Pioneer Trails East-Soda Springs Area

Beginning in September, local potato farmers sell their newly harvested potatoes in fifty pound bags. Watch for opportunities to buy real Idaho spuds at roadside stands often found along State Highway 34, near Grace, Idaho, or along US Highway 91 in Preston.

Here you can picnic in a place traversed by Oregon Trail travelers. The Oregon Trail, marked by white trail markers, heads up from Alexander Reservoir and crosses the road that leads down into the park.

Corrigan Park is located in downtown Soda Springs, Idaho, on the north side of US Highway 30/State Highway 34. It is a pleasant spot to stop and have lunch. While there, you can visit the Galloping Goose and the Dinky Engine, two locomotives that have a part in the history…

In 1881-1882, Mormon settlers came to this area north of Bancroft at the invitation of their friend and relative Chester Call, who had established a ranch nearby. Their hope was to build a thriving community, but in 1882, the Oregon Short Line Railroad was built through Bancroft instead of their…

The Daughters of Utah Pioneers built this museum in 1983. It features pioneer artifacts, Native American artifacts, and other relics found in the area left by the travelers on the Oregon Trail which went through Soda Springs.

Trail Creek offers eleven rooms in a lodge, and amenities like a hot tub, sauna, and satellite big screen TV. You can get breakfast service or group meals, or you can prepare your own meals. Outdoor recreation opportunities include cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, horseback riding, and fishing. Camping and RV hookups…

Without the extensive networks of irrigation canals created by settlers of this region, farming as it now exists would have been impossible in this arid area. Residents created cooperatives to organize the use of the water, with families owning shares that gave them the right to irrigate their land on…

Stockman's Bar no longer offers food, but it does host pool tables and drinks in a rustic historic bar.

On this route, travelers can retrace some steps of Idaho's pioneers and follow the path taken by early-day Yellowstone Park visitors. From Franklin, Idaho's oldest settlement, it follows US Hwy 91 north to Preston, then Idaho State Hwy 34 north through Thatcher and Grace to US Hwy 30. It then goes east…

Come visit the world's only captive geyser! This park features information about the geyser and the history of the park. This geyser goes off every hour on the hour and sprays water at a cooler degree meaning you can touch the water! Experience the geyser and Soda Springs' historic downtown.

Birding area. Song birds, birds of prey, upland birds, water fowl, as well as Sandhill Cranes, Sharp-tail Grouse and Sage Grouse. Local habitat includes farmland, and mixed forest. Visit this site any season but winter.

The Caribou County Courthouse in Soda Springs, Idaho, was built in 1919. It is in Classical Revival style and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are historical artifacts on display on the second floor including a large collection of arrowheads.

This reservoir features shore birds, marine birds, upland birds, marsh birds, water fowl, Sage Grouse and many Sandhill Cranes in fall. Habitat includes wetlands, shrub steppe, and farmland. Visit this site any season but winter. There are also a variety of fish including Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, and…

This building was built of local lava rock in 1902. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is currently used as the local Scout House for boys and girls.

This 1895 Gothic style church in Soda Springs Idaho is built of local lava rock.  In 1895 Captain John Codman donated the land, and a house, to the effort, and this building was raised.  Total cost of the construction and furnishing of the church amounted to $3,671.35. The church is still…

This 30-room early commercial style hotel was built in 1917 and restored in 2001. It still runs as a hotel today! Guests will enjoy the authentic architecture and décor throughout, as well as a gift shop and the Enders Museum. Most rooms provide an excellent view of the Soda Springs…

Octagon Spring is one of the hundreds of mineral springs in Soda Springs. This spring, like others in the area, is naturally carbonated. The Idan-ha Hotel used to be across the street before it burned down in 1921 making this a popular site for visitors. The water is carbonated and…

In 1913 this building housed a doctor's office and general store. It has seen various owners and uses since then, until 1964, when Sam Krebbs bought the store and established Sam's Market, a mainstay in the community of Grace.

This is a popular birding area with song birds, birds of prey, marine birds, marsh birds, water fowl, nesting sandhill Cranes and Trumpeter Swans. Visit this site any season but winter.

This is a geological site with ancient volcanic flows and rhyolite domes. This area also features farmland and sagebrush steppe. The best time to visit is during spring and fall and is a great birdwatching spot. This is a stop along the Pioneer Historic National Scenic Byway.

