In the early 1970’s, there was one name above all others that meant everything danger and everything daring. Young boys everywhere watched in awe as this internationally famous icon attempted incredible feat after incredible feat on his red, white and blue motorcycle. His name was Evel Kneivel and his legacy of stunts and thrills lives on today.
Growing up during this time, I like every other boy in the world, had an Evel Kneivel Stunt Toy Cycle that I would wind up and launch to jump any obstacle we could put in front of it. Many a child broke an arm or a leg trying to recreate one of Evel Kneivel’s famous aerial jumps on our three speed banana seat bicycles using a homemade ramp made out of cinder blocks and a 2 x 6. In fact, it was not unusual to see how many of one’s own siblings could be jumped, as we would lay them down in order of intelligence (least intelligent furthest out) to demonstrate our daredevil skills. So it was against this backdrop that in 1974 Evel Kneivel, after jumping buses, shark tanks, and fountains at Caesar’s Palace, planned his most daring feat of all; jumping the Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls, Idaho on a steam powered sky cycle.
I vividly remember tuning in on our vacuum tube television as the world watched to see if the daredevil showman would survive or kill himself in the attempt. After being lowered into the steam cycle showing no fear at all, Evel Kneivel launched himself into the air attempting to catapult himself a staggering one mile to the other side of the canyon. The daring attempt failed almost immediately as the drogue chute on his steam cycle malfunctioned and deployed on launch halting the cycle in midair causing the steam cycle to drift toward the raging river below. Blown by the canyon winds, the cycle landed in the bottom of the canyon and Evel Kneivel survived with just a broken nose.
Today Evel Kneivel’s famous ramp can still be seen directly across from the Twin Falls Idaho LDS Temple, ironically a stark reminder that no matter how many houses are built to God, this land remains inherently Evel! The legacy of Evel Knievel remains alive and well in this city, as daredevils from around the world come to base jump from the Perrine Bridge, the eighth highest bridge in the US and the only bridge from which base jumpers may jump without a permit. Meanwhile kayaker’s paddle in the snake river 486 feet below braving their way up the river past Evel Knievel’s ramp to beautiful Shoshone Falls. Known as the Niagara of the West this 212 foot waterfall is higher than Niagara Falls and is absolutely a must see destination when visiting this area of Idaho.
The name Evel Kneivel now rings empty in the ears of the younger generation who were not fortunate enough to be raised in the era of dare-devils and impossible stunts but the spirit of Evel Kneivel is alive and well in this new generation and if you don’t believe that spend any Saturday at the Perrine Bridge watching this new generation of dare-devils cheating death every few minutes as they plunge into the gorge below. If you are looking for danger in 2020, the new name for everything daring is Twin Falls, but it is also the name for beautiful waterfalls, unbelievable scenic byways, ancient and modern history, kayaking, golfing, exploring, hot springs, OHVing, fishing and so many other amazing adventures.
Shoshone Falls
Known as the Niagara of the West, this 212-foot waterfall just off I-84 is every bit as spectacular as its eastern counterpart without the commercialization. Traveling between Boise and Utah, I passed the signs to Shoshone Falls dozens of times completely oblivious to nature’s unexpected treasures that awaited me just minutes from the freeway. When I finally did wander off the freeway to this State Park, I was in complete awe at the sheer beauty of this site. I immediately rushed home and planned a trip to take Melinda to this rare natural wonder. The falls have several trails that can be hiked both down into the canyon and along the rim allowing the falls to be viewed from many vantage points. The site can get crowded in the summertime as many tourist buses stop to see the the falls but everything can be seen in less than an hour and are worth any wait. There is an overlook at the falls for photographs and you can feel the mist as it rises up from below creating double rainbows as reflected sunlight dances off of the water droplets in its myriad of colors. In May there is a laser light show at night where the night sky glows as the thundering waters of the falls and the walls of the canyon come to life with hundreds of shimmering lasers set to music. Tickets sell out early so go online to reserve your spot for the show. You won’t regret it!
