SOUTHERN IDAHO

GOODING CITY OF ROCKS

APRIL 2019, MAY 2019, MAY 2020, APRIL 2021 & MARCH 2022

GOODING CITY OF ROCKS

The Gooding City of Rocks (not to be confused with the nearby Little City of Rocks) is my kind of place. It includes some incredible canyons and rock formations, yet remains mostly unknown. I just found out about it a couple years ago, and almost nobody I talk to in Boise has ever heard of it. The best time of year to visit is likely May, as there will be a lot of greenery and streams will be running strongly through most of the major canyons. Be aware that it is located at a fairly high elevation, so the road into it may not open until around May. I originally tried to hike it in March of 2019, only to find the road covered in a foot of snow.

The Gooding City of Rocks includes a labyrinth of canyons. The first time I visited in April of 2019, I hiked two of the smaller canyons to the southeast and was blown away by what I saw. I had picked out two of the larger canyons to hike prior to arriving, but ended up switching things up when I saw how green and pleasant the first canyon I arrived at was. I just started following the stream running through the canyon just below the parking area until I came to the next canyon with a strong stream and decided to follow it up and back to my car.

Being so impressed with my first visit, I returned again in May to try the more common loop starting at Coyote Springs. This area was even more impressive than the first area I visited. The trail was a bit rough at the start, trying to decide whether to stay above, or slog through the water and tall grasses along the stream. I did a mix of both before the canyon eventually opened up and the walking became easier. Both times I visited I had the entire place to myself, which made me a little nervous. The rocks in these canyons formed in a way which created numerous dark caves, which would make perfect homes for coyotes, mountain lions or bears. I never saw one, but always tried to stay as far away as I could just in case. I did see a couple deer carcasses along my walk that made me a bit nervous in some parts. But all in all, a very pleasant place to spend an afternoon. There are also supposed to be some petroglyphs just east of the main road that I have so far been unable to find. It's hard to believe this area is still flying under the radar.

I returned to the Gooding City of Rocks again in May, 2020 to explore Coyote Creek, the canyon to the west of where I hiked previously, as it looked really impressive from aerial maps. I got off to a slow start however, as I got a bit off course and ended up hiking down the wrong canyon for a while. Eventually I realized my mistake and made a long cross-country trek back to Coyote Creek where I found a spot to drop down into it. While Coyote Creek is beautiful, it is very difficult to move around in. The spot I dropped into was completely overgrown with trees, shrubs and bushes that made it very difficult to move through. I found myself thinking this canyon would be the perfect spot for a trail, due to how lush and shady it was. I was impressed with all of the birch trees located this far out into the desert, and Coyote Creek is a fairly large stream with fish in it, though it did keep disappearing underground like a lot of streams in the Gooding City of Rocks do.

I visited again in April of 2021 hoping to check out some of the canyons to the west of the main loop, and it ended up requiring a lot more effort than I had anticipated. I first made my way into and out of Coyote Creek, which didn't require too much effort, but the next canyon was much deeper, and took a lot of work to get to the bottom of and climb back out again. Though it did have a large healthy stream with fish running through it. I originally planned to explore some of the canyons beyond here, due to how pleasant they looked in aerial photos, but I was so exhausted from the hike over, that I didn't quite reach my planned destination. I actually found an elk carcass in one of the canyon I was following, and thought I heard a group of coyotes yelping nearby just before deciding to head back.

I hiked south for a mile or so before finding another way into the deep canyon, and walked up a pleasant side canyon feeding into it which had a nice stream running through it. I then worked my way over and down into Coyote Creek, near the location where I had entered Coyote Creek from the east on a previous trip, and decided to just fight my way down canyon through the brush until it opened up. While the scenery was nice, the hike was pretty brutal, and left me with scratches all over my arms and legs. While Coyote Creek is a fairly large stream, it is very hard to access and even view due to the willows and other plants enveloping it. On my way back to my car, I passed through some more side canyons I hadn't yet been to before and found some nice arches and other features.

