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Thousand Springs State Park
Thousand Springs State Park is a public recreation and nature preservation area consisting of multiple units — Billingsley Creek, Earl M. Hardy Box Canyon Springs Nature Preserve, Malad Gorge, Niagara Springs, and Ritter Island — in Gooding County, Idaho.
Park units
The state park was created in 2005, when four existing state parks in the Hagerman Valley were merged into a single entity, with an additional unit subsequently added to the complex. This former ranch was purchased by the state in 2001. One feature is the homesite of western author Vardis Fisher. Billingsley Creek Unit totals 286 acre. This 350 acre box canyon has 250 ft walls. At its head is the eleventh-largest spring in North America, gushing 180000 gal per minute. There is a 20 ft waterfall. The 350 acre property was developed by the Nature Conservancy which purchased the site in 1999, then completed its transfer to the state in 2016. (Does this include Priestly's Hydraulic Ram, listed on the National Register of Historic Places?) Malad Gorge is a 250 ft canyon formed by the Malad River, downstream from a 60 ft waterfall. This 652 acre day-use unit is off Interstate 84 and offers hiking and picnicking. A section of the Oregon Trail is visible. Rock pigeons, red-tailed hawks and golden eagles nest in the canyon. Yellow-bellied marmots are found on the canyon floor. Proclaimed a National Natural Landmark, this area borders the Snake River and features sheer basalt cliffs 350 ft high. There are 179 acre in two parcels, acquired in 1971 and 1976. This unit lies along the Snake River between two large springs.
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