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Balanced Rock & Balanced Rock Park

4.3 (7 reviews)

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J R.

OK, at first I thought "there is one I can miss." when I was told about the things to see around Twin Falls. I am glad I went during the spring of 2020 as there was little else to do in Twin Falls during quarantine. The drive out is rural farming roads that are as flat as can be and just when you start to think "where is this rock at?" You turn one corner and drop down into a canyon. In the canyon is not just the rock, but beauty that resembles the canyons of the Grand Canyon, a charming day use park, a stream, people fishing, and hills to ride ATV's in. The hike to the rock is steep and requires good shoe traction. It just take 15-20 minutes to climb to where you can touch the rock. Only 10 minutes to slide down. The rock is quite amazing up close up.

BD K.

Great place for hiking and adventure. This place is in the middle of nowhere! You will pass through small farm towns and see nothing but farmlands, but if you continue to smell cow and sheep poop, soured milk and see cornfields; you're going the right way. I enjoyed the smells and ride finding this place! Great ride to explore!

Emily H.

The little trailer had just been groomed prior to our visit. A good easy little hike with kids up to the rock with nice views. There are port-a-potty's in the parking area. A bit of a drive and not for those who are looking for a challenging climb but we enjoyed our visit.

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Shoshone Falls Park - Cool rock formations on road down to entrance

Shoshone Falls Park

4.5(218 reviews)
28.5 mi

Took a little side trip to see this waterfall while staying in nearby Jerome, ID. It costs $5 per…read morevehicle to enter. There is a guarded pay station as you drive into the parking area. They take credit cards for payment. We anticipated a lower falls flow than usual, since it's so late in the season, but we still thoroughly enjoyed our visit and thought it was well worth the $5 fee. They have restrooms, picnic tables, dog potty area with waste bags, garbage cans, and an information kiosk off the parking area. There is a nice sized viewing platform available for a closer the falls and Snake River. There's about a dozen stairs down to the platform from the parking lot. There are plenty of viewing opportunities from the parking lot as well, if stairs aren't an option for you. Overall we really enjoyed our time here. We would highly recommend!

Known as the "Niagara of the West," this waterfall is definitely worth a stop. There's a $5…read moreentrance fee, and a sign at the entrance shows the current water flow level--full, medium, or low. We visited in mid-September, so unfortunately the waterfall wasn't at full flow. It's very easy to access, with a short walk from the parking lot to the viewing area. For the best chance of seeing the waterfall at full flow, spring or early summer is normally the best time to visit. We also visited Dierkes Lake nearby. It's a beautiful lake and a nice addition to the visit.

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Shoshone Falls Park
Shoshone Falls Park - Caught a rainbow at the base of the larger falls!! March 2023

Caught a rainbow at the base of the larger falls!! March 2023

Shoshone Falls Park - Info signs around the park! Very interesting history!

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Info signs around the park! Very interesting history!

Malad Gorge State Park - The trailhead sign for Devil's Washbowl lookout point.

Malad Gorge State Park

4.3(11 reviews)
22.6 mi

Wow! Amazing views and depths will be seen here! Colorful shades of blue in the water . Crazy…read moresteep drops, so be careful where you view. No risky selfies please.

Malad Gorge State Park is located in Hagerman, Idaho and is one of several units of the Thousand…read moreSprings State Park area. Other nearby sections include...Niagara Springs, Box Canyon Springs and Ritter Island. For visiting Malad Gorge, yes...you do have pleasant surroundings from high above. But the frequently talked about highlight for coming here is getting to see Devil's Washbowl. Devil's Washbowl is a 150 foot waterfall splashing down into the Snake River that cuts between the canyon gorge. All you have to do is walk a short pathway from the parking lot (1/4 of a mile) to an overlook vista point to catch the best glimpses of Devil's Washbowl. ***But, here was my problem...Devil's Washbowl was so far off into the distance, it's virtually impossible to get a quality photo of (if you're using your phone and not a professional camera). That was disappointing. If you simply view Devil's Washbowl with your own eyes, it can be nice. It can be dramatic. But I was expecting to be standing a lot closer to the waterfall and this distant lookout point was a letdown because I had high expectations after getting to see other colorful waterfalls around Thousand Springs. It takes 2 minutes to watch Devil's Washbowl from the observation point. If you'd like, you can continue along the 2.5 mile walking pathway from high above the gorge, but there's not much to see. Extras to mention... - When walking over to Devil's Washbowl vista point, you cross over a footbridge beside I-84. Although it is noisy outside from the passing cars on the highway, the views looking down through the gorge were picturesque. Plus, Devil's Washbowl is actually located right underneath this footbridge. So...if you're not afraid of heights and don't mind leaning over the bridge, you can get a closer view of the falls standing on top of them. But, during my research, I read it was still difficult taking pictures from atop the footbridge. I didn't attempt this because if I ever somehow dropped my phone, I'd have problems, lol. - It's $7 day use entry for visiting Malad Gorge SP. But, this $7 is good at the other units as well like Box Canyon, Ritter Island and Niagara Springs...the parks that I stopped at for the day. - Devil's Washbowl is located off to the right hand side when you enter Malad Gorge SP. There's a roughly 5 mile scenic loop road you can drive around the park. It offers different viewpoints of the gorge, but nothing will get you closer to Devil's Washbowl than the primary lookout point beside the footbridge. Off to the left hand side when entering is a large picnic pavilion with plenty of grass. In the end, Malad Gorge State Park is a quick visit. I know I've said this before in many prior reviews where I don't have the most fulfilling experiences, I'd just relay to others to maybe temper expectations when seeing Devil's Washbowl. It's not so special and I found better opportunities at nearby waterfalls...Lemmon Falls, Minnie Miller Springs and Box Canyon Springs.

