Best Parks in Eastern Idaho: Idaho Falls, Rexburg and the Teton Valley

Idaho Falls

Start at Tautphaus Park, about 76 acres in Idaho Falls with a skate park, tennis and basketball courts, a ball field, a playground and walking and bike trails, and the Butte Arm Canal along its edge. Russell A Freeman Park covers about 50 acres along North Fork Willow Creek, with disc golf, a playground and the Snake River Path passing through. Community Park adds about 32 acres on the Idaho Canal, with its own trail, a ball field and a multi-use field.

With kids in summer, Reinhart Park has a splash pad and a playground on about 9 acres. Riders should know about Gem Lake Bike Park, about 23 acres of single-track mountain bike trail, while Gem State Park has a boat launch and docks on Gem Lake plus a picnic pavilion and fire pits. For a break from the playgrounds, the Friendship Garden sits on a Snake River island and is laid out as a Japanese garden, with a pond, a big lantern and a pavilion.

Ammon and Iona

McCowin Park in Ammon gives you a swimming pool and a splash pad in the same place, on about 20 acres with tennis, pickleball and basketball courts and walking and bike trails. Woodland Hills Park has disc golf and a ball field on about 13 acres, and Blacktail Park, a Bonneville County park, has a boat ramp and a pavilion with a grill. In Iona, Pioneer Park has a splash pad and a playground, and Iona Park adds a skate park and pickleball.

Rexburg and Sugar City

In Rexburg, Porter Park has a carousel, a splash pad and a playground with swings and monkey bars on about 11 acres, plus an amphitheater and tennis courts. Smith Park is the sports pick, with tennis, pickleball and basketball courts, a baseball field and a playground with slides. Rexburg Nature Park covers nearly 28 acres with a skate park, a dog park and disc golf, and Riverside Park runs along the South Teton River with a BMX track and a community garden.

To get on the water, Beaver Dick Park is a Madison County park on the Henrys Fork of the Snake River with a boat ramp, a volleyball court and a playground. Twin Bridges Park has another boat ramp and a fire pit on about 35 acres. In Sugar City, Heritage Park has a merry-go-round, and Sugar City's Smith Park has a skate park and a tennis court.

Rigby

Jefferson County Lake Park is the big one in Jefferson County, about 67 acres in Rigby with a boat ramp, river frontage, a walking trail, tennis and volleyball courts and a playground. Rigby's South Park runs along the Burgess Canal with a skate park, a ball field and a walking trail on about 19 acres.

St. Anthony

The parks in St. Anthony are small, but they cover a lot. Keefer Park sits on the Henrys Fork of the Snake River with a playground and a pavilion, and Jaycee Park has a sledding hill and big shade trees. For games, Boyd Yancey Memorial Park has street hockey and a basketball court, and Harry Worrell Park has a tennis court and a playground.

Driggs and Victor

Sherman Park in Victor is the standout in the Teton Valley, nearly 54 acres with a rodeo arena, a bike park, disc golf, a dog park and an ice rink. In Driggs, City Park has its own ice rink and a baseball field, with the Driggs Pathway running past, and 5th St Park has a skate park, a bike park and disc golf on about 8.5 acres. Back in Victor, Victor Main Street Park has a stage and a pavilion on a lawn shaded by cottonwoods and pines.

Salmon

Salmon's City Park covers nearly 29 acres with a baseball field and tennis, pickleball, basketball and volleyball courts. Island Park sits on the Salmon River with a boat ramp, a skate park and a dog park on nearly 14 acres, so you can put in a boat and let the kids skate in one stop.