Our Impressions of Twin Falls, Idaho
When we planned our west coast trip, we had never heard of Twin Falls, Idaho. When we were in Delco, ID we noticed there were a lot of things to see and do in Twin Falls, which was about an hour away. We didn’t want to drive back and forth, so we shortened our stays in Delco and Boise to be able to explore Twin Falls. We are so glad we did!
It was one of our favorite stops on our west coast trip! We are sorry we could not create more time in our itinerary to spend in Twin Falls!
Geographically, Twin Falls is a bustling community along the Snake River in south central Idaho. There are so many parks and attractions to check out and explore! If you do not make this a stop, you will really be missing out!
There will be only one restaurant review included in the Restaurant section of this blog, Idaho Joe’s. When the price, portions and quality of a restaurant are all exceptional, why go anywhere else?
Twin Falls Attractions
Auger Falls Heritage Park is a hidden gem on the Snake River. It is past the waste water treatment plant, and there is only one small 8” x 12” sign that lets you know there is a park close by! There are many walking paths to take you down to Auger Falls.
Centennial Park is also located on the Snake River. There are lots of shaded picnic tables, restrooms, kayak launches, kayak rentals from AWOL and a snack bar. It is a pleasant place to spend an afternoon.
Evel Knievel Jump Site and the Canyon Rim Trail is another place that is a little difficult to find. The Evel Knievel Jump Site is on the Canyon Rim Trail. There is a parking lot at the jump site, but there are no signs about the actual jump site until you are on the Canyon Rim Trail. At the point of his jump the Snake River Canyon is a mile wide. We couldn’t believe anyone would want to jump that far! He didn’t make it, but he sure made news trying!
The Canyon Rim Trail is more than 20 miles of trails and 640 acres along the Snake River. The park provides the perfect setting to relax and unwind or hike and bike. Benches are placed strategically for resting and viewing the Shoshone Falls.
The Perrine Memorial Bridge is named after the founder of Twin Falls. The bridge is 1,500 ft. long and spans the Snake River Canyon. It is a four-lane bridge with pedestrian walkways on both sides that offer spectacular views of the Snake River and the BASE jumpers! The Perrine Bridge is the eighth tallest bridge in the United States.
BASE jumping is the recreational sport of jumping from fixed objects, using a parachute to descend safely to the ground. “BASE” is an acronym that stands for four categories of fixed objects from which one can jump: buildings, antennae (radio masts), spans (bridges), and earth (cliffs). Jumpers exit from a fixed object and after a freefall delay, deploy a parachute to slow their descent and land. The Perrine Bridge is known all over the world. It is the only man-made structure in the U.S. where BASE jumping is allowed year-round without a permit. The drop from the Perrine Bridge is 486 feet.
Shoshone Falls is also called “The Niagara of the West”. At 212 feet tall and 900 ft. wide, Shoshone Falls is one of the largest natural waterfalls in the U.S., surpassing the height of the famous Niagara Falls. Depending on where the measurement is taken, Niagara Falls varies between 167 feet and 188 feet. On some summer weekends the park even puts on a light show over the falls!
Downtown Twin Falls
Downtown Twin Falls includes three streets of thriving stores, shops and restaurants. And no parking meters!
Food and Drink
Idaho Joe’s is a casual restaurant on Route 93 in Twin Falls. EVERYTHING in Idaho Joe’s is home-made and someone really knows how to cook! Everything was fresh, not frozen, including the fish!! When you walk in, you are greeted by about 20 different varieties of pies in a cooler. Service is fast and friendly. Large portions at a reasonable price! Even though it is a small thing, we never had to ask for refills on coffee, tea or water. And no additional fee for using a credit card.
Home Base: The Campground
For us, a campground is not our destination. Our RV is self-contained. Except for water, electric and sewer rarely do we use campground services or amenities. We are explorers, not campground reviewers!
We were originally scheduled to stay on site 13, but moved to site 11 at the Twin Falls/Jerome KOA Holiday in Jerome, Idaho. 30 and 50 amp service were available. Our full hook up (water-sewer-electric) site was on UNLEVEL gravel. Both of our pull through sites were long enough to leave the Jeep hooked up and still have both vehicles off the road; however, these sites were ridiculously narrow. We were unable to put out our awning because it would hit our neighbor’s awning. Our driver’s side slide was less than 2 feet from our neighbor’s slide. There was poor cell phone coverage (Verizon), but the campground wifi was strong. We were able to find an open southern sky for our satellite. Easy off and on I-84 / 93.
Fun Facts
There are no stairs, only a hiking trail to climb back up to the Perrine Bridge after a jump. If you were to BASE jump 65 times, it is roughly the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest!
Population: | 53,213 |
Founded: | 1904 |
Elevation: | 3,734 |
Average income for a single person: | $25,741 |
Average price of housing: | $426,900 |
Median age of the population: | 34 |
Website: https://www.tfid.org/
Summary
This is a very special place. It is definitely a place we will return to!
Since beginning our full-time journey to discover the country, we have found something to appreciate in every city and town we have passed through. We hope you enjoy reading about them as much as we have enjoyed discovering them!
No person, business or attraction has paid us for an endorsement. AI has not been used to create any of the content in this blog or website. All of the photos in this blog and website were taken by Dave or Kathryn Harrington. |
Your partners in travel,
Kathryn, Dave and Lucky
RVing Nomads
It’s a lifestyle
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