Three Island Crossing & Eureka Cave
Three Island Crossing State Park is located just south of Glenns Ferry, ID. It rests alongside the Snake River. The park covers 613 acres and has 82 serviced campsites (1 ADA) and 8 cabins (2 ADA). Amenities at the park include:
Dump station, electricity, fire rings, flush toilets, group picnic shelter, indoor restrooms, indoor showers, picnic areas, and drinking water. It also boasts a wonderful interpretive center/museum. Nearby are all the amenities of Glenns Ferry. Between the two is a very lovely-looking winery.
We arrived at the park in the middle of the day. We easily followed the signs to our reserved campsite. Pulled in Astraya (our converted shuttle bus) and set camp. We did a little exploring around the immediate area. The Snake River was only a few hundred feet away from our campsite, so cool. We looked out over the water, took some pictures, and admired the pelicans we could see floating on the water in the distance. We walked through the “park” area of the park and were impressed with the facilities. Flush toilets were a unanimous surprise. This was the first state park we had visited with such exceptional amenities.
Back at camp, we prepared dinner and hung out around the fire. S’mores were on the menu, which is always a hit. If you have never had a S’mores, you haven’t lived. If you haven’t had S’mores with a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup instead of a chocolate bar, you haven’t lived well. (I prefer the Reese’s Thins Peanut Butter Cups.) Quiet time (10pm) was soon upon us and we retired to the bus and to bed.
The following morning we ate a filling breakfast before wandering out of the bus and into the blustering wind. We know the area well enough it was not surprising to have to walk through such gusts. Newcomers to the mid-southern part of Idaho may be shocked by the near-constant double-digit wind of this region. We had a mission and no wind would dissuade us.
We walked the quarter-mile to the Interpretive Center. Stopping nearby to read the placards describing the wagons on display. Before entering the Interpretive Center, we paused to examine the wagon outside which was larger than the two we observed earlier.
Inside the Interpretive Center, we were greeted by the hosts who were very kind. They offered some insightful information about the area, including possible hikes (which we didn’t have time to try), then explained they would be starting a short movie soon. We waited, looking through the gift shop until the movie was ready to begin. We took out seats and watched a 10-minute movie about the history of the area. It wasn’t going to win any awards, but it was nice information, a great leadup to the rest of the Interpretive Center.
Following the movie, we were set loose to explore the Interpretive Center museum. It is a horseshoe-shaped museum laid out in a story format through history. As you pass through the pictures, items, and stories you get a profound sense of the strong history and life-changing events that unfolded in this little piece of land, seemingly invisible to the wide world around it. I liked that it was very candid about the history of the people and their struggles with nature and each other. It was very well designed and a wonderful experience. I highly recommend visiting if you are in the area and have an hour or two.
Leaving the Interpretive Center, we walked down the main road for 1.5 miles and entered Glenns Ferry. We were looking for a place to eat and had our hearts set on a restaurant called Fudge Factory, Grill & Ice Cream. Yes, it is a mouthful, but it had all the right foods in the name. We started with the grill. Between burgers, fries, chicken strips, and grilled cheese sandwiches, we all were full and content. The food wasn’t the best we’d had, but it was tasty and reasonably priced. From there we moved on to the ice cream. Milkshakes all around. These were delicious. Before we left we got a piece of each flavor of fudge they offered. We just had to try them all, once we had room in our bellies again, of course. When we finally got around to it later, the fudge was okay. After the milkshakes, there wasn’t much that would hold up well though.
We were glad we walked to Glenns Ferry, the walk back to the park allowed us to burn off some of the massive caloric intakes we just endured. We attempted to locate the Glenns Ferry Historical Museum, but the place indicated on google maps was a home and the building across from it that looked like it could be a history museum was boarded and gated shut. So, we made our way back to the campsite. The views of the Snake River were lovely and it was neat to see some of the homes in the area that were a little different.
Everyone was ready for a little downtime after all the walking and food. We lounged in the camp chair and lay in bed in the bus while we waited for dinner (we were still full from a late lunch) and dusk, and the eventual campfire that would follow. We were still too full to try and eat S’mores again, but it was nice to just sit around the fire and talk.
Waking up, we started cleaning up and packing everything back into the bus while I made breakfast. Once we were loaded up, we started our journey home. We had a stop to make along the way.
Eureka Cave is located a few miles East of Moutain Home, ID. Taking exit 95 off I-84, then heading North on highway 20, there is a right turn onto Worth Lee Rd, just past the hotel. Follow this road straight as it turns from a paved road to a maintained dirt road. It is about 4.5 miles to the turnoff for the cave. The road in is quite rough. If you do not have a high clearance/off-road vehicle I would not attempt to go any further. If you have to walk, like we did, it is only half a mile to the cave entrance.
The cave is actually a lava tube where the ceiling collapsed in. Getting down into the cave can be a bit tricky. Make sure you have three points of contact at all times. The cave is popular, I think mostly at night though. I get the feeling it is a lot like Kuna Cave. The locals like to use it at night for various “activities.” They certainly don’t like to clean up after. The cave is really neat if you can look beyond the trash, fire pits, and graffiti.
We took the tunnel that heads East. It goes between a quarter and half a mile before it dead ends. It is mostly scrambling over rocks and at least two spots had very low clearance overhead. If you have any difficulty walking on uneven terrain, crouching, or being in dark somewhat tight spaces, don’t go here.
My favorite thing to do when in a cave that goes deep enough that no external light reaches you is to turn off the lights. The darkness surrounding you is something unique and wondrous. If you haven’t tried this, give it a go. You might find it kind of creepy or even terrifying at first. Don’t let that stop you from trying again, maybe leaving the lights off a little longer this time. Keep going until you can be comfortable in the darkness and then just let it surround you as you just breathe. You might find something inside you worth writing in your journal that night.
Well, that was our adventure this time around. Hope you enjoyed it. Keep checking back for more adventures. See you.
