Goin' with the flow in Idaho

Fossils, Floods and First Peoples -- oh, my!  I kicked off this past November by traveling through southwest Idaho. My itinerary and map book were wide open. Where would I go? What would I see? Read on to find out, friend...

[You can click on the images below to view a larger version of each. Click here to see these and other photos from my trip through Idaho.]

visitor center in Spalding, Idaho

I spent the first week of November exploring southwest Idaho. My first strong impression was of the Clearwater Valley in the Lewiston area. The valley was smogged in and, frankly, smelly. I noticed a large mill or factory, in addition to lots of plowed dryland fields. A quick drive upriver to Spalding, Idaho changed the tone, thanks to the great visitor center for the Nez Perce National Historical Park. This park is a collection of 38 sites in 4 states that, together, offer "a unique perspective of the American west – not from the Mississippi River looking west, but from an ancient homeland looking out."

I had encountered this park last May at the remote Camas Meadow Battle Site to the southeast, near the Montana border at the Centennial Mountains. And I had been interested in visiting the Big Hole National Battlefield in October but could not, thanks to the foolish federal government "shutdown" that temporarily closed our national parks.

White Bird Battlefield site

This time, after visiting Spalding, I took the time to walk around the "Heart of the Monster." A short trail led me to the rock outcrop known to the Nez Perce as the Heart of the Monster. Here I pushed a button to listen to a tribal narrator relate the story of Coyote and the Monster, which is a Nez Perce story about their origins as well as those of the Blackfeet, Yakama and other First Peoples. The following morning I walked in solitude around the site of the June 17, 1877 battle pitting Nez Perce warriors against advancing U.S. calvary and "volunteers" at White Bird – the start of a multi-month pursuit and struggle.


Next, I traveled south through the Salmon River Canyon and beyond, finding my way to Boise, where I wanted to take care of some errands. I spent a little time in light, blowing snow checking out the Bonneville Point Interpretive Site on the Oregon Trail. The site was named for Benjamin Bonneville, who had in the 1830s named the valley he saw from here "Les Bois;" it came to be known as Boise. I would soon learn that Bonneville's name had been given to another significant area feature.

Animal tracks in sand shelter snow

I found my next Idaho adventure at Bruneau Dunes State Park, home of the tallest single dune structure in North America. The day had started gray and chilly, so I was grateful for the park's informative visitor center. I learned about giant Lake Bonneville, which tens of thousands of years ago covered much of the future state of Utah, and which left behind today's Great Salk Lake and Great Salt Lake Desert; plus the massive flood around 15,000 years ago when this lake suddenly discharged and scoured the course of the Snake River. I learned about the more ancient Lake Idaho; about ancient animals and fossils (esp. from around 3 million or so years ago); about birds and plants and snakes and lizards and insects (including scorpions and scarab beetles!). I read that the Great Basin is the largest, highest, coldest and most northerly of North America's four deserts. Returning to the local attraction, it turns out some visitors ride horses around the dunes, or rent snowboard-like “sandboards” to ride down them! I was inspired by improving afternoon weather to go hiking. I traveled a loop around a lake (popular with birds) and across the crest of the highest dunes. Most of the time I was picking my route across sand. The sandy ground was a workout, especially going up – and some of the ups were quite steep. Once on top, it was cool hiking the knife edge "arêtes" of the large dunes. The sand on the slopes – and when it sloughed off – reminded me of mountain snow (watch my video of avalanching sand). Click here to see a map of my hike route across the Bruneau Dunes. 

The Hagerman horse is the Idaho State Fossil

What next? How about the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument on the Snake River. Their visitor center is right in town and had good info about the geologic history, including ancient water-borne sediments and more recent lava flows; about the covering of and forming of lots of fossils, particularly around 3.5 million years ago; about the floods that revealed some of this layered history; about the discovery of these fossils, including mammoths and mastodons, saber-toothed cats, giant sloths, lake cats, hyena-like dogs, camels, turtles, large beavers, river otters, pelicans, ducks, cormorants, lots of plants... and especially the Hagerman horse (turns out horses originated in North America, as did camels and llamas!). They also had information about the Oregon trail and those who traveled it; and the Minidoka Japanese WWII interment camp that was near Twin Falls, Idaho.

[A camping note: That night was the coldest I've experienced so far this season, and it's December as I write this – though I have of course escaped to the south. Temps in the low 20s plus cold winds gave me the chance to freeze bottles of water that had melted in my cooler. No need to buy ice when it's bitter cold out, eh?]

One of the Thousand Springs along the Snake River

From Hagerman, I traveled south along the river and got to see some of the noisy Thousand Springs that rush out from layers in the lava and into the Snake River. I saw a fair number of birds on the river, including some white pelicans. The area reminded me somewhat of Grand Coulee and other basalt canyons in Washington state, though somehow not as magnificent. Popping back up onto the plateau, I found my way to the obscure parking area for Box Canyon State Park. I hiked to the head of this canyon, which presumably was formed or expanded by the massive, historic Bonneville Flood. Today it is home to the eleventh largest spring in the nation. I enjoyed the view down to that spring, flowing out from underneath me and into incredibly clear, shallow pools, with plenty of flow to suddenly be a vigorous above-ground stream (small river, even). I walked the rim for a ways, then followed an old trail down to the bottom of the canyon and to a nice viewing platform next to a sizeable waterfall. Click here to see a map of my Box Canyon hike.

Oh my gosh, what I pace...  Could I possibly maintain it? Was there anything left to see?

You betcha!

The next attraction: City of Rocks National Reserve. And a worthy attraction it proved to be. The remarkable weathered rocks here became known to emigrants on the California Trail, who passed through here in the mid-19th century after branching off from the established Oregon Trail. Some of those travelers carved their names on the rocks. Long before that, native peoples had created their own petroglyphs and pictographs. More recently, this place has been a destination for lots of rock climbers. But for a couple of days in early November, I had it practically to myself. The only nearby "town" is Almo, a tiny and remote place that hosts a few tourist-oriented businesses, most of which had already closed for the season.

You can wander for miles in the City of Rocks

I discovered light snow cover when I arrived – the park's elevations start just high enough to have a little white on the ground when the town doesn't. The snow made it easy to spot lots of critter tracks, but soon melted. I spent a day and a half walking around this park, starting out on a rather inclement morning, but largely enjoying decent or better weather. I walked extensively through sage, grasses, juniper, mountain mahogany, rabbitbrush, some aspen, occasional Oregon grape and prickly pear cactus. The place is positively loaded with pinyon pines, which I really enjoyed. Of course, I was usually surrounded by the rocks, which come in all shapes and sizes: big walls, towers, sculpted shapes, hollowed out rocks, windows and little arches, balanced rocks. For me, it seemed a combination of Chiricahua National Monument in SE Arizona and Pinnacles National Monument in coastal southern California. Wonderful. Click here to see a map of my biggest hike through the City of Rocks.

I've posted lots of pics from my visit to the City of Rocks in my Idaho photo set.


City of Rocks is located in south-central Idaho near northwest Utah. My adventures continued as I traveled south. I had a wonderful time in Utah, too. You won't want to miss my post about that when I finally get around to it. In the mean time...

Who's hungry?!