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| designation = Idaho state park
| established = 2005
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| administrator = Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation
| website = [https://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/thousand-springs Thousand Springs State Park]
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}}Thousand Springs State Park is a public recreation and nature preservation area consisting of multiple units — Billingsley Creek, Earl M. Hardy Box Canyon Springs Nature Preserve, Malad Gorge, Niagara Springs, and Ritter Island — in Gooding County, Idaho.[.]
Park units
The state park was created in 2005, when four existing state parks in the Hagerman Valley were merged into a single entity,[4] with an additional unit subsequently added to the complex.
- Billingsley Creek
This former ranch was purchased by the state in 2001.[ One feature is the homesite of western author Vardis Fisher.[4] Billingsley Creek Unit totals {{convert|286|acre|ha}}.[7]]
- Earl M. Hardy Box Canyon Springs Nature Preserve
This {{convert|350|acre|ha|adj=on}} box canyon has {{convert|250|ft|m|adj=mid|-high}} walls. At its head is the eleventh-largest spring in North America, gushing {{convert|180000|gal|L}} per minute.[7] There is a {{convert|20|ft|m|adj=on}} waterfall.[ The {{convert|350|acre|ha|adj=on}} property was developed by the Nature Conservancy which purchased the site in 1999, then completed its transfer to the state in 2016.[10]]
- Malad Gorge
Malad Gorge is a {{convert|250|ft|m|adj=mid|-deep}} canyon formed by the Malad River, downstream from a {{convert|60|ft|m|adj=on}} waterfall. This {{convert|652|acre|ha|adj=on}} day-use unit is off Interstate 84 and offers hiking and picnicking. A section of the Oregon Trail is visible.[ Rock pigeons, red-tailed hawks and golden eagles nest in the canyon. Yellow-bellied marmots are found on the canyon floor.]
- Niagara Springs
Proclaimed a National Natural Landmark,[12] this area borders the Snake River and features sheer basalt cliffs {{convert|350|ft|m}} high.[7] There are {{convert|179|acre|ha}} in two parcels, acquired in 1971 and 1976.[7]
- Ritter Island
This unit lies along the Snake River between two large springs.
References
1. ^1 2 {{cite web |publisher=Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation |title=Thousand Springs State Park Master Plan, Chapter 1 |url=http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/assets/content/docs/Development/Thousand%20Springs%20State%20Park/Chapter%201.pdf |date=August 2006 |accessdate=March 5, 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090507181145/http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/assets/content/docs/Development/Thousand%20Springs%20State%20Park/Chapter%201.pdf |archivedate=May 7, 2009}}
2. ^1 2 3 4 {{cite web |publisher=Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation |title=Thousand Springs State Park Master Plan, Chapter 3 |url=http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/assets/content/docs/Development/Thousand%20Springs%20State%20Park/Chapter%203.pdf |date=August 2006 |accessdate=March 5, 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090507181746/http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/assets/content/docs/Development/Thousand%20Springs%20State%20Park/Chapter%203.pdf |archivedate=May 7, 2009}}
3. ^1 {{cite web |url=https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/thousand-springs/ |title=Thousand Springs, Ritter Island & Box Canyon |publisher=The Nature Conservancy |accessdate=October 5, 2018}}
4. ^1 {{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nnlandmarks/site.htm?Site=NISP-ID |title=Niagara Springs |work=National Natural Landmarks |publisher=National Park Service |accessdate=January 13, 2017}}