7 Reasons Why I Won’t Travel in Idaho Again During COVID-19

In September 2020, my husband and I decided to visit three national parks in the western United States – Glacier, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton. Each park was amazing and gorgeous, but a few areas raised some concerns about our health and safety related to COVID-19.

First, kudos to Montana and Wyoming for their COVID-19 restrictions and enforcement. We were pleasantly surprised by the number of people wearing masks in both states. All the stores we visited had strict rules about wearing masks, and we rarely saw anyone without a mask. Social distancing was also prevalent which was a welcome relief.

Idaho, however, was an entirely different story. Here are the top 7 reasons why I won’t travel again to Idaho during COVID-19.

#1: Hotel staff didn’t wear masks

We stayed at a Marriott property in Island Park, Idaho. Marriott’s website says

However, our experience at this specific Marriott was very different. The staff rarely wore masks – at the front desk, in the breakfast area, cleaning the rooms, etc. It was rare to see a staff member with a mask in every property area rather than it being the norm. Even people serving food and drinks were often without a mask.

#2: Hotel guests did not wear masks

Guests rarely wore masks as well. As we walked through the breakfast area, most guests did not have masks on. As we sat in the lobby’s open area, guests walked around and sat around without masks. People were opening and closing doors after coughing into their hands. It was gross… let alone unhealthy and unsafe.

#3: Hotel staff did not enforce wearing masks

We were surprised that there was zero enforcement about wearing masks from the staff to the guests… especially since Marriott has clearly defined policies. It was as if everything was normal. We decided to stay at a Marriott property because we thought there would be more and better enforcement of masks and social distancing.

#4: Grocery store staff did not wear masks

We visited a couple of different grocery stores and were shocked to see staff not wearing masks. It was astonishing to see this in West Yellowstone, where there were tons of tourists coming through.

#5: Restaurant staff did not wear masks nor enforce with guests

We visited a couple of restaurants during our time in Idaho, but only for takeout. It was surprising how blase everyone was about not wearing masks. People were chatting with random people in the entrance (including us!) without social distancing. When we backed up, the people talking with us appeared offended. Which, at that point, I was OK with offending people!

#6: Gas station staff did not wear masks

We were on our way home and stopped for gas. While we’d had multiple experiences, this stop solidified in our minds just how off-kilter things were in Idaho. We entered the convenience store to go to the restroom and purchase some drinks. The lady behind the counter was not only not wearing a mask but appeared shocked that we were.

#7: No TV ads talking about wearing masks

After reflecting on our travel experience, we realized that we also didn’t see any TV ads encouraging people to wear masks or social distance. This tells me that the local governments were not taking the virus seriously.

Coming from Washington, the coronavirus’s original epicenter, we’re used to people taking the virus seriously. We’ve been locked down in our home for months now with very little personal interaction. We were nervous about traveling but took all the precautions we could along the way. Everywhere we went appeared fine except Idaho. We self-quarantined after returning home and have since tested negative. We will likely not travel again because of our Idaho experience and the lack of control in places that don’t take the virus as seriously as we think it should be taken.