Riggins, ID

Riggins sits in a canyon at the meeting of the Salmon and Little Salmon rivers in Idaho County. US 95 runs through town as Main Street, the north-south route that links Idaho’s Panhandle with the communities to the south. Riggins is also the most northwestern town in the Mountain Time Zone; just north of the city, across the Salmon River, clocks shift to Pacific Time. The Seven Devils Mountains and the river corridors make the landscape feel much bigger than the town’s population.

ATTRDavid Dugan / CC BY-SA 3.0

The town was named for Richard L. Riggins, a local businessman and postmaster, and his father Fred, who carried mail through the area. Today the river is the center of the local calendar and economy, with fishing, rafting, kayaking, hunting, and campgrounds drawing people into the canyon. The Riggins Rodeo in early May brings a more traditional gathering, while Hot Summer Nights adds music and talent shows in the warmer months. With 372 residents in the 2020 census, Riggins is a small highway town with a big river junction and a time-zone line just up the road.