Why Shoshone Falls is Way Better than Craters of the Moon

Some friends recently visited southern Idaho to see some of the sights.  They had never been here before, despite having lived for many years in Reno and now near Seattle.  They asked a lot of questions about what they should see, months before they arrived.  Because they were also visiting Wyoming and Montana, they didn’t have more than a couple of days here.

Did I Mention They're Liberals and Have Clouded Judgment?

They chose Craters of the Moon and Shoshone Falls, which they mispronounced.  Afterward, they spent far more time talking about their first stop than they did about the falls.   I remember many years ago that a national travel writer said Craters of the Moon was overrated.

I won’t go quite that far, but if I compare the place to City of Rocks, the latter wins hands down.  The challenge for visitors is getting to Almo.  It’s called a circuitous route.

City of Rocks is Great but Isolated

You could argue that we need a straighter road to get there, but then you despoil the beauty of the region and the park setting.  And you would need to construct a road through mountain passes to serve a relatively small amount of traffic.  Yet, City of Rocks still gets thousands of tourists pouring in every year.  For the most part, they’re well-behaved and don’t disturb the historic artifacts.

Shoshone Falls remains my favorite place in southern Idaho, followed closely by Ritter Island, Thousand Springs, and Malad Gorge, which are one larger feature.