The Idaho corridor of I-84 takes travelers to and from a myriad number of places near and far in the Pacific Northwest, right? Often, travelers rush right past locales that are worthy of a visit, and the Twin Falls, Idaho region is one of those places. Here are our top picks for sites to visit along the route.
Our itinerary is perfect for a day trip (though you may not be able to hit every site) or as a weekend trip from Boise to the west or from Pocatello or even Idaho Falls to the east. If you are passing through on I-84 heading to more distant locations, plan 6-9 hours for the Three Island Crossing Interpretive Center, the byway, and sites around Twin Falls (plan for the longer time if you include a stop at a hot springs pool)—it’s worth inclusion in your itinerary even if you have to include accommodations for the night. If you intend to walk any of the trails, wear good hiking shoes and bring water and perhaps a hat and sunscreen.
When to visit: the itinerary can be driven at any time, though fall and winter will see a low water flow through the canyon and over the Shoshone Falls.
Our itinerary is presented as coming from Boise. If coming from Eastern Idaho, simply follow the itinerary in reverse order.
From Boise on I-84: exit the freeway at exit 147 about 6.5 miles past Bliss and turn right on E 2350 S.
From Eastern Idaho on I-84: exit the freeway at exit 182 near Twin Falls, turn left onto Idaho SR-50 and stop at the Hansen Bridge to begin our itinerary.
Three Island Crossing State Park History Center
Our itinerary begins here in Glenns Ferry, Idaho. Come learn about the trek of the Oregon Trail pioneers, early settlers, and Native American history, and learn of the importance the Three Island Crossing was to emigrants and native peoples alike. The crossing was one of the most famous river crossings on the Oregon Trail route—and one of the most difficult, that is, until Gus Glenn constructed a ferry in 1869, just upstream from the crossing.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Three Island Crossing State Park, 1083 S. Three Island Park Dr., Glenns Ferry, ID 83623, 208-366-2394. Oregon Trail History Center Open: daily 9-4; closed some holidays, call to verify (open on Memorial Day). Admission: Idaho State Parks Passport required, or State park admission fee of $7 per vehicle; admission to history center is Free. Gift shop on site. Plan on one to 1.5 hours for your visit.
Thousand Springs State Park – Malad Gorge
Return to I-84 and drive about 27 miles; the Thousand Springs Scenic Drive officially begins by exiting the freeway at Bliss and heading south on Idaho 30 but it turns out that there’s really little to see until the Malad Gorge—the crown jewel of the Thousand Springs State Park, so we suggest exiting I-84 at Exit 147; turn right onto E 2350 S and then right onto Ritchie Rd; go about 2000 feet and turn left to enter the park. If you don’t have an Idaho State Parks Passport, there is a $7 per vehicle entry fee, but if you stopped at the Three Island Crossing State Park and History Center and you are visiting Malad Gorge Unit of the Thousand Springs State Park on the same day, your visit at Malad Gorge has no additional cost!
A brochure from the entrance booth will guide you on your self-guided tour of the six stops along the 1.25 miles of the Malad Gorge Unit. Interpretive panels along the route provide additional education about the site.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Thousand Springs State Park – Malad Gorge Unit, 2314 S Ritchie Rd, Hagerman, ID 83332. Restrooms on site. Plan on one to 1.25 hours for travel and time on site. Open: daily 7:30-4:00. Admission: $7 per vehicle.
Thousand Springs State Park and Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument Visitor Center
Return to Idaho 30 and continue south towards Hagerman. The visitor center, though small, is a great stop in preparation to visit the Fossil Beds National Monument itself. We found the park ranger on duty to be very cordial and informative; a short visit here will provide some good education about the species found in the fossil beds and about the geological and paleontological history of this region of Idaho.
Plan on 45 minutes to one hour for travel and time on site.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument Visitor Center, 17970 US-30, Hagerman, ID 83332; 208-837-4505. Open: daily 9-5 Memorial Day to Labor Day; Thurs-Mon 9-5 remainder of year; closed on major holidays. Admission: Free, though a donation is suggested; small gift shop on site.
Ritter Island State Park
Head south from Hagerman on Idaho 30, drive about 2.5 miles to E 2529 S and turn left. At about a half-mile turn right onto S 1050 E. At the Y stay to the left to E 3000 S. At about a half-mile turn right onto S 1200 E. At about two miles turn right onto S 1300 E. At about 0.8 miles turn left onto Thousand Springs Grade to the park.
The many water falls that flow into the Snake River Canyon are fed by a vast aquifer that collects and flows through fractured rubble and sediment layers between volcanic basalt flows. The aquifer, which covers more than 10,000 square miles in southern Idaho, happens to be one of the largest aquifers in the world. The falls in the canyon wall above Ritter State Park are just a sampling of the falls that drain into the Snake River—and what a beautiful sampling they are!
It is not necessary to enter Ritter Island State Park in order to view the waterfalls. Parking is found at the bottom of Thousand Springs Grade and right before the bridge that leads to Ritter Island State Park. A walking trail leads south along the escarpment and under the waterfalls.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
1205 Thousand Springs Grade, Wendell, ID 83355. Plan on 45 minutes to one hour for travel and time on site.
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument
Return to Idaho 30 and continue south. At about 1.5 miles cross the Snake River and turn right onto Bell Rapids Road; after 2.5 miles you will come to the Snake River Overlook where you can view the bluff along the river where the rich fossil deposits are located and read the interpretive panels. The fossil beds are found along six miles of the bluffs along the river shore and are famous as the richest known fossil deposits of the late Pliocene epoch of 3.5 million years ago; among the fossils is the largest concentration of Hagerman Horse (similar to the modern zebra) fossils in North America. The fossil beds include many species, including a genus of camel that once inhabited North America, mastadons, saber-toothed cats, and bone-crushing dogs. The fossil beds are not open to the public. Vault toilet on site. Plan on 15 minutes travel and time on site.
