Mesa Falls Scenic Byway

Located in Eastern Idaho, this byway explores the lush landscape of the Caribou-Targhee forest, a few small towns, and according to their literature… two of the most spectacular waterfalls in the West.

Henry’s Lake State Park

On the way to Mesa Falls, we stop at Henry’s Lake State Park to have lunch and fill the fresh water tank before dry camping for the next week.

As we’re filling the camper with water, this lovely fellow decides to come see what we’re up to.

Grandview Campground

Our home base for the week is Grandview Campground. A small (8 campsites), quiet, campground with power at each site and is adjacent to the Lower Mesa Falls Overlook.

Mesa Falls

Our first day here, we decide to walk from the campground to see the falls. The round trip will be 6 miles with 783 feet of ascent.

Lower Mesa Falls Overlook

Since it’s right next door, we begin with the Lower Falls Overlook. And as we arrive, a group leaving notifies us that there is a snake nestled in the rock wall.

As we look out over the wall, we get a view of the Basalt lining this side of the gorge.

Lower Mesa Falls

This 65 foot drop waterfall is a sight to behold. The sound echo’s through the gorge and is quite loud at the overlook.

Wildflowers

After leaving the Lower Falls we begin walking the one mile distance up the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway Road to Upper Falls Road. Along the way, we see many wildflowers lining the roadway.

Once we turn down Upper Mesa Falls Road, we begin to understand where the elevation climb will be on this walk.

Upper Mesa Falls

After descending the road, we find the parking lot and the paths to the falls beyond. There are a few paths to chose from; but they all take us down to several overlooks allowing for incredible views of the falls as well as the Henry’s Fork Snake River. The force of the 200 foot wide waterfall hitting the rocks 114 feet below creates an incredible amount of spray that can been seen from the Lower Falls over a mile away.

Panorama of the Upper Falls and Henry’s Fork Snake River.

After this incredible sight, we head back to camp. And as we’re walking along the byway, a couple of Park Rangers stop to ask if we were ok. I’m guessing they don’t see many people walking this road. Nice guys.

Sunset over Mesa Falls

With the Lower Falls Overlook being next to the campground, we come over here many times over the next week to stretch our legs and see it in different lighting. But, at sunset was one of my favorite times.

Lower Mesa Falls in the foreground with the mist from the Upper Falls appearing like smoke rising up from the river gorge in the distance.

Independence Day (July 4th) Celebration

Day two exploring this area is Independence day, and in true small town fashion Ashton, Idaho is making a day of it. None of us have been to a small town parade and celebration in decades (yep, I’m aging us); so we decide to join the fun.

Parade

The parade starts with a flyover from the local military.

Then comes, horses, tractors, fire trucks, antique cars, and many other fun things.

The parade participants throw candy and small toys as they go by, and the kids all run out to collect what they can. Then just as quickly, they share their bounty with smaller kids or those who don’t collect as much.

But what was really special, was seeing generations of families decked out in the Red, White, & Blue enjoying the parade together.

Lunch in the park

After the parade we wait out a short rain storm in the truck before heading to the city park for the antique car show, food vendors, live music, and craft fair. A good portion of the parade goers were there and everyone was having a good time. We have lunch, and then patronize the local elementary’s bake sale. They’re raising funds for a new playground; which we think is a very good cause. There is so much going on I forgot to take any pictures.

Harriman State Park

Day three includes a trip to Harriman State Park for a long hike and a look around the historic “Railroad Ranch.”

Ridge Loop Trail

Silver Lake

As we set out on the trail it begins to lightly rain, which is frustrating because there isn’t any rain in the forecast until this afternoon. But, we take shelter in a dense pine grove by Silver Lake until it blows over. Unfortunately, the rain also amplifies the scent of the horse manure along the trail.

As we’re waiting, we see some Trumpeter Swans on the other side of the lake. They’re too far away for a clear picture; but we’ll take what we can get.

As the rain lets up, we move toward the bridge where Thurman Creek empties into Silver Lake. It’s amazing how much can change in a few minutes.

Heading up the Ridge

As we progress up the trail, we see beautiful scenery/wildlife and a daunting trail sign.

Overlook

Needless to say, we chose the Coronary Bypass trail and successfully made it to the overlook.

Thurman Creek

As we reach the bottom, we follow Thurman Creek and see a beautiful old barn in the distance.

Railroad Ranch

As we round a bend in the trail we see the beginning of Railroad Ranch.

And as we approach we see a mare and her newborn colt in the side paddock.

Following the paddock around the bend, the Ranch is spread out before us and we find many of the buildings are open for exploration. We enter a few of them to find them decorated as they would have been when in use.

The Ranch was a working cattle ranch for more than 70 years and a summer retreat for the families of several prominent eastern industrialists. The most notable of which was the founder of the modern-day Union Pacific Railroad, E.H. Harriman.

