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BRIAN M C CORD
GO It’s a September to remember in the Hagerman Valley. In the middle of the month, music lovers can enjoy Blues in the Park in Hagerman. Throughout the three-day weekend, Billingsley Creek State Park is hopping with live music, dancing, and a beer and wine garden. Two weeks later, the annual Thousand Springs Festival features music as well, along with the works of dozens of talented artisans. The festival on Ritter Island benefits the Southern Idaho Land Trust. Earlier in the year on July 3-4, Buhl Sagebrush Days activities include children’s rides, a fun run, bull-riding rodeo and the longest parade in Southern Idaho. The event, which is free to the public, is capped off with a dazzling fireworks display.
PLAY Ready to raft? The portion of the Snake River that runs from Burley to Glenns Ferry includes the Hagerman stretch, which is popular among families for rafting, fishing and natural springs. “The middle section of the Snake River is incredibly diverse, from radical rapids for rafting to the mellowest waters for paddling,” says Olin Gardner, who owns and operates Idaho Guide Service with his wife, Shelley. The guide service’s half-day and day trips provide access to both widely visited and lesser-known areas, such as the Murtaugh section, open only in the spring as snow runoff flows into the river. “It’s one of the premier day trips in the Northwest for people in the know,” says Gardner, the first outfitter licensed to conduct trips here. “There’s also a considerable amount of wildlife and birding because of the seclusion.” Wildlife draws many to Thousand Springs State Park, which includes Ritter Island, Niagara Springs, Malad Gorge and Crystal Springs Lake. The lake also attracts anglers, as do Hagerman National Fish Hatchery and Idaho Fish and Game Hatchery, which draw families fishing for rainbow trout and other species. In the wintertime, birdwatchers flock to the
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hatchery’s lakes and the Hagerman Wildlife Management Area, a waterfowl rest area for migrating ducks and geese. Other seasonal visitors include bald eagles, ospreys and falcons.
STAY The region’s natural hot springs bring thousands to area resorts such as Miracle Hot Springs in Buhl, which has 19 private pools and two outdoor pools of the high-pH water. “The water has a special feel,” explains Nathan Olsen, who co-owns the resort with his brother. The warm water is great for just about anyone but also has a therapeutic appeal. “There’s nothing like soaking in the water and then getting a massage,” says Olsen, who has four massage therapists on staff. Miracle Hot Springs also offers RV camping, creekside tent camping and geodesic camping domes heated with the natural hot water to provide a comfortable place to stay no matter what the time of year. The resort also features live alligators, first brought to the hot springs by Olsen’s grandfather, who opened the hot springs to the public in 1954. 1000 Springs Resort takes advantage of the hot springs, too, but Hagerman also has traditional bed-and-breakfasts, such as Hagerman Valley Inn on Frogs Landing.
EAT Spring for a good meal at the Snake River Grill, located next door to Hagerman Valley Inn. A third-generation cook, Kirt Martin opened the restaurant in 1995 and specializes in preparing local wild game. “Most of our products are produced here in Idaho, whether it’s Kurobuta pork, Kobe beef, sturgeon or trout. And we get our seasonal fruits and vegetables from the local farmers market,” Martin says. The restaurant thrives with the support of hungry patrons looking for cuisine that’s refreshingly different, locally produced and impeccably prepared. “We put a lot of love into this place,” Martin says. “It’s my passion.”
Left to right: Guests relax in one of the warm-water pools at Miracle Hot Springs in Buhl; Thousand Springs State Park’s many waterfalls erupt from rocky canyon walls and gush into the river below; rafters enjoy the Hagerman stretch of the Snake River.
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