Box Canyon Springs - Wendell, Idaho

Perfectly clear water rushes out of the nations eleventh largest spring at the head of this box canyon near Wendell, Idaho. The water then travels down the canyon to meet the Snake River. If you follow the trail down into the canyon you will find a waterfall and access to the spring cold spring. You find this place by taking a short level hike from the parking lot.

Location: The trail head for the spring is 9 miles southwest of Wendell.

Hiking Distance and Time: The hike is 1 mile and should take about 10-30 minutes to reach the canyon edge depending on your pace. Make sure you keep hiking after you reach the first view point. There are two more viewpoints along the south side of the canyon. You can also hike down into the canyon to see the 20 foot waterfall.

Cost: This is part of the Thousand Springs State Park. A day pass is $5. You can buy an annual pass for all of Idaho's state parks for only $10 if you are an Idaho resident or $40 if you are from out of state.

Operating Seasons and Hours: Open all year long.

Official Website: https://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/thousand-springs

Date of Visit: Saturday, April 6, 2019

This was not part of our 2018 Idaho Road Trip. Instead we came here when we were exploring the Twin Falls area more deeply in April of 2019. We stopped here after visiting Ritter Island.

One of the things that surprises me about the Snake River Canyon near Twin Falls is that most of the time you can't see the canyon. You'll be driving around and looking at what looks to be nothing but flat farm land for miles.  And then BAM there's the canyon opening up in front of you. 

That's how a hike to the Earl M Hardy Box Canyon Spring Preserve feels too. 

We parked in a small parking area off of 1500 East.  Then we walked through a little fence. The "trail" was really a dirt road. The road stretched to the west and past next to fields.  It looked like we weren't hiking to anything of interest. 

But after a while we were able to see the black stone of the box canyon. Soon we were peering over the edge. 

The view into the canyon was very pretty. The white streak on the right side of the picture is residue left by a waterfall.

The trail continued on along the south side of the canyon. The kids were all in whiny moods so none of them wanted to keep hiking. My husband scouted a little bit ahead, but soon came back.  He said he couldn't see anything of interest.

It was only after the fact that I read that there are actually two more viewpoints along that trail. Also the trail descends all the way into the canyon and you can go swimming in the water. I'll have to check this out and report back to you.

So we will definitely be coming back to the Box Canyon Springs Preserve in the future.  

Like many of the springs along the Snake River Canyon, Box Canyon Springs Preserve is part of Thousand Springs State Park. Thousand Springs State Park is made up of six different units (Malad Gorge, Kelton Trail, Earl M. Hardy Box Canyon Springs Nature Preserve, Billingsley Creek, Ritter Island, Niagara Springs/Crystal Springs). These units are not connected, but they are all within a short drive of each other. Park Headquarters are at the Malad Gorge unit, but it is not necessary to visit that unit before visiting the other units.

 Recommendation: If you enjoy finding surprising features in off the beaten path locations then Earl M Hardy Box Canyon Springs is the perfect location.

Directions: The trail head parking lot is just a little south of the intersection of 1500 East and 3400 South. The parking lot is on the west side of 1500 East. It is big enough for maybe 15 cars.


Places Nearby: Blue Heart Springs is located on the Snake River just a little north of where the Box Canyon water empties into the river. Basically the only way to reach Blue Heart Spring is to paddle there from the river. Check out this guide for directions.

Next Stop: This was the last stop of our little day of exploring around Twin Falls. But you could easily visit other units of Thousand Springs State Park.