Castle Rocks State Park offers prime climbing and horseback riding right from Smokey Mountain’s campsites under towering granite pinnacles and monoliths. Early wildflowers, birdlife including sandhill cranes and sage grouse, and pristine archeological sites are just some of the other attractions.
The Setting
Castle Rocks State Park is located adjacent to the City of Rocks National Reserve. The 1,440-acre site was formerly a ranch, with early 20th century ranch structures and pastures. There are several outstanding rock formations and numerous outcroppings, primarily of quartz-monzonite, with pinnacles and monoliths towering 350 feet or more providing a stunning playground for both photographers and climbers. Facilities at the park include campsites and picnic areas. The recreational opportunities are wide-ranging. Visitors can rock climb, picnic, hike, horseback ride, mountain bike and bird watch. The wildflowers are glorious in early spring. Winter offers different opportunities for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and animal watching.
Trail maps are posted on the park web page and can be easily downloaded. Climbing guides and maps, brochures, guidebooks and souvenirs are available at the Park. There are many activities hosted for visitors throughout the year, from summer day camps for kids to wildflower and snowshoe walks, depending on the season. For example, on May 16th visitors can join the park ranger and other naturalists for a day of wildflower walks, photography, and plant identification in the pristine sage-brush steppe, aspen forests and high mountain meadows of City of Rocks and Castle Rocks. The 2-hour guided walk begins at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. There is no fee, but pre-registration is required. Interested? Contact the park for details (208-824-5519 ext 106).
The Facility
Our new Smokey Mountain Campground offers 38 campsites with full hook-ups, six of which are open to equestrian campers, with an RV dump station and an equestrian trailhead for the historic California Trail. There are also primitive campsites available at nearby City of Rocks.
Other Information
Mule deer, mountain lion, bighorn sheep and the state’s first recorded ringtail cat reside in the park. The park’s location along the Pacific Flyway, combined with nesting populations of common snipe, sandhill crane and sage grouse make the park a popular destination among birdwatchers and photographers. An estimated 400 species of plants thrive in the park, including sagebrush, juniper, mountain mahogany and pinon pine.
The park also protects some of the most pristine archeological sites in southern Idaho. Portions of the park are included in the City of Rocks National Historic Landmark reflecting the different cultures that inhabited the area over the last two millennia.
Almo, Idaho, in the southeast portion of the state, south of Burley
Address
Castle Rocks State Park
(at City of Rocks National Reserve Office)
3035 Elba-Alma Rd., PO Box 169 Almo, ID 83312
(208) 824-5519
Learn
more about this park and book your reservation
online 
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