Perrine Coulee Falls

Perrine Coulee Falls is a 200-foot plunge waterfall in Twin Falls County, Idaho, where Perrine Coulee pours off the south rim of the Snake River Canyon inside the city of Twin Falls. It is fed largely by irrigation runoff, and an easy roadside walk leads behind the falling water.

The falls

The coulee runs about 12 miles through Twin Falls, crossing the College of Southern Idaho campus, before dropping off the canyon rim west of the Perrine Bridge. The single plunge drops about 200 feet based on lidar data, with an average width of 10 feet. Lidar also suggests a 25-foot upper fall a short distance upstream. Peak flow reaches about 120 cubic feet per second in late June and July.

Getting there

There is no official parking lot. Visitors can park in roadside spaces at the bottom of the first switchback of Canyon Springs Grade, the road down to Centennial Waterfront Park; from there an easy path leads behind the falls. The falls can also be seen from the canyon floor near the park and from the paved Canyon Rim Trail on the south rim, which runs over 10 miles.

When to go

The falls run year round, strongest in summer when irrigation water swells the flow, with May to August being the prime viewing season. In winter, freezing temperatures and the spray can leave the trailhead completely covered in ice.

On site

Expect to get wet on the path behind the falls. In winter the road shoulder and rocks are very slippery; don't stand under the icicles. In October 2012 a photographer fell about 20 feet at the falls and had to be rescued with a leg injury.

History and name

The coulee is named for Ira Burton Perrine (1861–1943), the irrigation promoter credited with founding Twin Falls, whose Twin Falls Land and Water Company built Milner Dam in 1905. The Perrine Bridge is also named for him.

Nearby

Mary Alice Falls is about 1.7 miles away, Pillar Falls about 2.1 miles, and Shoshone Falls about 3.7 miles.

Distances are straight-line.