I returned again in March 2022 after a failed attempt earlier that morning to hike the Gooding City of Rock West near Bliss, Idaho due to Hill City Road being closed. I started the standard loop hike from Coyote Springs, but prior to turning back up stream at the confluence, I continued down canyon for a mile or so to see some features I hadn't seen for several years. It was a really beautiful, overcast day, so I was able to get some nicer shots of some of the arches and spires than I had gotten previously. I also found an arrowhead while walking through one of the canyons.

MESA FALLS

JULY 2013 & OCTOBER 2016

UPPER MESA FALLS

BELOW UPPER MESA FALLS

UPPER MESA FALLS

LOWER MESA FALLS

UPPER MESA FALLS

BELOW UPPER MESA FALLS

Upper and Lower Mesa Falls both make great excursions if you are ever traveling between Idaho Falls and Yellowstone. To see them, you will need to leave Highway 20, and take the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway. There is a signed parking area for Lower Mesa Falls located just off the scenic byway. Be aware that the viewing area for Lower Mesa Falls is located pretty far away from falls, so you won't be able to get a real close look at it. It is still cool to see. If you do want a closer look, there is a trail leading to the top of the falls the Upper Mesa Falls parking area. I haven't hiked this trail, but it is on my to-do list.

Less than a mile north of the Lower Mesa Falls parking area, there will be a signed turn-off to Upper Mesa Falls. This waterfall blew me away when I first saw it. I had never even heard of it until the day before I visited in July of 2013. There is a very nice trail and boardwalk taking you from the parking area down to the falls for some impressive views.

LITTLE CITY OF ROCKS

JUNE 2017, MARCH 2019 & MARCH 2021

LITTLE CITY OF ROCKS

LITTLE CTIY OF ROCKS

LITTLE CITY OF ROCKS

Little City of Rocks is a cool 4.2-mile round-trip hike located just outside of Gooding that will take you by some really cool rock formations. I first visited in June of 2017, and had only found out this place existed a couple years before visiting. While I'd seen a few photos on-line, I completely underestimated it. This is my kind of place. While there is a standard 4.2-mile loop, you really get to pick your own route. There are several different side canyons you can explore, and different rock features you can walk up to to get better looks at. I added a couple miles onto the end of the hike trying to find the petroglyphs located here. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful.

I visited a second time in March of 2019, and it was even more beautiful than the first time I visited. Everything was green, and there was a pretty healthy stream running along the bottom of the canyon that mostly dried up when I visited the first time in June. The 1.2-mile dirt road to Little City of Rocks from Highway 46 can be a bit messy in the Spring, so you will need to be careful. If the road is too muddy, you can always just hike the extra mile each way.

I hiked this area again in March of 2021 after finding the road to the Gooding City of Rocks to still be snowed over. I decided I would explore the canyons to the west of the main loop that I hadn't seen before, and was able to find some cool spires and arches. If you've already done the main canyon, and want a bit more solitude, the canyons to the west are worth visiting.

Also of note, when I returned in 2021, the last 0.7 miles of the road had been closed off to vehicles. So you will need to hike about an additional mile-and-a-half when doing the loop hike. This last section crosses private land, and as this area has become much more popular recently, I'm assuming people were getting out of control with camping or parking where they weren't supposed to.

CITY OF ROCKS

MARCH 2017

WINDOW ARCH

CITY OR ROCKS

CREEKSIDE TOWERS

BATH ROCK

CREEKSIDE TOWERS

CITY OF ROCKS

CREEKSIDE TOWERS

WINDOW ARCH

BATH ROCK

City of Rocks is a fun spot located about an hour south of Burley near the Idaho/Utah border. We stopped here for an afternoon in March of 2017 and did the quarter-mile hike to Window Arch, the half-mile loop around Bath Rock and a one-mile round-trip hike down the Creekside Towers Trail from Bath Rock. I was really impressed with the area. It was cool having a forest and stream mixed in with the cool rocks. I would love to go back to check out some of the other trails. The Visitors Center was closed, and there was hardly anyone there when we visited in March. It was an especially snowy winter that year, and the City of Rocks Road, which travels through the reserve, was closed just west of Bath Rock due to snow.