Twin Falls is one of Idaho’s principal city and is located 125 miles south of Idaho’s capital, Boise. It is home to the awe-inspiring Snake River Canyon and Shoshone Falls, often referred to as the Niagara of the West.
Shoshone Falls and Snake River Canyon – At 212 feet tall and 900 foot wide, Shoshone Falls is one of the largest natural waterfalls in the United States surpassing the height of the famous Niagara Falls. Shoshone Falls is located on the Snake River as it carves its way through a deep basalt Canyon on its way to the Columbia River.
Spring is the best time to visit Shoshone Falls, when the snowpack begins to melt and about 12,000 CFS(Cubic Feet Per Second) flows at the Falls. In the summer months, a portion of the river is diverted for irrigation purposes, which reduces the flow over the falls. We visited during the Fall, when there was a minimal flow and the falls appeared nearly dry. In spite of less water flow the canyon looked strikingly beautiful and rugged.
The Snake River serves as the lifeblood of the region. Harnessing the water from the Snake River for irrigation is a crucial part of Idaho’s economy. Twenty miles upstream, the water is diverted to irrigate over 500,000 acres of farmland. It is estimated that the crops produced in these fields are worth more than 60 million dollars annually.
