Idaho Falls is a place of unique history, though a history that doesn’t begin until a ferry was placed here in 1864 to provide a crossing over the Snake River along the Montana Trail, soon to be followed by a bridge. A year later the town, soon to be known as Eagle Rock, included a hotel, eatery, bank, post office, livery stable, and stage station. By 1879 the railroad had arrived and farmers and ranchers flocked to the region. In 1891 the name was changed to Idaho Falls in reference to the falls below the bridge. In 1949 the history of the region was forever changed with the Atomic Energy Commission’s opening of the National Reactor Testing Station in the desert near Idaho Falls, where the first useful electricity from a nuclear reactor was soon to be generated.

Our itinerary can be completed in two days, though you may need additional days if you are traveling very far to get here as they are full days. Several sites are not open on Sunday or have shortened hours on Sunday, which can play havoc with itinerary planning, so Tuesday through Saturday itinerary dates work best. Visitors can start with Idaho Falls and end with Pocatello but, depending on where you are coming from, you could instead start with Pocatello or even the Craters of the Moon.

Best time to visit: Memorial Day weekend through September offers your best chance to enter caves at Craters though; dependent on environmental conditions, the caves may open even later than Memorial Day. Bring a hat and possibly sun screen for Craters, and flashlights if you intend to enter the caves.

Idaho Falls Zoo at Tautphaus Park

Known as the “best little zoo in the west,” the park has over 300 animals representing 130 species from around the world. The zoo couldn’t be called large, yet we were much impressed by what this smaller zoo had to offer—lions, tigers, snow leopards, zebras, sloths, penguins, red pandas, emus, wallabies, and lots of birds and monkeys.

The zoo is a key contributor to the preservation of snow leopards and animals of the species who were born at Idaho Falls reside in zoos and preserves across the country and in Canada. Plan on 1.5 to two hours for your visit.

Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app.

Idaho Falls Zoo at Tautphaus Park, 2725 Carnival Way, Idaho Falls, ID 83402, 208-612-8470. Open: daily 9:30-5, mid-April-Oct. Admission: 13-61 $8, 62+ $6.50, 3-12 $5, 2 and under $0.50. Free parking. Gift shop on site.

Idaho Falls River Walk – Greenbelt Trail

The greenbelt goes for several thousand feet along both sides of the Snake River, but the best views of the waterfall are found on the west side. Plentiful parking off River Parkway is found opposite the waterfalls. Be sure to cross W. Broadway Street to visit the Japanese Friendship Garden just south of the bridge, accessed by a footbridge over the river. The garden is significant to local history, originally developed to celebrate thirty years of association with a Japanese sister-city, Tokai-Mura. Watch for the sign on the building across River Pkwy and close to the bridge; they sell ice cream that is locally made by Reed’s Dairy and it is a-ma-zing! Plan on one hour for your visit.

Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app.

Idaho Falls River Walk, 525 River Pkwy, Idaho Falls, ID 83402. Free Parking.

Museum of Idaho

The Museum of Idaho has two floors of exhibit space. Roughly half of the exhibits are permanent displays about regional history and science and the other half hosts internationally and nationally acclaimed traveling exhibits and—wow—these traveling displays offer quite a punch that makes MOI far more than a regional museum.

The museum is found only a short distance from the waterfalls—in fact, if you travel east on W. Broadway Street, the museum is just past Yellowstone Ave. Plentiful parking is found in front of the museum. Plan on 1.5 to two hours for your visit.

Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app.

Museum of Idaho, 200 N Eastern Ave, Idaho Falls, ID 83402, 208-522-1400. Open: Mon-Sat 10-6, Sun 1-5; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day; close at 3:00 Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Admission: Adult $14.63, 62+ $13.59, 4-17 or college ID $12.54. Free Parking. Gift shop on site.

East Idaho Aquarium

If you have visited local aquariums you have likely discovered that they tend to be similar in their offerings yet they are all fun visits. Come dip your hand in the water tank as stingrays rush around in a circuit to be petted again and again under hand, feed a lizard, and observe the sharks as they glide around their tank. Plan on one hour for your visit.

Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app.

East Idaho Aquarium, 570 E Anderson St, Idaho Falls, ID 83401, 208-569-2996. Open: Mon-Sat 11-8, Sun 1-6. Admission: 13+ $12, 3-12 $9, Military and Seniors $10, under 3 Free. Free Parking. Gift shop on site.

Craters of the Moon National Monument

Day two begins with a visit to Craters of the Moon National Monument—you’ll want to get an early morning start (opens at 8:30 in the summer) in order to have time to visit the two locations in Pocatello.

The monument is comprised of the largest lava field in the continental U.S. that formed in our current geological epoch; the lava flows range in age from 15,000 to just 2,000 years old. The original monument was established in May 1924 by President Calvin Coolidge.

The Robert Limbert Visitor Center is placed at the only entrance into the monument; the center is rather small but you will learn so much about volcanic eruptions across southern Idaho, the modern history of the region, and the flora and fauna within the monument. From here you enter the monument on the scenic 7-mile Loop Road—watch your speed, speed limit is only 15 mph. Parking lots allow access to several trails, many of which are paved. Note: sadly, as in so many places, parking is insufficient within the monument thus a visit early or late in the season is recommended.

Travel from Idaho Falls will take about 1.5 hours; again, plan an early start. Plan on 1.5 to two hours on site, more if you visit any of the caves.

Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app.

Robert Limbert Visitor Center, 1266 Craters Loop Road, Arco, ID 83213, 208-527-1335. Open: daily 8:30-6 Memorial Day weekend-Sep, Thu-Mon 9-4:30 Oct-Memorial Day; closed Martin Luther King Jr Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day; reduced hours on most other national holidays. Admission: $20 per vehicle, good for seven days.

Big Lost River Rest Area

Once you return to Arco and head southeast on Hwy 26, about 15 miles will bring you to the Big Lost River Rest Area—be sure to stop! This site is more of an outdoor visitor center than a rest area, with 14—count ’em, 14—interpretive panels with information ranging from the Navy’s use of the region during World War II, to geologic history of the region, indigenous peoples, the record number of nuclear reactors in the area, and two rivers that literally disappear into sinkholes, all of which makes for a fascinating stop.

Bannock County Historical Museum and Fort Hall Replica

A visit to the Bannock County Museum includes admittance to the crown jewel of the historical complex, Fort Hall, a replica of the original trading post on the Snake River constructed in 1834. The original fort was demolished in 1863. The replica, however, is now 60 years old, a lifespan currently twice the original. The replica was constructed using traditional, 19th century methods and is even based on the original plans obtained from Hudson’s Bay Company.

The history of the original Fort Hall is richly intertwined with the history of the Oregon Trail, the northwest fur trade, the gold rushes, and the shared history of the indigenous tribes—so much to see and learn! Plan on 1.5 hours for your visit to the museum and the replica fort.

Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app.

Bannock County Historical Museum, 3000 Avenue of the Chiefs, Pocatello, ID 83204, 208-233-0434. Open: May-Sep, Mon-Sat 10-5. Admission: Adult $6, Senior/Military $5, 6-17 $3, under 6 Free.

Idaho Museum of Natural History

Come learn about the varied lands that form the state of Idaho and its flora and fauna; learn about ice age Idaho and even geologic and paleontologic history. There is supposed to be free parking for museum visitors in the parking lot in front of the museum but we didn’t find it; there is, however, plenty of free parking along both sides of S. 5th Avenue. Plan 1.5 hours for your visit.

Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app.

Idaho Museum of Natural History, 698 E Dillon St, Pocatello, ID 83201, 208-282-3168. Open: Sun-Fri 12-5, Sat 10-5; closed day after Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving (Thu-Fri) Christmas Eve/Day, New Year’s Day. Admission: Adult $7, 60+ $5, 4-17 $3, under 3 Free. Gift shop on site.

That finishes our southeast Idaho itinerary and it’s time to head home. We hope you enjoyed your visit and and learned some fascinating things about the region and its history.