Shoshone Falls
Waterfall · Twin Falls, Idaho
A 212-foot horseshoe of basalt on the Snake River three miles from downtown Twin Falls - forty-five feet higher than Niagara Falls and about nine hundred feet across, which is why it has been called the Niagara of the West since the 1860s. It is the historic upstream limit of salmon migration on the Snake, and it was a Shoshone fishing site long before the Oregon Trail wagon trains detoured to look at it. ⚠ THE FLOW IS MANAGED, NOT NATURAL: Idaho Power diverts the river above the lip for a hydroelectric plant and the irrigation districts take the rest, so the falls run from overwhelming in a wet spring to a damp cliff face in an autumn drought.
4155 Shoshone Falls Grade Road, Twin Falls, Idaho, 83301, United States
Open dawn to dusk, year round, apart from temporary closures when the canyon road is in poor condition. A VEHICLE FEE OF ABOUT $5 IS CHARGED THROUGH THE WARM SEASON and it is NOT CHARGED IN WINTER - the city has published the start date as both 1 March and 30 March in different places, so assume it applies from early spring. A season pass and a twenty-visit coupon book are sold at the gate, at City Hall and at the Parks and Recreation office. THE SAME FEE COVERS DIERKES LAKE AND THE CANYON RIM TRAIL for the day. Five pull-through RV spaces are day-use only and there is no overnight camping. ⚠ THE SHOSHONE FALLS GRADE, the steep road into the canyon, was rebuilt through the winter of 2024-25 and closed again briefly for culvert repair in late 2025. It is open - verify current status before travelling, because it is the only way in.