Idaho Falls Greenbelt and Snake River Falls
Idaho Falls Greenbelt
Idaho Falls, ID
A broad curtain of whitewater in the middle of a city, ringed by a five-mile riverwalk that turns an ordinary downtown into a place worth strolling.
The Idaho Falls Greenbelt is a five-mile paved loop that follows both banks of the Snake River through the heart of the city, and its centerpiece is the broad waterfall that gives the town its name. The cascade spreads several hundred feet across the river, a wide curtain of whitewater that turns an ordinary downtown into a genuinely scenic place to spend an hour on foot.
There is a small surprise in that: the falls are not entirely natural. Before a hydroelectric weir was built here more than a century ago, this stretch of the Snake ran as a set of rapids. The city shaped the retaining wall to spread the water into the wide falls you see today, sculpted to echo the rapids that once ran through. The result is a riverwalk that locals treasure and travelers rarely expect.
What Guests Love
- The wide, roaring cascade stretching hundreds of feet across the river downtown
- An easy five-mile paved loop along both banks, perfect for a walk, run, or bike ride
- The white temple rising on the bluff above the falls, a favorite photo
- Ducks, geese, and pelicans on the calm water above the drop
Worth Knowing
- The falls are a man-made cascade over an old hydroelectric weir, not a natural wonder, but they are genuinely lovely and central to the city
- The loop is flat and paved, good in most weather, though it can be icy in winter
- It runs right through downtown, so it pairs naturally with the museums, shops, and restaurants nearby
- Spring runoff makes the falls thunder; late summer flows are gentler
Details
Idaho Falls, ID
Learn about Idaho Falls Greenbelt and Snake River Falls
The falls that named the city
Early travelers knew this crossing on the Snake River, and the town that grew up beside the rapids eventually took the name Idaho Falls. In the early twentieth century a dam and weir were built across the river to generate electricity for the growing city.
That wall could have been an ugly piece of infrastructure. Instead, over the decades the city used it to create a wide, terraced cascade more than a thousand feet along the wall, designed to look like the natural rapids that once ran here. It is a rare case of a working dam turned into a civic landmark, and it anchors the whole Greenbelt.
The riverwalk
The Greenbelt loops along both banks and crosses the river on bridges, so you can make a full circuit of roughly five miles or cut it short. It passes lawns, gardens, public art, and viewpoints over the falls, and it links directly to the downtown, the museum, and the temple grounds.
It is the beating heart of outdoor life in Idaho Falls, busy with walkers, runners, cyclists, and families in every season. For a road-tripper passing through on the way to Yellowstone or the Tetons, it is the perfect place to stretch your legs by moving water.
Birds and the river
The calm water above the falls draws birds. Ducks and Canada geese are constant, and in the warmer months American white pelicans, big and startling, glide over the river. Ospreys and gulls work the water, and the trees along the banks hold songbirds.
The Snake here is a broad, steady river fed by the vast aquifer of the Snake River Plain, and its year-round flows keep the falls running and the greenbelt green even in the dry high-desert summers of eastern Idaho.
Seasons downtown
Late spring is dramatic, when snowmelt from the mountains swells the Snake and the falls roar at full volume. Summer and early fall are the most comfortable for a long walk, with the greenbelt lawns green and the evenings mild.
Winter turns the greenbelt quiet and often icy, with the falls steaming in the cold, and the city lights up the riverfront for the holidays. It is a fine stop in any season, but a warm-weather stroll is the classic way to see it.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Idaho Falls
Museum of Idaho
A few blocks
Eastern Idaho's flagship museum, with traveling blockbuster exhibits and deep local history just off the Greenbelt downtown.
Craters of the Moon National Monument
About 80 miles west
A vast, otherworldly sea of black lava, cinder cones, and lava tubes on the Snake River Plain.
Yellowstone and Grand Teton
About 90 miles east
Idaho Falls is a classic gateway city for the drive to the geysers of Yellowstone and the peaks of the Tetons.