Head northwest on US-30 for about 35 to 45 minutes and you'll reach six separate park units of Thousand Springs State Park, each with different terrain, different hours, and right now in August, a hard seasonal close date for two of the best ones. That practical truth is what separates a great day from a wasted drive. The 2026 Subaru Forester handles the route with 8.7 inches of standard ground clearance and up to 74.4 cubic feet of cargo room with the rear seats down, and both of those matter out here.
One caveat comes first, before you load the car. You won't see all six units in a single comfortable day, so don't try. Three or four is the right number, and we'll walk you through which ones deserve the stop.
What's the Plan at a Glance?
Thousand Springs State Park sits roughly 34 miles northwest of Twin Falls, near Hagerman, along the Thousand Springs Scenic Byway on US-30. Six separate units make up the park, each a short drive from the next. Our table below covers the three units we'd anchor a summer day trip around, plus a bonus stop that closes with the season.
| Stop | What to Do | Best Time | Parking Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malad Gorge | Walk the footbridge over Devil's Washbowl, hike the canyon rim | Anytime (year-round, 7 AM - 10 PM) | Paved lot off Tuttle exit, I-84; day-use fee required |
| Box Canyon | 4.3-mile canyon loop trail, blue-pool viewpoint, 20-foot falls | Morning (cooler temps) | Gravel access road; clearance helpful |
| Niagara Springs | Turquoise spring pools, picnic, kid-friendly fishing | Before Labor Day only (open 7 AM - 10 PM) | Gravel descent road (steep); AWD is genuinely useful |
| Ritter Island | Historic agricultural site, waterfall walks (Lemon Falls) | Thu-Mon before Labor Day, 10 AM - 3 PM | Paved parking; narrow bridge to island |
Malad Gorge: The Right Place to Start
Malad Gorge is where we'd start, one mile off the Tuttle exit on I-84, because it's the one unit you can't miss driving in from Twin Falls and it sets the tone for the whole day. The Malad River drops through a 250-foot-deep basalt gorge before it reaches the Snake River, and the first thing you'll see from the parking area is a footbridge suspended right above the Devil's Washbowl. Walk across it. The teal water below that pours into the bowl is disorienting in the best way, and it looks like something out of a nature documentary rather than a 40-minute drive from downtown Twin Falls.
The Forester Wilderness is what we'd reach for if you're also eyeing some of the unpaved service roads in the area, but the standard Forester handles the paved loop and gravel approaches at Malad just fine. Plan on somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour before you push on.
The Scenic Byway Push: Box Canyon and Niagara Springs
From Malad Gorge, pick up US-30 south toward Hagerman and follow the Thousand Springs Scenic Byway down the Snake River plain, the stretch that earns the byway designation. Basalt cliffs sit on your right, farm fields on your left, and spring water gushes right out of the canyon walls at points where the aquifer breaks through.
Box Canyon is your next stop. The trailhead parking area is gravel, and there's a full 4.3-mile loop that dips into the canyon, passes 20-foot Box Canyon Falls, and brings you back up to the rim. If you have kids or a dog, the first half-mile down to the blue pools is worth the effort even if you don't complete the whole loop. Bald eagles nest in this canyon (the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation confirms it as a verified wildlife viewing site), so keep your eyes up.
Then comes Niagara Springs, and we'll be straight with you. The road down is gravel and steep. Nothing the Forester's Symmetrical AWD can't handle, and the 8.7 inches of clearance, per Subaru's published specs, keeps the undercarriage comfortable. Still, it's worth knowing before you arrive so you're not surprised. The payoff is turquoise spring pools that look artificially bright, plus a picnic area where the kids can fish for trout in Niagara Creek.
- Niagara Springs closes after Labor Day weekend, and the day-use season runs from the weekend after Memorial Day through Labor Day only
- Box Canyon is open year-round if you want to return in fall or winter
- Both units require a day-use fee at the kiosk, and an Idaho State Parks Pass covers all units
- Cell service is spotty along the Byway through Hagerman Valley, so download offline maps before you leave Twin Falls
- Water. Bring it. August in southern Idaho brings serious high-desert summer heat
Value Your Trade Before the Next Adventure
Why the 2026 Forester Fits This Trip
The 2026 Forester earns its place on this route for practical reasons rather than marketing ones, because the trip itself asks for gravel descents into Niagara, ground clearance on the steep access roads, and enough space to haul a full day's gear between units without rearranging the cabin. The Forester Hybrid is worth a mention here too. Its EPA-estimated 35 mpg combined stretches your range across a full day of unit-hopping. The standard 2026 Forester gets up to 26 city and 33 highway per EPA estimates, so the round trip from Twin Falls, roughly 70 to 90 miles depending on which units you hit, barely dents the tank.
Cargo is where the planning pays off. With the rear seats up, the 2026 Forester carries 27.5 cubic feet, enough for two adults' full day-hike gear without any shuffling. Fold those seats down and you open up 74.4 cubic feet, Subaru's published spec, with room for a cooler, a folding table for Niagara's picnic area, and a bike if someone in your group is ambitious. The wide, low liftover on the power tailgate keeps you from hoisting gear above your shoulder in a trailhead parking lot.
Standard EyeSight Driver Assist technology comes on every 2026 Forester, and it earns its keep on the drive home when you're tired from a full day in the sun, on a two-lane highway with farm traffic. It's a quiet thing that does its job in the background. That's exactly how it should work.
Browse our current Forester inventory to see what's on the lot right now.