The Most Underrated Town of our Trip: Twin Falls, ID
Since Yosemite was the terminus for our westward trip, we had a decision to make after our night of survival in Folsom Lake. Where to next?
Our trip thus far had been filled with new adventures in states that we had previously visited, but it was time to venture into completely uncharted territory. We were heading to Idaho.
I’ll be honest: it was only in the last year that we heard anything about Idaho, other than the fact that it was a state that exists in a land far, far away from central Kentucky. Our dear friend Caliesha had the opportunity to visit last summer and positively raved about the landscape, the people, and (most importantly) the huckleberries. Her photos were enough to hype me up about a state that I knew next-to-nothing about.
We set out on the road and, after a trip through Donner Pass (thankfully no cannibalism on this journey), we hit the desert. Dirt, dust, and wide open spaces (cue The Chicks) for hundreds of miles. After hours and hours of driving, we came upon a self-proclaimed “foodie” town (I shan’t name names to protect the not-so-innocent) and had what can only be described as the most land-locked Mediterranean food in existence. I’m not sure what it was, but that $15 hummus was not hummus.
Finally, we made the turn northward and entered the magical town of Twin Falls.
For the most part, Twin Falls is a regular town filled with your generic box stores - Target, Barnes & Noble, etc. As soon as you pass the Best Buy, however, you are suddenly on a gorgeous bridge over a large river canyon. Since we were arriving during golden hour, the sun cast a beautiful warm light over the canyon, bathing everything we could see in a magnificent glow.
The next morning, we headed to Shoshone Falls (pronounced Show-shone, despite my desire to call it Show-shown-ee like an absolute tourist), Twin Falls’ namesake landmark. As we stepped down to the viewing platform, the gigantic cascading falls took our breath away. This monstrous, roaring waterfall was right in front of our eyes and completely uncovered by mist, giving visitors the opportunity to take in the entirety of its view. A rainbow spilled out of the falls, as if they needed any extra accessories to make them great.
After hiking the park’s trail to the site of Evil Knievel’s failed jump attempt in 1974, we made our way to Shoshone Falls’ sister park, Dierkes Lake. The canyon lake was filled with bright turquoise waters. Since we were visiting in the springtime, we had the opportunity to see plenty of goslings throughout the park. I kept my distance from their parents, though, because I’m still haunted by the one time at summer camp where someone told me that a goose can rip out your ACL. Phil tries to tell me that this is not possible, but I’m not so sure…
In the afternoon, we enjoyed dinner over the Snake River Canyon at Elevation 486 where I cashed in on Caliesha’s recommendation and had not one, but two huckleberry dishes: a huckleberry cocktail & a huckleberry chicken salad. Both the drink & the meal were divine & the views were even better. At this point in the trip I’m asking myself, Why on earth do people not talk about how great Idaho is?! I’m only a little salty that it took me this long to visit.
If you’re in the market for a slow-paced small town with spectacular views & kind people, may I introduce you to Twin Falls?
TLDR: Beware of geese and visit Idaho.
