Thousand Springs State Park is a public recreation and nature preservation area consisting of multiple units — Billingsley Creek, Earl M. Hardy Box Canyon Springs Nature Preserve, Malad Gorge, Niagara Springs, and Ritter Island — in Gooding County, Idaho.

Park units

The

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

was created in 2005, when four existing state parks in the Hagerman Valley were merged into a single entity, with an additional unit subsequently added to the complex. ;Billingsley Creek This former ranch was purchased by the state in 2001. One feature is the homesite of western author Vardis Fisher. Billingsley Creek Unit totals . ;Earl M. Hardy Box Canyon Springs Nature Preserve This

box canyon A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency to ...

has walls. At its head is the eleventh-largest spring in North America, gushing per minute. There is a

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

. The property was developed by the

Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, United States. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in ...

which purchased the site in 1999, then completed its transfer to the state in 2016. ;Malad Gorge Malad Gorge is a

canyon A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency t ...

formed by the Malad River, downstream from a waterfall. This day-use unit is off Interstate 84 and offers

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

and picnicking. A section of the

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in North America that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what ...

is visible. Rock pigeons,

red-tailed hawk The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members of ...

s and

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

s nest in the canyon. Yellow-bellied marmots are found on the canyon floor. ;Niagara Springs Proclaimed a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best e ...

, this area borders the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river in the interior Pacific Northwest region of the United States. About long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, which is the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. Begin ...

and features sheer basalt cliffs high. There are in two parcels, acquired in 1971 and 1976. ;Ritter Island This unit lies along the Snake River between two large springs.

References

External links

Thousand Springs State Park
Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation
Thousand Springs State Park Location Map
Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation {{authority control State parks of Idaho Protected areas of Gooding County, Idaho Protected areas established in 2005 2005 establishments in Idaho Parks established in the 2000s National Natural Landmarks in Idaho Oregon Trail Snake River

Park units

See also

References

Further reading

External links