In addition to the falls, the State Park also includes Dierkes Lake Park which features a swimming area and lake where kayaks and paddle boarders can enjoy the beauty of the Snake River Canyon, so be sure to bring your bathing suits and a lunch. The falls are the most impressive in the springtime when runoff is high, but the falls are beautiful anytime of the year. Cost to get in the State Park is $5 per vehicle. Due to the winding narrow road, vehicles towing trailers are not recommended.
Perrine Bridge
Entering Twin Falls from I-84 on Hwy 93 is one of the most breath taking, jaw dropping, awe inspiring views since Dorothy first saw the Emerald City. Out of the sage covered, barren landscape, the I.B. Perrine Bridge appears as a drawbridge standing over the natural basalt canyon moat of the Snake River ready to defend the city of Twin Falls located on its far side. Upon crossing the bridge the views are incredible as waterfalls pour out of the basalt canyons into the river below, lakes and green golf courses appear in the distant valley, and the ramp of Evel Knievel’s fated jump can be seen in the distance. You can also see the Twin Falls Idaho LDS Temple and don’t be surprised to see colorful parachutes as base jumpers plunge from the bridge into the canyon below.
The Perrine Bridge is 1500 feet long and 486 feet high and is the eighth highest bridge in the United States. It is the second bridge to span the Snake River at Twin Falls with the first being built in 1927 and the current bridge being built in 1974. I guess this answers the age old question; Why did Evel Knievel jump the Snake River Canyon in 1974? Answer: To avoid the construction delays on the bridge to the other side!
Upon crossing the bridge into Twin Falls, turn right immediately into the Visitor’s Center located on the canyon rim. Base jumpers use this site for staging on most any given day and especially on weekends the grounds will be teaming with jumpers packing their parachutes and preparing for what might be their final leap. From the Visitor’s Center cross under the bridge on the Snake River Canyon Rim Trail and there are viewing spots all along the trail to watch people with more guts and fewer brains than yourself attempt the twenty first century version of jumping your siblings as they throw themselves from the bridge in death defying acrobatics before their chutes deploy just moments before impact with the river below. But the fun doesn’t end there. Having deployed their parachutes at the last second, the jump gets even more exciting as you watch to see if they can clear the trees along the riverbank without impaling themselves and safely make the landing zone. I watched my sixteen and nineteen year old boys with nervous apprehension at the excitement they were displaying while watching this activity and thought that at least the only thing they could do that is near this dangerous in Utah is to wear a MAGA hat to a Black Lives Matter protest! (I guess when you say it out loud that actually sounds more dangerous!)
Evel Kneivel Jump Site
I will not soon forget the excitement I felt (or the disdain my children felt) as I woke my family early on a Sunday morning in May and set out to find the Holy Grail of 1970 boyhood; the Evel Kneivel jump site! With a GPS search on my iPhone, I was able to clearly identify the satellite view of the city streets that would take me to the holy shrine. As we pulled into the parking lot and looked directly across the irrigated farmland, we couldn’t help but notice the entrance to the Twin Falls LDS Temple. But as my family pointed to the beautiful edifice directly in front of us, they could not distract me from my crusade to find my own place of worship. For despite this being the Sabbath, my thoughts on this day were pure Evel!
The family unloaded from the vehicle and as we turned to the right my heart skipped a beat. Directly in front of us down a narrow dirt road stood what some might describe as a small dirt mound. Those who knew the significance of this site might refer to it as an engineered ramp. But to me, a boy of the 70’s, I heard the voices of angels sing for there in front of me stood the altar upon which Evel Kneivel offered himself as a sacrifice , defying the gods with his modern tower of Babel, daring to impose upon the territory the gods had claimed for themselves!
I approached the mound with both reverence and excitement!
