HAGERMAN, Idaho — It’s too early for winter cabin fever, but the mountains aren’t quite in their prime, and the holidays are looming.
If you want a fun day trip from the Treasure Valley, the Hagerman area is a good option because it has unique attractions that are interesting any time of year, and the weather is usually milder down there.
Don’t be fooled by the “banana belt” label you often hear about. Hagerman still gets cold, but it’s typically about 10 degrees warmer than Boise and outside our winter inversion layer.
Dress warmly and tailor your trip to the weather. Many activities don’t require a lot of time outside to enjoy them.
I’ve made numerous trips to this area through the years, and it’s a must-do outing when family comes to town because all ages enjoy it. I have some favorite spots that I always visit, but I also try to find something new or a little different each time I am there.
Here are some places to add to your stops on your Hagerman road trip.
• HAGERMAN WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA.
This is one of my favorite places in the Hagerman area, and during winter, it’s a magnet for waterfowl.
For sake of simplicity, I refer to several areas off U.S. 30 south of Hagerman, including the rest area near the bridge over the Snake River, as the WMA.
Take a left off U.S. 30 at the sign to the WMA. You will see several large ponds. Carefully drive up to the ponds and stay in your vehicle.
There will be thousands of ducks sitting on the ponds. Try to see how many different species of waterfowl you can spot. Bring your binoculars.
Then drive over by the hatchery race ways and park. You can see the trout and giant sturgeon. It’s pretty cool to have an 8-foot-long fish swimming at your feet.
You can hike around the WMA, and one of my favorite options is to park by the Quonset hut near Riley Creek and head toward Oster Lakes. It’s fun to just wander around back there. There is lots of wildlife, and you can often spot fish in the clear water.
Go back to U.S. 30 and continue south. There’s a rest area near the bridge across the river that has a cool blind made out of steel with fish and animal cutouts. You can check which birds are resting on the ponds.
• BOX CANYON.
The water is so clear in the canyon it looks surreal, and a 20-foot waterfall is another highlight of the 350-acre Earl M. Hardy Box Canyon Springs Nature Preserve, which is part of Thousand Springs State Park.
It’s the 11th-largest spring in North America, according to Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. Some 180,000 gallons of water per minute bubble up from the ground before pouring into the Snake River several miles away.
What makes it more unique is how dramatic the change is between the parking lot and the springs.
You’re in typical-looking Idaho agricultural land at the parking area, and there’s nothing that braces you for what you’re about to experience when you make the easy (flat) 3/4-mile hike to the overlook for the springs.
The aquamarine pool is so transparent it looks fake. Then you can hike another quarter mile to the platform near the base of the falls, and you get a whole different experience as you hear the rush of falling water.
• RITTER ISLAND.
This island has one of the best views in Idaho. What’s interesting to me is that if this scenic spot were located someplace else around the country, it would have a big scenic overlook with parking and interpretive signs, etc.
Instead, you pull onto a wide spot on a gravel road and snap a few photos, then drive down below to park and hike less than a quarter mile to the base of the falls.
You can also hike around Ritter Island by crossing a bridge and seeing the historic buildings there, and more cool stuff on the island and in the springs and river.
