Eastern Idaho:

Idaho Travel Regions
Eastern Idaho


Better known as the Yellowstone-Teton region, Eastern Idaho is located less than an hour’s drive from West Yellowstone, Montana and is home to the famed Teton Valley. The region serves as a gateway to several popular recreation areas, including Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park, both of which are destination points for anglers, skiers and snowmobilers.

The small towns of Tetonia, Driggs and Victor make up the Teton Valley and sit at an average elevation of 6,500 feet. Hiking, boating, backcountry skiing and fly-fishing are among its most popular attractions, as well as its abundant snowfall, which averages 500 inches a year.  For those who don’t want to heli-ski or cross-country, there is Kelly Canyon Ski Area, outside the town of Ririe, on Highway 26. The intermediate-level ski area has a summit elevation of 6,600 feet.

In Rexburg, visitors can learn about the Teton flood of 1976 that occurred when the Teton Dam gave way and inundated the towns of Wilford, Sugar City and Rexburg. Eighty million gallons rolled through the valley area, flooding much of Rexburg. The walls of the museum still show the high water mark from the flood.

Eastern Idaho is intersected by several rivers, offering ideal settings for fly-fishing and other summer recreation. Reservoirs, such as the Ririe and Island Park reservoirs dot the region as well, and are popular destinations for boating and waterskiing. The town of Island Park, at the northern end of the region, hosts a winter festival each January that is initiated with a nighttime snowmobile torchlight parade. Abundant snow and cold temperatures make the perfect setting for its annual chili cook off.

Ashton

Rankin Motel.  120 S. Yellowstone Highway, P.O. Box 628, Ashton, ID 83420.  Phone: 208-652-3570.

Idaho Falls

As the name suggests, a waterfall is the centerpiece of this community of 50,000 people.  It can be enjoyed in a walk or cycle through the 14 mile Snake River Greenbelt.

VISITOR INFORMATION

City of Idaho Falls.  308 Constitution Way, P. O. Box 50220, Idaho Falls, ID 83405.  Phone: 208-529-1415.  E-mail

Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce.  630 W. Broadway, P.O. Box 50498, Idaho Falls, ID 83405-0498.  Phone: 208-523-1010; Fax: 208-523-2255.  E-mail

Idaho Falls Public Library.  457 Broadway, Idaho Falls, ID 83402.  Phone: 208-529-1450; Fax: 208-529-1467.  Hours: Monday - Thursday, 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.; Friday - Saturday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.; Closed Sunday.

Media

KIDK-TV   (CBS)
KIDK-TV3 is owned by The Fisher Broadcasting Group and is located in Idaho Falls. The station is a CBS affiliate serving Southeast Idaho, Western Wyoming and Southwest Montana.

LOCAL NEWS 8, KIFI-TV (ABC)
Local News 8 is the local ABC affiliate for Eastern Idaho, Western Wyoming and parts of Montana.

The Post Register
A 26,000 circulation, seven-day newspaper that covers 10 counties in Eastern Idaho and parts of Jackson, Wyo., and West Yellowstone, Mt.

Public Transportation

Targhee Regional Public Transit Authority.  P. O. Box 50375, Idaho Falls, ID 83405.  Phone: 208-529-1489.

ACTIVITIES

Idaho Alpine Club.  P. O. Box 2885, Idaho Falls, ID 83403-2885.  E-mail

Based in Idaho Falls, club members participate in mountain climbing, backpacking, rafting, canoeing, spelunking, hiking, bicycling, backpacking, kayaking, and trail maintenance.

ATTRACTIONS

Museums & Exhibits

Bonneville Museum.  Box 1784, Idaho Falls, ID. Phone: 208-522-1400.

Presents many artifacts, photographs, and artistic interpretations that depict the varied perspectives of the area's history.   Also, permanent displays of natural history, early inhabitants and explorers, agriculture, mining, military, and nuclear energy.  A reading room and reference room adjoining the main floor offers quiet access to historical documents, oral histories, videos, photographs, literature and other research information.  There also is a small gift shop on the main floor helps support the museum.

W. Wilson Rawls Memorial Statue
The children's classic, "Where the Red Fern Grows," was written when the author, W. Wilson Rawls, lived in Idaho Falls from 1958 to 1975. To commemorate the book’s success, a statue is placed on the lawn of the Library which depicts the story’s hero, Billy Coleman, and his two hounds. Web site provides information about Rawls, his book and the movie based on his book.

Performing Arts

Idaho Falls Arts Council
Private nonprofit organization that serves as a cultural advocate for the community.   The council sponsors musical and dramatic performances, arts classes for children and adults and an arts calendar of regional events.   Among its offerings are: "Along the River Concerts", which are free music concerts on the Snake River greenbelt from late June through August.  Also, gallery exhibits in the Willard Arts Center.

Idaho Falls Opera Theatre
Presents opera and musical productions for Idaho Falls and surrounding communities utilizing the talents of local musicians, actors and technicians of all ages in all aspects of production while promoting a broad public knowledge and appreciation of opera. Performs two fully staged productions each year and sponsors a professional Broadway touring show.

Idaho Falls Symphony.  498 A Street, Idaho Falls, ID 83402. Phone: 208-529-1080.

Founded in 1949 when student and adult musicians gathered to rehearse for the community's production of Handel's Messiah, the orchestra today still consists of volunteer and paid musicians from Idaho Falls and surrounding communities gathering together to play the world's great music.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Quality Inn of Idaho Falls.  850 Lindsay Boulevard, Idaho Falls, ID 83402.  Phone: 208-523-6260; Toll-free: 1-800-228-5151; Fax: 208-522-8840.

Rexburg

It is worth complimenting a visit to the Teton Flood Museum with a visit to the dam site on the Teton River, to gain an understanding of what it was like when in June 1976, the dam collapsed sending 80 billion gallons of roaring water through the valley.

Teton Valley

At just 10 million years old, the Grand Tetons are the youngest mountains in the Rockies. In fact, they are still growing at about an inch every hundred years, currently reaching to 13,722 feet in height. It was at Pierre's Hole, now known as the Teton Valley, that the fur trappers and mountain men of the 18th century held their annual rendezvous.  Their coming together from all parts of northern America is remembered in the Driggs Rendezvous Celebration, held each August.

Teton View
This is a sophisticated web cam of the Teton Valley, north of Driggs.  Includes current weather conditions.  (A page on Pat Neely's web site).

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