JUNE 2017, MARCH 2019 & MARCH 2021
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| LITTLE CITY OF ROCKS |
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| LITTLE CITY OF ROCKS |
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| LITTLE CITY OF ROCKS |
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| LITTLE CITY OF ROCKS |
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| LITTLE CITY OF ROCKS |
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| LITTLE CTIY OF ROCKS |
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| LITTLE CITY OF ROCKS |
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| LITTLE CITY OF ROCKS |
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| LITTLE CITY OF ROCKS |
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| LITTLE CITY OF ROCKS |
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| LITTLE CITY OF ROCKS |
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| LITTLE CITY OF ROCKS |
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| LITTLE CITY OF ROCKS |
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| 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.
