Entry No. 8 — the Boise file — filed under: haunted
Morris Hill & Pioneer Cemetery Walking Tour
Boise keeps two separate historic cemeteries, each with its own free city-published walking-tour map. Pioneer Cemetery (west end of Warm Springs Avenue) is the city's oldest continuously used burial ground, started informally around 1863, holding roughly 1,796 marked graves of early settlers. Morris Hill, several miles west at 317 N Latah St, opened in 1882 and spreads across 60 developed acres with more than 41,000 plots. The City of Boise's tour maps point you to the graves of the city's leaders, heroes, and infamous scoundrels, and many headstones quietly mark deaths by violence and disease from the territorial years.
The story
If you want the unvarnished history of Boise, skip the downtown monuments and grab the city’s free self-guided walking-tour maps. The city’s early dead are split across two primary grounds. Out on Warm Springs Avenue, Pioneer Cemetery started informally around 1863 during the gold rush, holding roughly 1,796 marked graves of early miners, settlers, and folks who didn't survive Idaho's violent territorial years.
When Pioneer Cemetery ran out of space, the city opened Morris Hill Cemetery in 1882 at 317 N Latah Street. Sprawling across 60 developed acres on the bench, it now holds over 41,000 plots. The walking tour—originally conceived by longtime cemetery worker Diane Angoni—directs you past the graves of Idaho governors and city leaders, but the real stories sit behind headstones quietly recording sudden disease outbreaks, industrial accidents, and territorial feuds.
You're navigating a green grid under century-old shade trees where civic heroes lie a few rows away from infamous local scoundrels. It's an understated, self-paced crash course in early Boise history that you didn't hear about in social studies class.
What it's like
Download or print the free self-guided walking tour maps from the City of Boise Parks and Recreation site before you go, as paper brochures on-site aren't guaranteed. Morris Hill is vast and peaceful, so expect to do plenty of ground-covering across paved roads and lawn as you match plot numbers to the map guide. Wear comfortable shoes, bring water, and consider pairing your visit with a trip out to Pioneer Cemetery on Warm Springs Avenue if you want to contrast Morris Hill's Victorian layout with older, weathered frontier markers.
The move: Print the city's free walking-tour map and spend a golden-hour afternoon hunting down the famous and infamous graves under the century-old trees.
- 📍 Boise (Morris Hill)
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: Morris Hill Cemetery, 317 N Latah St, Boise, ID 83706
Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Crone's Cupboard — Pair a quiet walk among the headstones with a stop just down the road at Boise's oldest New Age shop for herbs and oddities.
- Erma Hayman House — Follow up your cemetery history walk with a visit to this preserved home to explore the working-class roots of Boise's River Street neighborhood.
- US Ghost Adventures - Boise Ghost Tour — If self-guided cemetery history leaves you wanting more local lore, book this night walk through downtown Boise's haunted spots.
Good to know
How do I access the self-guided walking tour maps?
The maps are published by the City of Boise Parks and Recreation department and can be downloaded for free from their official website.
Where are the cemeteries located?
Morris Hill Cemetery is at 317 N Latah St on the bench. Pioneer Cemetery is located several miles east at 460 E Warm Springs Ave.
Is there any cost to visit?
No, both historic cemeteries are free public grounds open to visitors during daylight hours.
How old are these burial grounds?
Pioneer Cemetery began informally around 1863 as Boise's first graveyard, while Morris Hill Cemetery opened in 1882 to handle the growing city's needs.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: cityofboise.org · ada.idgenweb.org
last checked: 2026-06-24