Overview

Hype:

Discover the lush landscape of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest and two of the most spectacular waterfalls in the West—Upper and Lower Mesa Falls. As tall as a 10-story building, the upper falls pour over remnants of an ancient volcanic super-eruption while the lower falls continue to chisel away at the solidified ash and lava. Get an up-close-and-personal experience by exploring the on viewing platforms, or stop at the historic Mesa Falls Visitor Center to learn about the area’s geology and rich past.

Time: 0.5-2 hours

Length: 30 miles on way

Fees: None

Recommended Ages:

	0-3
	4-11
	12-19
	20-49
	50-69
	70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Links: https://visitidaho.org/things-to-do/horseback-riding/mesa-falls-scenic-byway/
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/ctnf/recarea/?recid=54311

Maps

Closest City or Region: Southeastern Idaho

Coordinates: 44.330437, -111.441314

Interactive Guide Map

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Brochure

July 11, 2024 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Savannah Dye, Madilyn Dye, Cooper Dye, Greg Dye, Laura Dye, Anthony Dye, Arianne Dye, Miller Dye, Kingston Dye, Ondylyn Wagner, Jaren Wagner, Killian Wagner, Calliope Wagner,

Story

After Bear world, we drove to Upper Mesa Falls. We hung out at the visitor center and kids did their Junior Forest Ranger packets while we waited for others to catch up. Then we walked out to the falls and took a bunch of pictures. We then went back to the visitor center so the kids could redeem their badges, but all the rangers closed up and left at 4:52 when they were supposed to be open until 5:00. The kids were quite disappointed that they didn't get their badges.

After the waterfall, we drove to our campsite at Flat Rock Campground in Island Park. Except that as we were following Anthony, we noticed that one of his tires was smoking on the trailer that he borrowed from Brenen. We flagged him down and inspected the trailer to find out that one of the wheel bearings had burned up. So we parked the trailer on the side of the road and jacked up one side so we could remove the tire. We thought maybe we could drive it on one tire until camp and fix it there, but with one tire missing, all the weight was on the other tire and the suspension rocked so that the tire was touching the bottom of the trailer and couldn't drive. So we left the trailer there and carpooled to camp. We fixed dinner and got people settled and then Anthony and Ondy's families drove back to spend the night at their trailer on the side of the road.