Secluded Snowshoeing and Nordic Skiing Just 90 Minutes from Twin Falls

Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that it’s hard to find places to snowshoe that aren’t seemingly overrun with people these days. Between travel vloggers, social media, and Idaho’s own tourism sites, there’s really no such thing as a secret anymore. I’ll no doubt get some grief for writing this myself.

My wife and I recently took to snowshoeing at a location that until now, we had never visited during the winter, and we found it to be relatively void of people on a recent Sunday afternoon.

Castle Rocks State Park is an easy drive from Twin

Castle Rocks State Park is only about 80 miles from Twin Falls.  My family and I have frequently hiked this area during spring and summer and it’s usually dense with people hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking; not to mention people who visit from around the world to climb the rocks there.

Sundays might be the best days to go

My wife and I went snowshoeing at Castle Rocks on a recent Sunday afternoon and there wasn't a soul in sight.  We were able to shoe for several hours before running into some nice folks from the Burley area who said they heard from the attending park ranger that there was a recent moose sighting in the area. Since I like living, we asked where it had been seen and proceeded in the opposite direction.

Your experience may vary

Now, just because we didn’t see anyone on a random Sunday, doesn’t mean that it won't be packed at other times. We saw plenty of evidence of recent hiking, snowshoeing, and skiing, along with some tracks made by resident wildlife.

Some tips for visiting Castle Rocks State Park

This is an Idaho State park with a motor vehicle fee of $7, or you can avoid the fee by purchasing an Idaho State Parks passport.

The park hours are from 7 am – 10 pm daily and the visitors center is open from 8-4:30 Wednesday-Sunday, and closed on Mon & Tues

If you are interested in camping, you can check out this site or call the park for more information. (208) 824-5901