Known as the “Niagara of the West,” Shoshone Falls is a must-visit, family day road trip attraction in Twin Falls, ID. This low-cost ($5) city park is ideal for a relaxing, unique day, and an easy, two-hour drive from Boise. Families can also easily combine Shoshone Falls with a visit to the exceptional Perrine Bridge on the way into or out of town.
Road Trip to Shoshone Falls
Shoshone comparison to Niagara
Last summer about this time we were prepping for our family vacation to Niagara Falls. I was intrigued to learn that Shoshone (212 feet) is actually TALLER than Niagara, just much less in volume. It also lacks the tourism of Niagara, so a family couldn’t feasibly create a full vacation out it alone. Still, it makes for a stunning and memorable day visit, especially considering the very low price tag. Also, Shoshone is a city park, making it less restrictive than state or national ones. For instance, the park fully permitted drones, allowing us to capture this:
Shoshone Throughout the Seasons
The volume going over Shoshone is anything but consistent over the course of a year. We visited in July, which gave us the pictures you see here. If you want a much greater flow, the best time to visit would be between April and June when the melting snow from the surrounding mountains is the highest. Much of the water that would otherwise head over the falls is nowadays diverted from the Snake River to irrigate farmland. Sometimes, especially after the summer tourism season ends, the waterfall level drops very considerably.
However, you can easily determine ahead of time if your drive will be worth the view given the potential low levels of the falls. See before you go by looking at the live feed here: https://shoshonefalls.tfid.org/view.htm?mode=l.
What Shoshone Park Offers
The park also includes a food stand/gift shop and plenty of picnic areas. If the day is not too hot (like it was when we visited), consider the approximately hour-long hike along the Canyon Rim Trail to the Evel Knievel jump site. This infamous mound of dirt marks the spot of Knievel’s 1974 failed attempt at jumping the Snake Canyon. His parachute deployed early, sinking the stunt. Thankfully, Knievel escaped the the ordeal with only a broken nose, what would have been a token injury for him.
Perrine Bridge
After our too-brief visit at the falls, we made the short drive back into the town of Twin Falls to visit the Buzz Langdon visitor center and the Perrine Bridge. Spanning the Snake River Canyon and boasting a height of 486 feet, the Perrine Bridge is the eighth-highest bridge in the U.S. If heights, combined with loud traffic noise, don’t bother you, the bridge provides a pedestrian lane to walk the whole way across (we didn’t).
The main attraction at the bridge, besides the impressive bridge itself, is watching BASE jumpers do their thing. The Perrine Bridge is the only man-made structure in the U.S. where BASE jumping is allowed year-round without a permit. We were fortunate enough to see a few crazies…er, ultra-brave guys, do what they do best:
After being thoroughly wowed and mesmerized with the jumps, we took time to cool off in the air-conditioned visitor center. There, the colorful displays whet our appetite to get out and see more of the great state of Idaho.
All in good time.
Had you heard of Shoshone before now? If you have visited Shoshone yourself, tell us about your experience in the comments below.
What a beautiful place to visit and spend some time enjoying the beauty of the area! Great pictures!
Impressive place. The falls are amazing….and then the falling amazing….the whole Evel Knievel thing. Oh my goodness – can’t imagine. Looks like a great trip and the pictures are gorgeous. Thanks.
This is a pretty impressive waterfall! What a great spot to visit (and less crowded than Niagara Falls).
Beautiful!! Sounds like a delightful trip!!
I have never heard of this one before. Adding it to my list of places to go.
I have been to Niagara Falls and I would certainly visit Shoshone Falls. It looks like a great place to visit another great falls. Thanks for sharing.
I didn’t know Shoshone Falls is taller than Niagara Falls. I live a lot closer to Shoshone Falls so my ability to get there is higher. 😉
I love waterfalls!
Thanks for putting this on my radar! Looks gorgeous…
This is on my list! I can’t wait to go. It is only a few hours from my house!
Gorgeous!! I totally want to go there! I love all your pictures! Awesome adventure!
This looks beautiful! I have been to Niagara Falls but we will have to go see this someday!
I would love to visit ID some day. These falls are amazing!
Breathtaking views! I didn’t know that had such impressive falls there.
I have never heard of this waterfall before. Wow! Beautiful and the landscape around it is even more beautiful than Niagara Falls.
Your pictures are beautiful! A friend told me about how her family visited this place and that they had a blast. Will definitely need to add it to the list of places to visit.
what a beautiful fall…and to be greeted with a rainbow!
Love the pictures and videos! Definitely would love to visit.
Simply Gorgeous! WOW!
What an amazing family picture with the rainbow right behind you! We live pretty close to Shoshone Falls too so we’ll have to make the trip out!
Wow! Absolutely stunning pictures! I would love visiting those falls!
So beautiful! I love waterfalls and these are spectacular. I’d like to visit Idaho too.
Wow what a gorgeous waterfall. I wish I had seen it when we were in Idaho.
That looks like an AMAZING place to visit!
I never heard of this fall’s. It’s beautiful!
We live in Utah and I am always looking for drivable vacation ideas. Thank you for this post. This looks amazing!
It was! And better yet, there are many other things to do in the Twin Falls, ID, general area.
This is amazing!!! Now I need to go to Niagara and Shoshone! Thanks for these tips
I have heard of these falls before, but they are definitely on my list of places to see in the future
Ooh, I had a friend who lived in Boise and so I heard of Twin Falls, but I had no idea they were so big! Gorgeous!
Wow – great post. The videos really give you a sense for what to expect and it really makes me want to travel there. I love the fun fact about Evil Knievel! We might try to make it up there this summer!
I wa to Niagara Falls several years ago now.. live waterfalls and this place looks absolutely beautiful!
I do like the bridge there, but holy can’t imagine jumping!
My spelling is awful! WAS to and LOVE waterfalls!
No problem on the spelling! I think we’ve all been there with either typing too quickly or that darn auto correct!