Thousand Springs State Park Explained
Thousand Springs State Park is a public recreation and nature preservation area consisting of multiple units — Billingsley Creek, Earl M. Hardy Box Canyon Springs Nature Preserve, Malad Gorge, Niagara Springs, and Ritter Island — in Gooding County, Idaho.
Park units
The state park was created in 2005, when four existing state parks in the Hagerman Valley were merged into a single entity, with an additional unit subsequently added to the complex.
- Billingsley CreekThis former ranch was purchased by the state in 2001. One feature is the homesite of western author Vardis Fisher. Billingsley Creek Unit totals 286acres.
- Earl M. Hardy Box Canyon Springs Nature PreserveThis 350acres box canyon has 250adj=midNaNadj=mid walls. At its head is the eleventh-largest spring in North America, gushing 180000gal per minute. There is a 20feet waterfall. The 350acres property was developed by the Nature Conservancy which purchased the site in 1999, then completed its transfer to the state in 2016. (Does this include Priestly's Hydraulic Ram, listed on the National Register of Historic Places?)
- Malad GorgeMalad Gorge is a 250adj=midNaNadj=mid canyon formed by the Malad River, downstream from a 60feet waterfall. This 652acres day-use unit is off Interstate 84 and offers hiking and picnicking. A section of the Oregon Trail is visible. Rock pigeons, red-tailed hawks and golden eagles nest in the canyon. Yellow-bellied marmots are found on the canyon floor.
- Niagara SpringsProclaimed a National Natural Landmark, this area borders the Snake River and features sheer basalt cliffs 350feet high. There are 179acres in two parcels, acquired in 1971 and 1976.
- Ritter IslandThis unit lies along the Snake River between two large springs.
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