Henry’s Fork Snake River

As we progress through the ranch we begin to see the Henry’s Fork Snake River and get some really good views of it between the ranch and the parking lot.

It’s easy to see why this wildlife refuge ranks as one of the best state parks in Idaho.

Island Park

Day 4 begins with a visit to Island park.

Coffee Pot Rapids Trail

We begin with the Coffee Pot Rapids Trail; which is ranked among the most popular hikes in the state.

Trail

This 4.27 mile out and back trail begins at the Upper Coffeepot Campground and follows the Henry’s Fork river west to reach the Coffeepot Rapids before turning around. Just like the river, the trail starts out smooth and easy and gradually becomes rocky and difficult to navigate.

Flora & Fauna

As we begin the trail, I’m telling the rest of the family that one of the latest reviews mentioned Bald Eagles only to spot one sitting in a tree not far away. He flies off before I can get a picture; but I do see another one land in a tree a short while later. He’s across the river, so it’s not the best picture; but at least I was able to capture the memory.

The other wildlife was much more photogenic.

Island Park Dam & Reservoir

Next, we head to Island Park Dam & Reservoir for a picnic lunch. We plan to have lunch at the dam; but there aren’t any tables or even shade. Plus the power generator at the bottom of the dam is very loud. So, we head down the road to another spot.

Dam

Island Park Reservoir

We settle for one of the boating sites; which still doesn’t have a table; but at least there’s enough shade for us to eat in the truck in relative comfort. Afterwards, I head down to the boat ramp to get some pictures of the reservoir.

This is a really large reservoir with many families out enjoying themselves.

Sheep Falls

After lunch, we head south toward Ashton and turn down a very bumpy, dirt road to reach the Sheep Falls trailhead. After parking, we head down the short; but steep trail to reach the Henry’s Fork Snake River where we can see what looks like rapids just down the river. But, what initially appeared to be rapids is actually a beautiful (short drop) waterfall that we can get up close and personal with, thanks to the rocky outcroppings just above the falls.

Railroad Right-of-Way Trail

Day 5 we have to say “Goodbye!” to the family in the morning. We loved having you and are so glad you decided to explore the area with us. We look forward to doing it again soon.

In the afternoon, we head out on the bikes for a ride along the Railroad Right-of-Way Trail. The trail begins along a ledge, high above river that provides incredible views along the Warm River Gorge.

As we progress down the trail we come across Twisted Draw; which provides an incredible perspective from the trail all thew way down into the valley.

Further along the trail, we see some wonderful scenery and run into an unexpected roadblock.

The path turns out to be much rougher than we anticipated, so instead of going back the way we came, we decide to turn down a forest road that connects with the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway to get back to the truck.

We’ve been down this road several times in the truck this week; but being on the bikes makes it really easy to stop for pictures.

Ashton to Tetonia Trail

Day 6 (our final day) we’re doing the Ashton to Tetonia Trail. This bike trail is ~30 miles long (one way) gaining 787 feet of elevation along an abandoned railroad track of the Oregon Short Line Railroad. It’s known for idyllic farm country, three tressel bridge crossings, and incredible views of the Teton Mountain Range. We see all of this, plus some very photogenic wildlife.

As we arrive at the trail, we see a sign informing us that we may encounter maintenance crews working on the trestle bridges. According to the sign, the trail will remain open and will be passable; but please be respectful of the workers and follow their instructions.

Ashton to Fall River

This section is approximately 4 miles long through working farms, providing distant views of the Teton Mountain Range.

Fall River to Conant Creek

Over the next ~3 miles we see a lot of wildflowers along groomed fields and get a little closer to the Tetons.

Conanct Creek to Bitch Creek (no this is not a typo)

The next ~14 miles provide incredible views and changing landscapes as we get closer to the Tetons.

We don’t encounter the crew until the final trestle bridge; but due to the work they need to do, the bridge is impassable and closed to traffic. We had originally said this was our turn around point, so luckily it doesn’t affect our ride. We were also fortunate to catch the crew as they were still setting up, so they allowed us to walk out on the bridge to take pictures.

The Way Back

With ~ 20 miles to get back to the truck, we’d better get started. Given how sore our behinds already are, we’ll definitely be taking breaks along the way to give them a rest and take some pictures.

Wildlife

Along the trail we are extremely lucky to see some incredible animals, both wild and domestic. We’re even luckier to get some incredible photos to be able to share them with you.

It’s been a wonderful day; but we’re pleasantly exhausted (~72 miles over two days will do that), a little sunburnt and very hungry. So, it’s off to Ashton for an early dinner and to gas up the truck in preparation for our departure tomorrow.

Next stop… Ashton to Montana via Scenic Byways