With Christine out of town and me staring down the jaws of an entire Saturday with nothing on the calendar (can you believe it?), today we decided to hop in the car and go have an adventure! Ever since I went camping a few years ago with our scout troop to Jump Creek, I’ve wanted to take the kids to go see the falls there. Being relatively late in the summer, today was the perfect day to go, as the water was not too high, and traversing the creek was easy.
Jump Creek Falls are tucked into the Jump Creek Canyon a few miles to the west of Marsing, ID. After about an hour or so drive from Meridian (with a pit stop for yummy snacks – because who doesn’t love yummy snacks?), the hike to the falls from the parking area is very short and easy – probably less than a quarter-mile and mostly flat. The pool at the bottom of the falls is large enough and deep enough to swim in, and there were several other people there enjoying the cool water on a hot day when we arrived.
There are several large boulders surrounding the falls that provide excellent vantage points for pictures and to enjoy the scenery. The kids loved playing on and around the boulders, and exploring the natural caves and alcoves around the falls. Erica could not resist the pull of the water, and after tossing her shoes aside she jumped in and swam across the pool and right into the falls. She reports that the water is pretty cold, but the bottom is relatively barefoot-friendly. The rest of us elected to stay mostly dry.
We spent about an hour at the falls, chasing each other around the rocks, noticing all the dragonflies, petting dogs other people brought, and generally relaxing. After a quick stop in Marsing for some ice cream, we headed home.
If you have an afternoon to kill, it’s hard to beat a little adventure at Jump Creek!
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