The Snake River drops about 20 feet through downtown Idaho Falls, Idaho, over a cascade created by a dam and hydroelectric plant rather than a natural channel.
The falls
The World Waterfall Database classifies the site as artificial, with a regulated flow, and says it falls short of the criteria for a legitimate waterfall. A diversion dam and hydroelectric plant, completed in 1911, turned the Snake River's original rapids into the present cascade. Other measurements put the drop at about 20 feet across roughly 1,200 feet of width.
Getting there
The City of Idaho Falls' River Walk runs along both banks of the Snake River for five miles, with access points at Broadway and River Parkway and at Broadway and Riverside Drive. The paved path is open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., though people on foot or bicycle may continue on designated pathways after the parks otherwise close. No admission fee, permit or waterfall-specific closure has been documented.
When to go
Because flow is regulated by the dam, the falls do not follow a natural seasonal pattern. The River Walk's floating bridge, one of its river crossings, is closed from the first week of November to the first week of June.
On site
The River Walk's landscaped riverbanks include benches and several river crossings.
History and name
The settlement was called Eagle Rock before residents voted to rename it Idaho Falls on August 26, 1891, two decades before the dam created the present cascade.
Nearby
Fall Creek Falls is about 33.6 miles away. West Rainbow Falls is about 47.2 miles, and Rainbow Falls about 47.6 miles.
Distances are straight-line.