As I climbed the ramp, my heart rate quickened as I saw the concrete blocks to which the launch pad had been anchored. As I topped the hill, I could see the deep basalt canyon and the rushing Snake River hundreds of feet below. A mile in the distance I could see the flat, barren intended landing zone. As I stared across the canyon, I could see a vehicle on the other side , it’s owner staring back at us and I wondered if his thoughts were the same as mine, “What in the hell was Evel thinking?” There is no way he was going to make it across that canyon! But that is when I realized that is exactly what made Evel Kneivel so great! He truly believed he could do the impossible and he was willing to risk his life to prove it and in so doing, he inspired a generation of children. Evel showed us that life has its risks, but we can face them all if we will just listen to the Evel within us! Standing there on the top of this ramp on a Sunday morning in May as the breeze blew down the canyon, an Evel spirit came over me and whispered in my ear, “the bold may not live long, but the meek never really live at all!”
Thousand Spring Scenic Byway
The Thousand Springs Scenic Byway (US-30 off I-84) winds through 67 miles of the most beautiful and geologically remarkable terrain in the state. This byway follows the Snake River Canyon, which has been carved out over hundreds of thousands of years, and beautiful waterfalls magically pour from the barren, basalt canyon walls to the fertile Snake River Valley below as if Moses himself had struck them with his rod bringing life to the Israelites in the wilderness. This is one of our favorite drives, especially in the spring time or after a rainstorm when high water flows multiply the waterfalls giving the appearance of thousands of springs which give the byway its namesake. The byway passes through many Idaho small towns, past the soothing water of multiple hot springs, multiple fisheries, and past the “melon” boulders that were formed when Lake Bonneville burst its natural dam flooding the snake river valley rolling boulders into these smooth round boulders that litter the valley.
Miracle Hot Springs/Banbury Hot Springs
Just southeast of the town of Hagerman, the Thousand Springs Scenic Byway passes several commercial hot springs including Miracle and Banbury Hot Springs. These commercial hot springs are extremely fun to visit for both families and couples. The resorts have open pools for families to soak and enjoy the soothing natural hot springs in multiple temperature pools. Additionally, the hot springs include private guest pools that can be booked for groups and couples very inexpensively. These private and VIP pools can also be enhanced with a massage for the perfect relaxing and romantic evening or just as a spa day to rejuvenate your body. Both resorts have overnight accommodations and Miracle Hot Springs has an alligator that has his own private hot pool.
Hagermann Fossil Beds National Monument and the Oregon Trail
Anyone who has been to Idaho knows how much Idahoans love their rodeos but there is a very good reason to believe that rodeo may have had its origins in the small town of Hagerman 3.5 million years ago. Yes that is right 3.5 million years ago! That is because the Hagerman Fossil Beds is where one of the oldest known horse fossils was discovered in 1928. Known as the Hagerman Horse it can be seen at the Hagerman Fossil Bed Visitor’s Center in Hagerman. Upon visiting this prehistoric horse fossil, we couldn’t help but imagine Neanderthal cowboys riding and roping on the Idaho plains in a first of its kind Pleistocene rodeo. In fact, it is possible that the very first attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon may not have been Evel Kneivel but may very well have been a Neanderthal named Tog riding a Hagerman Horse jumping the Snake Stream when the canyon was only a few feet wide!
An added bonus to the Hagerman Fossil Beds is that the road that leads into the National Monument is the Oregon Trail! Stop at the Trail overlook and you can still see the ruts in the landscape 6-10 feet deep carved out by the hundreds of thousands of wagons on their way to the Oregon territory. This whole area is truly a land which has locked its history in its geology making it a living textbook to not only be studied but to be touched and experienced in person.
Shoshoe Ice Caves
Ten thousand years ago at the end of the last ice age, the hot spot that now fuels the Yellowstone caldera formed volcanoes on the Idaho landscape as it moved beneath the earth’s surface. These volcanoes spewed lava rivers onto the earth’s surface which hardened into basalt rock as it was exposed to the air and cooled. This hardened rock then provided a layer of insulation that allowed rivers of lava to flow within them creating lava tubes under the surface. After thousands of years these tubes collapsed and closed off and in some very rare instances formed the perfect conditions for the formation of an ice cave. An ice cave forms when water from the surface seeps into the cave and air currents from the surface then flow through the tubes causing the water to freeze. These unique formations allow the cave to remain below freezing even on the hottest summer days. In the case of the Shosone Ice Caves the ice is between 9 to 30 feet deep year round. The caves are owned by a private entity and there is a modest charge to tour the caves, but this is a rare natural wonder and is worth the visit to explore this unique geological formation. The ice caves are located about an hour north of Twin Falls on Hwy 93.
