A Quick And Scenic Hike Leads To One Of Idaho's Most Ethereal Waterfall Swimming Holes With Canyon Views

The Snake River cuts a deep swath across the landscape of the American West, winding between headwaters on the Continental Divide in Wyoming and converging with the mighty Columbia River near the Oregon-Washington border. The river is famed for its treacherous waters, world-class fishing, and for creating one of the world's deepest river gorges, Hells Canyon. While reaching the deepest canyon in America is a forbidding and remote wilderness adventure, there are more accessible parts of the Snake River Canyon that are just as scenic.

As the Snake meanders across southern Idaho, it forms the shallower, but no less spectacular, Snake River Canyon near the towns of Jerome and Twin Falls, Idaho. Along the stark canyon walls, many waterfalls pour into the emerald river below. The most well-known in this section of the canyon is Shoshone Falls, but not far from this must-visit attraction, you can find a variety of smaller cascades that, at the right time of year, form idyllic swimming pools. 

One of these off-the-beaten-path waterfalls is known as Mermaid Cove, or sometimes Mermaid Hole. Just a short hike from Jerome, this beautiful waterfall forms a turquoise pool at the base during late summer, where many a swimmer has escaped the hot Idaho summer. Note: Mermaid Cove is only suitable for swimming at the end of the summer, when the current is at its lowest. In spring, the water is too high and dangerous for swimming.

While Mermaid Cove isn't on the scale as the nearby Shoshone Falls, an overlooked majestic waterfall in Idaho known as the "Niagara of the West," it's still a local favorite for hiking and swimming (in the proper season, of course). Mermaid Cove is a short hike away from Jerome, Idaho, about 30 minutes north of Twin Falls and 1.5 hours southeast of Idaho's capital, Boise. The trailhead is near the Jerome Country Club, starting from a parking lot at the end of Yingst Road. The waterfall is along the Yingst Road Trail, a former dirt highway that descends into the canyon and crosses Broken Bridge, once the main crossing in this area for the Snake River (no longer broken, although the name remains). However, well before the bottom of the canyon, you'll spot the two tiers of Mermaid Cove falls — the first tier pools in the summer to form a beautiful, swimmable lagoon. Continue along the trail to catch views of the next tier.

Mermaid Cove can also be reached from the other side of the Snake River, through Auger Falls Heritage Park in Twin Falls. Cross Broken Bridge, and you'll meet up with the same path that takes you to Mermaid Cove on the Jerome side of the river. Birders should bring binoculars to spot hawks and other local birds, while fishermen should bring their poles to access fishing spots (with a valid license).

Although the hike is short, the sun and heat in southern Idaho can get intense. Make sure to bring plenty of sunscreen and water for you and your pup, if that lucky dog gets to come. And, as always in the great outdoors, leave no trace: take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints. 

Mermaid Cove is just one of the many attractions around this section of the Snake River Canyon. About 13 miles south of Jerome is the spectacular Perrine Memorial Bridge, which boasts one of the very few spots to legally BASE jump in America. See the structure, several waterfalls, and more epic views of the canyon and its surroundings along the Snake River Canyon Rim Trail, a scenic, paved, 12-mile path that follows the canyon. The path is ideal for hikers, bikers, families, and even rollerbladers. 

For a different type of thrill, continue southwest toward the famous Shoshone Falls, which at 212 feet high, is about the same as the drop at Niagara Falls (hence its nickname). True adventurers can join a four-hour kayaking trip to gaze in awe at Shoshone Falls from its base. When it comes down to it, waterfall lovers shouldn't sleep on the Snake River Canyon in southern Idaho, which surely provides us with some of the best of the West (at least, scenery-wise).