Walking the River Walk: the falls, both banks, and where to turn around

The town is named after a stretch of white water on the Snake River, and the River Walk is the easiest way to see it. The city describes the path as 5 miles running along both sides of the river. You can do a piece of it on a lunch break. You can also lose most of a Saturday to it.

The useful thing to know before you start is which loop you want, because the path runs on both banks and each loop turns back at a different bridge or park.

The four loops the city publishes

The parks department posts these distances:

• Around Freeman Park: 1.0 mile
• John's Hole to Freeman Park: 0.4 mile
• Broadway to Pancheri and back: 1.4 miles
• Broadway to John's Hole and around: 2.3 miles

Broadway makes a natural starting point. It is the downtown crossing, and the island garden sits right beside it. From there, Pancheri Drive is the short walk south, and John's Hole and Freeman Park are the longer pull north. Freeman Park is roughly a mile and a half north of Broadway as the crow flies, so the full northern loop is a real walk rather than a stroll.

How rapids turned into falls

The crossing came first. Harry Rickets ran a ferry here in 1864, and a year later Matt Taylor built a toll bridge across a gorge of black basalt. The settlement around it was called Taylor's Crossing, then Eagle Rock, and in 1891 it was renamed Idaho Falls after the rapids.

They were rapids then. The falls you see now came some years later, when a retaining wall built for a hydroelectric plant turned the rapids into a waterfall. Hydropower is still part of the river here. Idaho Falls Power, the city's own utility, runs five hydro plants on the Snake and gets about a third of the city's electricity from them.

The walkway follows the whole length of the falls, so you do not have to pick a single spot to look from.

The island garden at Broadway

The Japanese Friendship Garden sits on a rocky island in the river at 600 West Broadway. The city notes that the island is where the first bridge over the Snake in eastern Idaho stood. The garden was built in 2011 to mark thirty years of the sister-city tie with Tokai-mura in Japan, which began in 1981.

Inside there is a traditional gate, a viewing platform, a path called the Dragon's Path that crosses a pond, and a large Japanese lantern that Tokai-mura gave the city. Reservations stopped in 2022. You just walk in.

North to John's Hole and Freeman Park

John's Hole Forebay Park is a 4-acre stop at River Parkway and Landbank Street with a boat dock, boat ramps, picnic areas and restrooms.

This is also where the season matters. A floating bridge at John's Hole, next to the Highway 20 bridge, was put in so walkers no longer have to cross the highway. The city says it usually opens in the first week of June and closes in the first week of November. When it is closed, that crossing is gone, so plan the long northern loop for summer and early fall.

Freeman Park, at the far end, covers about 60 acres, with disc golf, shelters, a playground and a bandshell near the water. The Idaho State Vietnam Veterans Memorial stands there, 24 feet tall, honoring the 251 Idahoans killed in the war. Their names are on the back. Give it a few quiet minutes before you turn around.

The temple by the river

The Idaho Falls Idaho Temple stands next to the Snake. It was dedicated on September 23, 1945, and was the first temple the church built in Idaho. The visitors' center next to it is open to the public. Entry to the temple itself is limited to church members who hold a temple recommend.

Benches worth stopping at

The benches along the path are not all park-issue. Many are part of Art You Can Sit On, a public art project run by the Idaho Falls Arts Council with the city and downtown groups. Some show the river and local wildlife. Others are just funny. The Arts Council keeps a map, and it warns that benches get moved, so treat the map as a starting point.

Weather and timing

This is high desert at about 4,700 feet. July afternoons average in the upper 80s with dry air, so carry water even on the short loop. January averages around 20 degrees at the airport, and by then the floating bridge is out for the season.

The money behind the path

The River Walk is a joint project of the city and its residents, led by the Idaho Falls Rotary Club. The club's Great Snake River Duck Race, held on the river in August, has raised money for the path since 1991, with the city matching it. Recent rounds went toward Heritage Park.

Using our listings

Freeman Park, John's Hole Forebay Park and the Friendship Garden are all in our Parks and Outdoors category, and the Vietnam memorial is under Museums and Galleries. Several hotels in our Hotels category sit on River Parkway near the path. We list names and addresses only. Opening hours for the parks and the temple grounds change, so check with the city before you plan around them.