Shoshone Falls
.JPG?width=1600)
.jpg?width=480)
Shoshone Falls is a waterfall in Idaho, at a modelled elevation of 969 m. Grand View Peak stands 2,197 m to the south-southeast, 24 miles off. Thousand Springs Scenic Byway passes 2.6 miles off. 114 named places lie within 25 miles, 17 of them named summits.
The story
Shoshone Falls ( shoh-SHOHN) is a waterfall in the western United States, on the Snake River in south-central Idaho, approximately three miles (5 km) northeast of the city of Twin Falls. Sometimes called the "Niagara of the West," Shoshone Falls is 212 feet (65 m) in height, 45 feet (14 m) higher than Niagara Falls, and flows over a rim nearly one thousand feet (300 m) in width. Formed by the cataclysmic outburst flooding of Lake Bonneville during the Pleistocene ice age about 14,000 years ago, Shoshone Falls marks the historical upper limit of fish migration (including salmon) in the Snake River, and was an important fishing and trading place for Native Americans. The falls were documented by Europeans as early as the 1840s; despite the isolated location, it became a tourist attraction starting in the 1860s. At the beginning of the 20th century, part of the Snake River was diverted for irrigation of the Magic Valley. Now, the flows over the falls can be viewed seasonally based on snowfall, irrigation needs and hydroelectric demands. Irrigation and hydroelectric power stations built on the falls were major contributors to the early economic development of southern Idaho. The City of Twin Falls owns and operates a park overlooking the waterfall. Shoshone Falls is best viewed in the spring, as diversion of the Snake River can significantly diminish water levels in the late summer and fall. The flow over the falls ranges from more than 20,000 cubic feet per second (570 m3/s) during late spring of wet years, to a minimum "scenic flow" (dam release) of 300 cu ft/s (8.5 m3/s) in dry years.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q1635297, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Height
- 64.6 m
How to reach it
- 2.6 mi off the Thousand Springs Scenic Byway
- 23.5 mi off the Sawtooth Scenic Byway
Overlooks nearby
- Shoshone Falls Observation Deck · 1 mi
- Hansen Bridge Lookout · 6 mi
- viewpoint 1 · 30 mi
- viewpoint 2 · 30 mi
114 named places within 25 miles
- Shoshone Falls: 0.2 mi
- Dierkes Lake: 0.6 mi
- Dierkes Lake Park: 0.7 mi
- Morning Sun Park: 2.0 mi
- Jason's Woodland Park: 2.2 mi
- Skeleton Butte: 8.6 mi
- Stricker Butte: 9.0 mi
- Flat Top Butte: 9.5 mi
- Hansen Butte: 11.1 mi
- Hub Butte: 12.1 mi
- Sugarloaf Spring: 15.7 mi
- Nat Soo Pah Hot Springs: 18.1 mi
- Hoops Spring: 18.9 mi
- Moonshine Spring: 19.0 mi
- Huja Patezopai’I: 19.9 mi
- Twins Statue: 2.6 mi
- IB Perrine Monument: 2.7 mi
- Evel Knievel Monument: 2.7 mi
- CSI Tower: 3.8 mi
- Honor Roll: 9.5 mi
- Shoshone Falls: 0.2 mi
- Evel Knievel Jump Site: 1.0 mi
- Jerome County Fairgrounds: 11.1 mi
- Lincoln County Fairgrounds: 23.3 mi
- Pillar Falls: 1.5 mi
- Perrine Coulee Falls: 3.6 mi
- Auger Falls: 6.7 mi
- Devils Washboard Falls: 19.8 mi
- Herrett Museum: 3.6 mi
- Twin Falls County Museum: 7.8 mi
- Jerome County Historical Museum: 10.7 mi
- Shoshone Falls: 0.0 mi
- Eagle Bluff: 20.3 mi
- Rose Garden: 3.8 mi
- Ritter Island: 24.6 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Shoshone Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand View Peak | SSE 167° | 2,197 m | 24.1 mi |
| Wooden Shoe Butte | SSE 165° | 2,066 m | 23.1 mi |
| Sugarloaf | S 173° | 1,748 m | 16.7 mi |
| Berger Butte | SW 225° | 1,430 m | 16.5 mi |
| Milner Butte | ESE 116° | 1,409 m | 21.7 mi |
| Hub Butte | SSW 200° | 1,404 m | 12.1 mi |
| Hazelton Butte | E 99° | 1,342 m | 15.9 mi |
| Skeleton Butte | E 95° | 1,340 m | 8.6 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:42 | 19:13 | 19:50 |
| June solstice | 06:01 | 20:37 | 21:20 |
| September equinox | 07:26 | 18:59 | 19:37 |
| December solstice | 08:05 | 16:22 | 17:08 |
Local time (America/Boise).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 31 | 35 | 44 | 49 | 59 | 66 | 75 | 73 | 64 | 52 | 39 | 31 |
| Precip in | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.3 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Twin Falls-kmvt, 3 mi away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: Dec–Jun — fullest in Apr, leanest in Aug.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 3,436 | 3,511 | 3,806 | 4,809 | 4,095 | 3,927 | 1,498 | 926 | 943 | 1,879 | 2,526 | 3,035 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge Snake River NR Kimberly ID, 2 mi away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/1671534021
Take the scenic way to Shoshone Falls.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.