Local Color / June 5, 2026
This Freshwater Swimming Hole Two Hours from Boise Runs Turquoise Year-Round
Box Canyon Springs offers a waterfall-lined canyon hike that ends in a swim through spring-fed turquoise water—worth packing snacks and watching your step for stinging nettle.
BOISE, ID—If summer heat has you searching for a reason to leave the valley, Box Canyon Springs makes a compelling case. The out-and-back hike descends into a canyon past a waterfall before opening onto a freshwater spring whose water runs a vivid turquoise. The spring stays cold year-round, which is the whole point on a ninety-degree day. Hiker @leahhikes flags two things to know before you go: stinging nettle grows along the trail, and snakes are present. Pack out everything you bring in. The canyon earns it.