Minidoka Japanese Internment Camp
In February of 1942, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order that moved nearly 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans to one of ten relocation centers out of fear that these people posed a potential threat to national security and the war effort due to their Japanese ethnicity. One of these internment camps was located near Jerome Idaho and was known as the Minidoka War Relocation Center. Today the remains of this camp have become the Minidoka National Historic Site and although little remains of the camp the National Park service has created a very moving memorial to the memory of the 9,000 Japanese Americans who were interned here throughout the war. The site serves as a reminder of what happens when bigotry and bias drive policy that unfairly removes the rights of one set of people to allay the fears of another group. In fact, many of the Japanese Americans who served here enlisted in the military and honorably served the nation while their relatives remained interned at Minidoka camp. The names of those from the camp who served are still remembered on the Wall of Honor located at the entrance to the camp. The site has a hiking trail that winds through the various locations for an interpretive experience and the site takes about an hour to tour. There is a Visitor Center at the site that is run by the National Park Service.
Malad Gorge State Park
Anyone who has driven between Utah and Boise has passed the Malad Gorge State Park which can be seen directly from I-84, however, unless you have stopped at Malad Gorge State Park you may not have realized that you are actually driving over a stunning stairstep waterfall as the freeway passes directly over the falls. The falls drop down into Devil’s Washbowl and then through a spectacular canyon with other falls dropping over the cliff edges into the canyon below. Malad Gorge State Park is a quick stop off the freeway and worth the few minutes to drive along the canyon rim or spend even longer hiking around the park. Once you have visited the Malad Gorge you’ll probably wonder why Evel Knievel didn’t try to jump this much narrower canyon.
South Hills OHV Trails
If you have an OHV then make sure you check out the South Hills which are located surprisingly south of Twin Falls. These hills have a lot of riding trails through beautiful greenery and mountain flowers. We caught a late snow storm when we were there in May and so we got a mix of both greenery and whitery but even when covered in snow the trails were enjoyable. We drove over the South Hills into Nevada and dropped into Jackpot for lunch at Cactus Pete’s. Make sure when you drive up in your mud covered OHV’s that you get the valet parking. I can tell you that after visiting Twin Falls and the Evel Kneivel ramp I was ready to take my ATV and attempt to jump the fountains at Cactus Pete’s!!! (Lucky for me there aren’t any fountains at Cactus Pete’s).
Where to Eat
Twin Falls has a plethora of the standard chain restaurants to choose from but there are also a few unique places where we enjoy eating.
Idaho Joe’s
Idaho Joe’s has standard American fare including sandwiches, burgers and meat and potato options. However, they all so have an amazing bakery for pies and cinnamon rolls as well. Very good food for a reasonable price.
Cactus Pete’s Jackpot, Nevada
If riding the South Hills make a trip to Cactus Pete’s Casino for lunch! We enjoyed a prime rib dinner and some mexican food which was a great way to break up our ride with fabulous food at a very good price (as long as you don’t stop at the one-armed bandit).
Where to Stay
Twin Falls has multiple large chain hotels with very reasonable prices. We always utilize Booking.com or Priceline.com to find low cost last minute deals when traveling to Twin Falls. There is also camping available at Miracle Hot Springs and Banbury Hot Springs and several campgrounds along the Thousand Springs Scenic Highway.
Getting There
Twin Falls is right off I-84 on your way to Boise, Idaho.
Conclusion
After visiting Twin Falls, I had to ask myself; who knew Idaho could be this fun? Twin Falls is an amazing collection of geology, history, adventure, and stunning beauty! But most of all it is a land of Evel that tempts you to try something that you have never tried before, so get out and explore Twin Falls; I dare you!