About this place
The South Fork of the Snake runs 66 miles across southeastern Idaho. It passes through high mountain valleys, rugged canyons and broad flood plains, then joins the Henrys Fork near the Menan Buttes.
It sets off northwest from Palisades Dam in Swan Valley.
For the first nine miles it is squeezed into a narrow channel. Then it opens out and splits around several groups of islands.
Just upstream of the Swan Valley Bridge there is a waterfall, where Fall Creek comes down into the river.
Below the Conant launch the river leaves Highway 26 and turns into a canyon. That scenery holds until you get near Heise Hot Springs.
There the cliffs give way to a flat flood plain. Flat does not mean still. This one shifts constantly.
The South Fork holds the largest streamside cottonwood forest in the West, and one of the most unusual and varied living systems in Idaho.
A cottonwood gallery forest is a tall, closed line of trees following the water.
126 bird species live here, 21 of them raptors, and that earned the river a National Important Bird Area designation.
It also carries the biggest native cutthroat fishery outside Yellowstone National Park.
Moose, deer, elk, mountain goats, mountain lions, black bears, bobcats, coyotes, river otter, beaver, fox and mink all use the corridor.
Some of the best known recreation country in the world is close by. Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, Island Park, Targhee National Forest, the Teton River, Henrys Lake State Park and the Henry’s Fork are all near.
Among anglers across the country the South Fork has a name as top-grade trout water. It hosted the 1997 World Fly-Fishing Championship.
More than 300,000 people use it every year: anglers, campers, hikers, boaters and everyone else.
Several walking trails start near the river. The Canyon Rim Trail begins in Black Canyon and follows the canyon upriver to Dry Canyon, with magnificent views down to the water.
More trails run through the Targhee National Forest around Swan Valley and along the South Fork. Some of those take mountain bikes and off-highway vehicles.
The river is eligible to join the national Wild and Scenic system.
Who owns the corridor is complicated. Pieces of it belong to the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Other pieces belong to the State of Idaho, to the counties, and to private landowners.
Boat access along the Snake River corridor is at Byington, Conant, Lorenzo and Menan.
The facts
- Cost
- Camping fee not confirmed
- Type
- Specific campsite
- Managed by
- Bureau of Land Management
Getting there
The South Fork corridor starts at Swan Valley, off highway 26 near the Palisades Dam, and finishes at Menan, at Mike Walker.
Coordinates 43.342166, -111.208031
Open in Google Maps Agency page
What is near here
Nothing is close to this one. Everything below is a long drive away, and each line says how far.
- Teton Dam Directions
- Mount Moran Directions
- Grand Teton National Park Directions
Every distance on this page is the driving distance. A short distance can still take a long time. The road may be closed for the season, covered in snow, or washed out. Many of these roads are dirt. Plan your route before you leave home. Out here there is often no phone signal to look it up on the way.
Nearest town and supplies
- Irwin, ID Directions
- Alpine, WY Directions
Alpine is big enough that you’d normally expect fuel and somewhere to buy food. Nobody from here has been to check, so don’t count on it if you’re running low.
Have you been here?
Fees and access change, and the records do not always keep up. If you have been, tell us what you found.
Thank you, that is recorded. It helps the next person.
Add road notes for this site
The thing we cannot get from any government record is what the drive in is actually like. If you have done it, this is the most useful thing you can leave behind. We read everything before it appears, and we print a first name with it if you give one.
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Where this information comes from
The description on this page is ours. The facts in it, and the fee and facility details below it, come from the Bureau of Land Management’s own records, read in August 2026.