the cheapest ones usually begin at about $6.50 per person. The average meal price, according to the lady I made reservations with, is about $12 - $14 per plate, so plan on splitting meals, or just go to McDonald's or Subway, both of which are located within short driving distance in Kellogg.

Even though this waterpark experience won't likely be the your most memorable vacation, your kids are likely to still have a lot of fun in an area of the country not ordinarily geared toward small children, activity-wise. Don't plan on playing into the wee hours of the night, however. The waterpark closes at 8 p.m. during most seasons, and possibly 9 p.m. during the busier seasons.

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