Just outside Grace, Idaho, is the Niter Ice Cave. Formed around 500,000 years ago, this cave is a result of lava flows. Early settlers would use the cave for refrigeration. The cave has some graffiti, but it is a great lava tube for exploring.

This preserve established by the Nature Conservancy protects travertine terraces and crystal clear pools and a unique wetland complex at the base of the scenic Aspen Mountains. The cold springs that feed the terraced pools and creek system deposit high concentrations of travertine (calcium carbonate), which gives the site its…

This is a branch of the Oregon Trail. On July 19, 1849, Benoni M. Hudspeth, captain of a wagon train headed for California, and John Myers, the wagon train’s guide, decided to open a new wagon route to shorten the northern and more established route through Fort Hall. Instead of…

This is a great area for birds with plenty of song birds, birds of prey, shore birds, marine birds, upland birds, marsh birds, water fowl, Sandhill Cranes and Trumpeter Swans. Visit this site any season.

This old store in Henry, Idaho, was originally built as a trading post for Native Americans, trappers, and later gold miners from Caribou Mountain. It is also known as Chester Store by locals after one of the owners. The original building was destroyed by fire, and the current building was…

Come watch newly hatched fish (fry and fingerlings), learn about fish reproduction and stocking, and maybe try your luck in a nearby creek! This fish hatchery was built in 1946 and supplies fish stock to southeast Idaho lakes, rivers, and streams. The primary fish produced in the hatchery’s 16 vats…

This is the oldest drugstore in Idaho. Stop in for an old fashioned soft drink like iron port. The store sells gifts, cards, and historical book by local authors, along with the usual drugstore stock.

Free, clear sparkling soda water still is available in a beautiful Soda Springs city park located two miles north from the center of town. A prime attraction for more than 160 years, soda water from these springs was known nationally after rail service reached this resort area in 1882. W.H….

Lau Family Farms have been direct marketing grass-fed beef and lamb since July of 2004. John Lau is the fifth generation to live here, and his ancestors were one of four families sent by the Mormon Church to settle Soda Springs. The farm was established in 1882, and has received…

The Largilliere Carriage House is listed on the National Register of Historic places and is located in downtown Soda Springs, Idaho. It was built in 1899 by August Largilliere, a wealthy immigrant who built and started multiple businesses in Soda Springs; this historic home is one of the few remaining…

A summer cabin was built in 1870 for Latter-day Saint (Mormon) Church President Brigham Young. The cabin was used for many years as a stopping place for Young and other church leaders as they traveled through the area doing church business. The home was destroyed in 1944 in an attempt…

This old cemetery is home to several interesting graves. The Wagon Box Grave is the 1861 burial site of an Oregon Trail emigrant family of seven killed by Indians and buried together in the wagon box from their covered wagon. You can also find a Morrisite headstone. The Morrisites were…

General Patrick Edward Connor, with California and Nevada volunteers, was ordered by President Lincoln to protect the overland travel routes in the West. (This is the same Connor who led his troops to slaughter upwards of 300 Shoshone Indians at the Bear River Massacre in January, 1863. Please see the…

This reservoir is a great place for boating, fishing, swimming, and birdwatching. Local fiah include rainbow trout, channel catfish, blue gill, perch and small mouth bass. It has two boat access ramps with docks at Oregon Trail Park and Marina, located just off of Hwy 30 and two day use…

This is a small house with a big story. The Old Rock House, built in 1896 from rocks originally quarried for a railroad round house, was saved from eventual destruction by the loving care and hard work of its latest owner, Anna Beauregard. The house was built by William Hopkins….

Five miles west of Soda Springs is a great stone bluff rising several hundred feet above the Bear River. This is the point at which the Bear makes its sweeping left turn, around the base of Sheep Rock, and heads back south toward the Great Salt Lake. Geologically, it marks…

The Idan-ha theatre was originally built in 1924 as a vaudeville house and has undergone significant renovations since. It is now a working theater showing popular films. Across the street are many other historic buildings like the Enders Hotel which features a museum about the area. They also have historic…

In Caribou County, this Ranger Station manages the activities of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Books, maps, travel and recreation information are available.

London Drug is independently owned and operated. They offer the same quality products and value prices of chain drug stores. Established in 1950, this is the place to get frozen homemade pie dough for perfect pies!