Box Canyon Springs Nature Preserve is one of five units in the Thousand Springs State Park unit, it's also the 11th biggest spring in the country.
The views at Box Canyon are spectacular, but for the more adventurous types, a hike into the canyon gets people up close to the crystal clear water and a beautiful waterfall.
This is one of my favorite hikes, but people need to know that it is a challenge to descend 400 feet into the canyon, and we discovered even more challenges with snow along the unimproved trail.
The hike leads to a majestic waterfall that cascades 20 feet before continuing to a pond where water gets diverted to a fish hatchery, while the rest of it dumps into the Snake River.
The spring runs year-round and the water is always cold because it comes from underground via the Snake River Plain Aquifer. The green plants visible in the springs are called Water Veronica and it indicates good stream health.
This hike can be done any time of the year and it certainly looks different in the warmer months. However, if you go into this canyon in the summer, be aware of the heat and that it's covered in poison ivy.
The hike continues down the canyon until you reach the confluence of the Snake River. At that point, the trail loops around the backside. This is where I discovered a porcupine on one of my adventures.
The hike finished up with a climb that zig-zags back up to the rim and a flat section leads back to the parking lot to finish off this three-mile loop.
Box Canyon Springs costs $7, or you can get in with a State Parks pass which can be purchased when you renew your auto registration.
Thousand Springs State Park also has a new visitors center that opened in the spring of 2022 and it's a good place to start if you want to explore this area and the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument.
The visitors center has limited hours in the winter as it is open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
