Sun Valley Diary 6

Shoshone Falls

Shoshone Falls is one of most spectacular natural beauties along the Snake River. The Falls is also known as “Niagara of the West”. 

Here I should mention one important thing, while planning for trips, always check about all the point of interests. I was about to make one mistake. While planning I kept Twin Falls in my itinerary with the idea of two falls together. In reality Twin Falls is actually a city, and the Shoshone Falls is situated at the edge of the city.

As per our plan we started from Crater of the Moon towards the Falls. It was late afternoon, we were already tired, but just didn’t want to miss. Any falls, small or big always attracts me. In morning we drove to north from Sun Valley, and then we drove south of Sun Valley. We didn’t have much time in hand to visit places leisurely. 

From Crater of the moon to Twin Falls the road is surprising straight and flat. We passed sparsely populated many little towns, barns, on our way. As we crossed Ketchum, suddenly the sky became dark. Clouds started floating in the sky, creating dark horizon, which in turn made the emerald green mountains more mystical than ever. But,I was indecisive to drive such a long route in fear of rain. Mr Man, who’s always adventurous, wanted to drive all the way. Fortunately it didn’t rain that evening.

The scenic park area of the falls offers many things to the outdoor lovers. The facilities include hiking, recreational area, picnic, and many more. If you have time you can hike to the falls while watching the spectacular natural beauty of the area. For car parking you need to spend only $5. 

No one knows about the falls besides the native Americans who lived in that area and depended on immense salmon run on Snake River as their main source of food. The falls named after the Lemhi Shoshone or Agaidika, means Salmon eater. First the falls was seen by a Canadian priest who was traveling west in 1847. He named it Canadian Falls. Then in 1849, when major Osborne Cross led an expedition across  Oregon Trail, one native American informed him about that Falls, which was ten miles away. They visited the falls, and completely captivated by the grandeur of it.  After that the name was changed from Canadian to Shoshone Falls.

We crossed a bridge over Snake River and entered nice Twin Falls City just to cross by. 

At the end of the Snake River Canyon the gusty falls flowing heavily from round big boulders to the canyon. They are best viewed during spring and early summer, as the water depends on the snow fall during winter. We were there in July, and we could see huge water flow. The overcast sky on the top, and the roaring water at the bottom created an enchanting environment.   All I wanted to stand there forever. However, the place was very crowded, and everyone wanted to take selfie with the falls. So, crowd didn’t like me standing there. 

It was late evening, almost dinner time, we decided to go back to Sun Valley.