This guy in a tiny Idaho town told me to skip the main lake and hike to a hidden waterfall instead.
I was delivering a package to a cabin outside McCall last summer, and the owner, an old guy named Ray, saw my map and said, 'Everyone goes to Payette Lake, but the real magic is the 2-mile trail behind my place to a spot called Crystal Falls.' He drew the route on a napkin. I followed it and found a perfect, empty swimming hole with a 30-foot cascade, completely untouched. When's the last time a local gave you a tip that good?