Outdoor Activities & Entertainment

Outdoor Activities: Embrace the Outdoors: Activities in Our Area

If you like the outdoors, Pocatello is hard to beat for access. Trailheads sit on the edge of town, the ski hill is 20 minutes away, and the Snake River reservoir is a 20-minute drive. Providers here are frequently mountain bikers, hikers, skiers, and anglers, and many fit recreation into a normal workday rather than treating it as an all-day production.

Trails and Mountains

A series of finger canyons feeds directly into town, with trailheads at City Creek, Mink Creek, Gibson Jack, and Scout Mountain. Within 10 minutes you can be hiking or mountain biking. Many trails support multiple uses, and a few allow dirt biking and ATVs.

• Mountain biking is big, with youth and adult competitive teams that travel to compete, plus recreational groups
• Hiking and trail running trails throughout the Highland area and the West Bench
• Scout Mountain for camping and hiking, about a 15 to 20 minute drive
• Abundant wildlife in the foothills, including deer, moose, turkey, and the occasional mountain lion

Skiing and Winter Sports

Pebble Creek is the local ski hill, about 20 minutes from the hospital with three lifts and a skier-friendly mountain. It is affordable in a way most resorts are not.

• Lift tickets around $60, season passes around $500
• Close enough that providers ski for a few afternoon runs rather than a full-day trip
• A Nordic center about 15 minutes south for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing
• Bigger-name resorts within reach for weekends: Sun Valley and Jackson Hole are about 2.5 hours away

Water and Fishing

The Snake River and a nearby reservoir are 20 minutes out, with no lines or long waits to launch a boat. Water sports run all summer.

• Water skiing, wake surfing, paddle boarding, and kayaking on the reservoir
• World-class trout fishing below the reservoir, plus sturgeon fishing, which few places offer
• Stocked fishing ponds in and around town that are popular for kids

Golf

The area has three golf courses, two public and one private. Green fees are low by current standards.

• Riverside, a public course with 18 holes around $35, with a new clubhouse under construction
• A private country club with a pool, indoor and outdoor tennis, and a restaurant; a full family membership runs around $3,000 per year
• Additional courses in nearby smaller communities

Entertainment and Local Life

Pocatello has a healthy mix of local restaurants and bars alongside national chains, with the shopping and dining most families need. A new Target is opening in a redeveloped retail center.

• The Portneuf Wellness Complex, built with support from a community health trust, includes soccer and football fields, a man-made lake, walking and bike trails, a playground, sand volleyball, and an outdoor amphitheater
• A summer outdoor concert series at the amphitheater
• Hot springs in the surrounding volcanic area, a popular weekend draw with pools and restaurants
• Salt Lake City, two hours away, for professional sports, concerts, and touring Broadway shows