Idaho Falls, Idaho – Explore the Great Outdoors
Idaho Falls
Small-town charm, outdoor activities, and a lively riverbank
Idaho Falls is on the beautiful Snake River and has a real, friendly vibe. There are lots of things to do there all year. People who love the outdoors love how close it is to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. They also love the natural hot springs, fly fishing on the Snake River, and Mesa Falls’ tall waterfalls. Families enjoy places with kid-friendly activities, like a zoo, aquarium, parks, and activities along the river. Downtown Idaho Falls has places to eat and shop in historic buildings that have been carefully restored for people who love both food and culture. Best of all, you can visit Idaho Falls in all four seasons. You’ll love exploring the state’s second-largest city at any time of the year.
Discover the Great Outdoors
Idaho Falls is the city that is closest to Yellowstone National Park. You can hike, bike, fish, ride horses, and camp near Yellowstone’s beautiful geysers, rivers, and geothermal features in just two hours. Check out Yellowstone Bear World, a wildlife park that you can drive through with your kids. There you can bottle-feed a bear cub.
Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are great ways to enjoy the Teton Mountains in the winter. You can also go snowmobiling on a journey. A walk through the Craters of the Moon National Monument in the west will take you through volcanic craters and lava fields. To the north, Island Park is known as the Snow Mobile Capital of the World. You can rent mountain cabins with hot tubs outside in Island Park. Not many people know this, but May and October have great weather and fewer people.
The center of Idaho Falls
Idaho Falls used to be a frontier town, and you can still see signs of that in the cute streets of downtown. You can learn about buildings from the turn of the century that have Art Deco, Renaissance Revival, and Georgian Revival styles by going on a walking trip. Some building faces haven’t changed much over the years, but inside you’ll find pubs, galleries, shops selling antiques, and small shops. The city’s “Art You Can Sit On” creative project has chairs that you can use to sit and take lots of great pictures. There are dozens of benches in downtown and along the Snake River that are shaped like fishing lures, bicycles, canoes, and mountain tops, among other things. The Museum of Idaho, the Idaho Falls Aquarium, and the Idaho Falls Zoo are some other interesting places to visit.
Having fun by the river
Idaho Falls is in the middle of the Snake River. The city’s River Walk is an eight-kilometer stretch of waterfront that has been turned into a greenbelt with parks, paths, piers, historic markers, and public event spaces with views of the water. In the summer, a lot is going on at the waterfront. People from all over the world come together for free outdoor music, a farmers’ market, and other events. Visit the Art Museum of Eastern Idaho. It’s right on the river, and every first Saturday of the month, it’s free to get in. Take a peaceful walk through the Japanese grounds at Sportsman’s Park, which is on a small island in the Snake River.