Jump Creek Falls is a 55-foot horsetail waterfall on Jump Creek in Owyhee County, Idaho, pouring into a pool in a canyon on Bureau of Land Management land southwest of Marsing. A short, easy walk from the lower parking lot reaches its base, and the pool is a summer swimming spot.
The falls
The creek drops in a single horsetail about 5 feet wide into a large pool, measuring 55 feet. Jump Creek is spring-fed and runs all year, but by summer the falls shrink to a near trickle. Water birch and red osier dogwood line the stream below.
Getting there
The BLM directions from Boise run west on I-84 to Highway 55 (Exit 33A), through Marsing to US-95, then 1 mile further to a left on Cemetery Road. At the T-intersection, turn left onto Jump Creek Road; about 0.5 mile past the Poison Creek intersection, bear right where the road turns to gravel and cross the cattle guard. From there the road is a public route through private property: follow the signs and stay on the main road.
From the lower parking lot the trail to the falls is a quarter mile each way, with almost no elevation gain. An upper lot gives access to more trails around the canyon. The site is open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; the BLM charges $5 for day use or $25 for an annual pass. It is managed by the BLM Owyhee Field Office.
When to go
March to June is the recommended season, when the spring flow is strongest. Summer brings the lowest water, though the pool is popular for swimming then.
On site
Visitors can hike to the base, look down from an overlook, or picnic among the rock crevices along the stream. The BLM allows swimming at the base of the falls and asks swimmers to take care. Poison ivy grows thick in places along the creek and trail. In March 2017 a 20-year-old man slipped near the Devil's Ladder and fell more than 70 feet to his death.
Nearby
Poison Creek Falls is about 1.7 miles away. Sage Hen Falls is about 18 miles away, and Swan Falls on the Snake River about 31.8 miles. The town of Marsing is about 7.3 miles northeast.
Distances are straight-line.