Thousand Springs State Park is a state park

State park

State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...

 of Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

, USA, comprising 5 units in the Hagerman Valley. In 2005 as part of a master planning process, it was decided to combine 4 existing state parks under a single new entity. A fifth unit has since been added. The units as they currently stand are Billingsley Creek, Earl M. Hardy Box Canyon Springs Nature Preserve, Malad Gorge, Niagara Springs, and Ritter Island.

Billingsley Creek

This former ranch was purchased by the state in 2001. One feature is the homesite of western author Vardis Fisher

Vardis Fisher

Vardis Alvero Fisher was a well-respected writer best known for historical novels of the old West and the monumental 12-volume Testament of Man series of novels, depicting the history of humans from cave to civilization....

. Billingsley Creek Unit totals 286 acres (115.7 ha).

Earl M. Hardy Box Canyon Springs Nature Preserve

This 350 acres (141.6 ha) box canyon

Box canyon

Box Canyon is a Box canyon in Ouray County, Colorado, United States. It was originally founded as a mining camp and helped the city of Ouray establish itself as a permanent community. Box Canyon is home to Box Canyon Falls, a 285-foot waterfall, with quartzite walls that extend almost one hundred...

 has 250 feet (76.2 m) walls. At its head is the eleventh-largest spring

Spring (hydrosphere)

A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...

 in North America, gushing 180000 gal per minute. There is a 20 feet (6.1 m) waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...

. This 350 acres (141.6 ha) property is in development and is co-managed with The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....

.

Malad Gorge

Malad Gorge is a 250 feet (76.2 m) canyon

Canyon

A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...

 formed by the Malad River

Malad River

The Malad River is a tributary of the Snake River in Idaho in the United States. It is formed by the confluence of the Big Wood River and the Little Wood River near Gooding. From there the river flows south and west for to join the Snake River near Hagerman....

, downstream from a 60 feet (18.3 m) waterfall. This 652 acres (263.9 ha) day-use-only unit is just off Interstate 84

Interstate 84 (west)

Interstate 84 is an Interstate Highway in the Western United States that runs from Portland, Oregon, to a junction with Interstate 80 near Echo, Utah. The highway originally served as a fork of I-80 to serve the Pacific Northwest, and was originally numbered Interstate 80N.The highway serves and...

 and offers hiking

Hiking

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...

 and picnicking. A section of the Oregon Trail

Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...

 is visible. Rock pigeons

Rock Pigeon

The Rock Dove or Rock Pigeon, is a member of the bird family Columbidae . In common usage, this bird is often simply referred to as the "pigeon"....

, red-tailed hawks

Red-tailed Hawk

The Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk," though it rarely preys on standard sized chickens. It breeds throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West...

 and golden eagles

Golden Eagle

The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...

 nest in the canyon. Yellow-bellied marmots

Yellow-bellied Marmot

The yellow-bellied marmot , also known as the rock chuck, is a ground squirrel in the marmot genus.-Description:...

 are found on the canyon floor.

Niagara Springs

Proclaimed a National Natural Landmark

National Natural Landmark

The National Natural Landmark program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in...

, this area borders the Snake River

Snake River

The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...

and features sheer basalt cliffs 350 feet (106.7 m) high. There are 179 acres (72.4 ha) in two parcels, acquired in 1971 and 1976.

External links

• Thousand Springs State Park