Idaho Falls: The Gateway to Yellowstone

Idaho Falls, the largest city in Southeastern Idaho, is nicknamed “the Gateway to Yellowstone,” due to its’ close proximity to America’s First National Park. Asides from being super close to one of the country’s top national wonders, as well as the Grand Tetons, the town also offers a number of its’ own amenities, making it the perfect base location for your Idaho/Wyoming adventures.

It is the largest town near both parks entrances, so it makes sense to head out to the parks for the day and come back to a town that offers plenty of restaurants, attractions, and a nice diversity of hotels for every budget.

Despite its’ small size (population approx. 67,000) this city offers numerous amenities including plenty in the way of outdoor recreation, a historic downtown area, a thriving arts scene, and ongoing monthly events. Mike and I lived here for a year and enjoyed the convenient access to both state and national parks, as well as many stunning waterfalls which we never heard about prior to living here. It’s a great vacation base for exploration. The hotels are reasonably affordable here, there are lots of local restaurants, and even a few attractions to check out.

A quick drive to many natural wonders

In 2 hours or less, you can get to many wonderful places including several of the best national parks, beautiful Jackson Hole, the stunning Mesa Falls scenic drive, and Harriman State Park. Southern Idaho is a dream destination for the outdoor adventure lover! We have been exploring a lot since moving here; it’s nice to live near so many incredible places we probably wouldn’t have the opportunity to see otherwise.

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone is one of the best parks in the country for wildlife sightings! It’s not uncommon to see dozens of bison crossing the road. We drove the Grand Loop (a very long all day drive) several times and saw so many bison up close. It was a really cool experience. We never saw any bears which was a bit of a dissapointment. We did see so many other forms of wildlife including bison, elk, wolves, coyotes, and bighorn sheep.

Old Faithful at Yellowstone National Park — Old Faithful – one of the most predictable geographical features on earth

Grand Tetons

The Grand Tetons is an underrated National Park to add to your bucket list while you are out here. Again, we saw no bears, but enjoyed numerous moose sightings along Gros Ventre Roads. Keep your eyes peeled as they tend to blend in! We were too scared to hike with the grizzles, but this park does offer a large variety of trails for both novice and advanced hikers.

Jackson Hole

What a gorgeous little town in Wyoming. There’s plenty to do here year-round including skiing at one of the best resorts in the country, endless trails, natural hot springs, snowcoach tours, and much more! If you are not a skier, I recommend taking a sleigh ride at the National Elk Refuge! Each year, hundreds of elk come down from the mountains in search of food. Our tour became a wagon ride due to low snow levels but we still saw plenty of elk and the mountain scenery was incredible.

ELk antler arches in Jackson Hole, Wyoming — The iconic town arches, made up of shed elk antlers

Beautiful mountain scenery in Jackson Hole, WY — Even just driving around the scenery is incredible!

The Most Incredible Waterfall in the state

Gorgeous Mesa Falls, a 115 foot waterfall accessible via a slow and picturesque 30 mile drive through the Targhee National Forest. On this drive, you get to enjoy views of both the upper and lower falls with barely any hiking required. It’s my favorite thing to do in this portion of the state. The drive is amazing and the waterfall is so much more impressive in person.

Harriman State Park

This gorgeous state park is only an hour away, but often overlooked in favor of Yellowstone. It’s beautiful anytime of year, although absolutely stunning & serene during the winter season! I had my first cross country skiing experience here; I loved the tranquil setting in the pines.

The Greenbelt

The city itself is home to a number of great amenities, so there is still plenty to do here even if you are not driving out to any of the parks. Basically, it’s a great vacation base and a vacation destination in and of itself. The scenic Snake River flows through the center of the city.

The top attraction in the city is a wonderful 3 mile greenbelt which runs along the river: a great place for taking a stroll, riding a bike, or simply sitting and relaxing by the falls. It is also the location of numerous annual festivities. Mike and I loved coming here just to take a stroll or feed the ducks. It’s a beautiful centerpiece of the city. I also trained for numerous 5ks here.

In the background you will see a massive LDS Temple. Eastern Idaho is located in what is known as the “Mormon Corridor,” and is home to one of the largest concentration of Mormons outside of Utah.

From the Greenbelt, you can bike or walk over to the Snake River Landing area, which is another nice part of town for recreation. The path is flat and scenic, making it a great place for an easy workout. I often used it for my half marathon training because it is nice and long and flat.

In addition, there are several restaurants and specialty shops in the area. For anyone who likes chains, there is a Buffalo Wild Wings. If you are up for something different, a ramen house (Hokkaido Ramen House) recently opened. For early risers, check out Moose River Coffee for a cup of joe and pastry before your walk.

More activities to check out while you are in town

Another one of my favorite attractions in town is The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho. Although small, the museum holds a nice collection of works by local artists. Another bonus: admission is free the first Saturday of every month! Also, if you happen to be in town during the monthly art walk, it’s worth checking out. Mike and I loved attending this free art celebration. All the art galleries open their doors at night and there are usually a lot of free demos as well as snacks available.