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Malad Gorge State Park - Entrance sign for Malad Gorge State Park

Entrance sign for Malad Gorge State Park

Malad Gorge State Park - Bridge directly above Devil's Washbowl waterfall.

Bridge directly above Devil's Washbowl waterfall.

Malad Gorge State Park - Walking over to Devil's Washbowl viewpoint

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Walking over to Devil's Washbowl viewpoint

Bruneau Dunes State Park - Observatory area

Bruneau Dunes State Park

4.6(33 reviews)
45.9 mi

Food: NA/5 Service: NA/5…read moreAmbiance: 5/5 Parking: 4/5 Family friendly: 5/5 Stroller friendly: 3/5 ADA accessible: 3/5 My family and I came here strictly for the sand dunes and observatory, late on a Sunday evening around 845-9pm. (Apparently the observatory is closed on Sunday?). Entrance fee is $7 cash or check when the gate is closed. You have to be in some type of shape as ascending the 60 deg incline hill of sand takes a bit of muscle and cardio endurance to make it up. Once at the top though, it's a serene and calming experience. On the backside of the first sand dune, the Snake River runs through. Similar to an Oasis in the desert. However, as some people may know or experience, wherever there is water, comes the bugs. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the bugs (mosquitoes) attacked. Not just one or two, swarms of mosquitoes. If you're like me and have allergic itching reactions to pest bites, be warned and have full body covering along with repellent. By the time we escaped to the car my son had been bit on the head and face. Just a forewarning. Bruneau Dunes State Park seems like a cool place to be. There were 3-4 individual camping locations that's were RV friendly and vast spaces for kids to run around. Sand Dunes themselves are not WC friendly unless you invent some type of sled to push/pull the WC up the hill. Also, make sure when dusk arrives, COVER UP!

I'm always on the hunt for an adventure so when I saw this was only 30 mins from my hotel, I knew I…read morehad to make a morning out of it! The entry fee was $7 and the drive to the dunes was quiet and peaceful. I went by myself and felt safe enough exploring the area alone. The views were gorgeous! This is truly a hidden gem tucked away in the farm lands. If you're in the mountain home area, check this place out!

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Bruneau Dunes State Park
Bruneau Dunes State Park
Bruneau Dunes State Park

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City of Rocks National Reserve - Freaky beetle, possibly a 10-lined June Beetle.  Seemed harmless, other than being a little too friendly!

City of Rocks National Reserve

4.8(14 reviews)
74.7 mi

Highly recommend going here. It's a bit off the beaten path but well worth the drive. The…read moreformations are amazing. It's like a whole natural rock city in the middle of nowhere. We lived in Idaho for three years and thus was probably my favorite place. We aren't climbers but we walked, drove and picnicked. Perfect place for kids to expend some energy. We went two times and it was never jam packed or crowded. Beautiful place.

Eleven Yelp reviews and not a single one from an Idahoan. Until now…read more I'm not sure why this magnificent spot, along the Applegate Trail between Fort Hall and Southern Oregon, doesn't get more attention. It's certainly known by Idaho residents and by rock climbers; I guess they just aren't huge Yelp users. Oregon pioneer brothers Jesse and Lindsay Applegate, who each lost a son to drowning in the Columbia River when coming out on the Oregon Trail in 1843, set out to find a safer route. They came up with what was originally known as the Southern Route before a critic who made the first trip derisively called it the Applegate Trail, which stuck. The route from Fort Hall was also part of the California Trail. The City of Rocks was long a gathering place for the Shoshone tribe, whose members came to collect pine nuts. They also hunted rock chucks and game animals and dug root vegetables. The rocks are stunning. Walking along some of the trails gives a different view everywhere you turn. And the changing light provides a change in how the rocks look. Campsites, both for campers and for tents, are spread out. There's no electricity or running water at the sites, but potable water can be gathered at stations and vault toilets are available in several parts of the park. If you plan to travel from Boise or other locations west of City of Rocks, take Interstate 84 to the Declo exit and head south on Highway 77. We took the Burley exit and went through Oakley. The dirt road outside Oakley took nearly an hour. It was much quicker leaving through the eastern side of the park and Highway 77.

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City of Rocks National Reserve - Trees growing on a stand of rocks.

Trees growing on a stand of rocks.

City of Rocks National Reserve - Our campsite

Our campsite

City of Rocks National Reserve

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Balanced Rock & Balanced Rock Park - hiking - Updated October 2026

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