Ready to immerse yourself in Southern Idaho’s gorgeous natural scenery? Twin Falls, a two-hour drive from Boise, offers a stunning backdrop for outdoor adventure.
As we approach the I.B. Perrine Bridge (spanning 1,500 feet across the Snake River), we immediately cross over to the visitor center for the best perspective.
This is the only bridge of its kind that allows BASE jumping without a permit. And speaking of daredevils, this is the famous spot where Evel Knievel flew his cycle across the Snake River back in 1974.
For now, we admire the beautiful scenery with picture-perfect blue skies and take in river, canyon and bridge views from a couple of prime viewing spots along the Canyon Rim Trail.
En route to Miracle Hot Springs, we stop in the cute little town of Twin Falls where we enjoy a healthy lunch at recently-opened Yellow Brick Café (136 Main Avenue North).
Here, lots of fresh salads, açai bowls and delicious breads, pastries and coffee drinks are on offer along with burgers and other comfort foods. All items contain regional products and highlight the best Idaho has to offer.
Fourth-generation, family-owned Miracle Hot Springs and its twin sister Banbury Hot Springs (across the road) are located in Buhl, about a half hour outside Twin Falls.
There’s four outdoor mineral pools on site along with 15 smaller VIP soaking pool rooms containing a small changing area and wooden bench.
Larger groups can rent one of six sizeable pool spaces. All pools are chemical-free, drained and cleaned nightly. They’re located at 19073A US 30 in Buhl, Idaho.
After a quite chilled afternoon spent in the pools, I check into The Fillmore Inn B & B (102 Fillmore Street), a charming inn owned by Dean and Julie Beaudet. The antique-filled rooms are cozy and comfortable.
The bathroom inside The Sleigh Room has a beautiful copper sink (formerly used for making candy) along with a whirlpool soaker tub.
[A very cool buffalo made of scrap metal greets us outside Elevation 486]
Dining at Elevation 486 (195 River Vista Place) offers stunning panoramic views of the canyon and Snake River from 486 feet up.
The menu is regionally focused with a great selection of wines from California, Washington and Idaho, as well as inventive cocktails and beers on tap and by the bottle.
[Seared Ahi tuna]
My seared Ahi tuna starter went down nicely with a pint of Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA.
[Hagerman Valley Ruby Red trout]
A drive to Shoshone Falls caps our day of adventure and discovery. At 212 feet, Shoshone is one of the tallest waterfalls in the US, comprising a series of falls: Bridal Veil, Bride’s Maid, Bridal Falls, Two Graces and Sentinel (the largest of the group).
We get to them just in time as moments later, a major downpour and lightning storm hit the area; still, they’re impressive to take in from the observation overlook!
The next morning, a tasty gourmet breakfast featuring homemade bread greets me at Fillmore Inn. Today we’re off for a morning kayak session on the Snake River. AWOL Adventure Sports hooks us up with single kayaks for some exploring — and the chance to take in more views of that spectacular bridge.
Rentals are available in two, four and eight-hour time blocks (they also rent SUP boards and offer zip-line tours and scuba diving courses).
As we approach the Perrine Bridge, a bonus: a few BASE jumpers are doing their thing on this sunny, warm June morning. You can just about spot the tiny parachute in the photo above, halfway under the center of the bridge.
[Gorgeous waterfall-spotting just up the road from AWOL Sports]
My visit to Twin Falls, Idaho was hosted by Visit Idaho. Opinions, as always, are my own.
