An Easy, and SPECTACULAR “Hike” in Island Park, ID, USA

Hard to capture the majesty of this view

We found a hidden gem near Island Park, Idaho! Not far off the the freeway, we pulled into a parking lot and used our National Park Pass to gain access to the Upper Mesa Falls parking lot. Luckily, we were able to find parking in the main lot (there is an overflow lot not far from the main). We gathered our Bandit Outdoors backpacks and headed off – prepared for a hike. We quickly realized that this isn’t much of a hike, and more like a lovely stroll down through tall pine trees and cool temperatures. Right at the “trailhead” there is a cabin where you can see furs and pelts of native animals and not too far down the trail there are two bathrooms (vault toilets) should the need arise. 

Represent the Brand!!

Near the upper Mesa Falls themselves, there is a platform which allows visitors the opportunity to take some great photos near the roar of water. It was a bit crowded there, but other visitors were polite and everybody got a turn to take some unobstructed pictures.

We made it back to the cars in enough time to drive 3 minutes down the road to see the Lower Mesa Falls. They were also impressive, but visitors are much farther away. However, there is a scenic hike, maybe a mile and a half that takes you down to the Lower Mesa Falls. We didn’t do that based on time and the group we were with, but we saw some folks down there and they were loving it! 

#MesaFalls #IslandPark #BanditOutdoors #StealAdventure

What to See / Hints

• Try exploring the Scenic Trail – we’d love to hear how that goes! 
• Trail running shoes were perfect for the hike