Oregon Trail Overlook: three miles further along S 1000 E Road you will come to the plateau at the top of the bluff and the second overlook. Awesome views of the river valley below are to be seen here, but the real focus here is the Oregon Trail that literally follows the paved road—a stretch of visible wagon ruts are visible a hundred yards from the parking lot. An easy walking path along the edge of the plateau of a half-mile total, out and back, takes the hiker to a series of educational Oregon Trail interpretive panels. A path of three miles in length heads down the bluff to the first overlook, but it is steep near the upper overlook. Vault toilet on site. Plan on 30 minutes travel and time on site.
Visit a Hot Springs Pool
If you are of favorable mind to a soak in a hot springs pool, Miracle is just off the highway by turning right on E 4800 N. Note that stopping for a soak will make for a long day—and very likely lodgings at a Twin Falls hotel.
Miracle Hot Springs: 19073A US-30, Buhl, ID 83316, 208-543-6002. Four outdoor pools of varying temperature, small private pools available first come, first served, for an additional fee. Open: Mon-Thur 8-10, Fri-Sat 8-11. Admission: $14, 60+$8, under 3 $2.
Plan on 1.5 to 2.5 hours travel and time on site.
Enjoy a Meal at Canyon Crest Restaurant
Return to Idaho 30 and head east; about 30 minutes will bring you to Twin Falls. Hopefully it’s time to eat—and we have a great suggestion for you! Canyon Crest is a beautiful building in a spectacular setting right on the rim of the Snake River Canyon—even the food is fantastic. Note that this is a late lunch and dinner location only and not open on Sunday. If you’d like, you can take the stairs from the patio and step right onto the Canyon Rim Trail—and even hike to Perrine Bridge (almost a mile by the trail). Note: you may want to visit Perrine Bridge and come back to the restaurant.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Canyon Crest Restaurant, 330 Canyon Crest Drive, Twin Falls, ID 83301; 208-733-9392. Open: 3-10 Tuesday-Saturday, reservations recommended. Plan on 1.5 hours travel and time on site.
Perrine Memorial Bridge and Visitor Center
Leave the restaurant by turning left onto Canyon Crest Drive; after 1000 feet, turn left onto 4100 N Road; after a quarter-mile turn left onto 3000 E Road. Another quarter-mile will bring you to the bridge. You can enjoy amazing views of the Snake River Canyon from two locations, from the Twin Falls Visitor Center on the south rim of the canyon and from an overview where you can walk under the highway, on the north rim. You can also stroll along the Canyon Rim Trail—and under the bridge—from the visitor center. The trail continues east along the south rim to two viewpoints with more stunning views of the canyon, the second about a quarter-mile from the visitor center.
Perrine Bridge, named after a primary founder of Twin Falls, is the eighth highest bridge in the U.S. and is known world-wide as a BASE jumping site from which parachutists jump—if you’re lucky you might get to watch BASE jumpers leap from the bridge!
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Twin Falls Visitor Center, 2015 Nielsen Point Pl, Twin Falls, ID 83301, 208-733-3974. Open: daily 9-5. Free parking, gift shop on site. Plan on 30 minutes to one hour travel and time on site.
Shoshone Falls Park
Three miles east of Perrine Bridge is the jewel of the Snake River Canyon, Shoshone Falls, often called the “Niagara of the West.” Shoshone Falls is actually higher than Niagara and flows over a rim nearly 1000 feet wide. The falls were formed during the cataclysmic bursting of Lake Bonneville about 14,000 years ago. The falls, which form the historic upper limit of fish migration up the Snake River, had long been an important fishing and trading center for the region’s native tribes when Europeans first visited the site in the 1840s.
Evel Knievel Jump Site: a trail heading west from Shoshone Falls Park takes hikers about a mile to the site where stunt performer Evel Knievel made history by attempting his daring motorcycle jump of the canyon in 1974—worth the hike just for more views of the canyon!
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Shoshone Falls Park, 4155 Shoshone Falls Grade, Twin Falls, ID 83301. Open: daily dawn to dusk but closed when road conditions are poor. Admission: $5 per car, charged March through September during the heavier flows over the falls. Rest rooms and gift shop on site. Plan on 45 minutes to one hour travel and time on site. Dogs welcome on a leash.
Hansen Bridge
Two miles east from Shoshone Falls is the Hansen Bridge on Idaho 50. The original Hansen Bridge, a cantilever bridge constructed in 1919, was the first bridge to span the Snake River Canyon and was the highest bridge in North American at its construction; the current bridge dates from 1966.
A parking area on the south rim allows travelers to view the Snake River Canyon one last time; interpretive panels instruct the visitor about the bridge’s history.
Plan on 15 minutes travel and on site.
And with that its back to the freeway and on to wherever your travels are taking you! We hope you are inspired to visit the scenic beauty of the Twin Falls area and the Snake River Canyon.
Updated June 2024
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