There’s plenty to do near Rexburg if you know where to look. FreeArenas.com is determined to help you know where you can play without breaking the bank. Whether you swim, hike, mountain bike, rock climb, or really do anything else outside, there are currently 101 FREE locations listed within 50 miles of Rexburg to help you do just that. You may have known all the best places back home and now you can play like a local here, too. Here’s a few of the less well known places to get you started.
Pine Butte / The Caldera
Past the Saint Anthony Sand Dunes, the Civil Defense Caves, and the Ice Caves, you will find sagebrush–miles upon miles of nothing but sagebrush covered desert. But if you follow your GPS down the rugged dirt roads and beyond the caterpillar nests, you’ll come to the precipice of a hidden oasis. Thirty-five miles North of Rexburg is a volcanic crater officially known as Pine Butte, but affectionately known to many as simply The Caldera. The road drives right up to the upper rim of the cauldron formation, immersed in the seemingly endless desert. Here you’ll find the trailhead. The short walk down is steep but relatively easy, about a half mile at most. You’ll notice immediately that you have entered a new world as you descend into a pine forest. As you enter, you’ll feel the air change and easily forget that only moments ago you were driving through a hot, arid, and endless desert. At the bottom of the trail, you’ll find a large, beautiful meadow (about 150 x 500 ft) surrounded by a large grove of Aspens, and a nice little fire pit where others have also enjoyed their stay. There’s plenty to explore and boulders to be climbed. Keep a lookout for stinging nettle and be sure to bring plenty of water, especially if you plan to have a fire. Though noticeably more humid than the surrounding desert, the butte falls just short of being a full-fledged oasis, having no natural water source.
Fall River Bridge
Rexburg might be known for the cold but summer scorchers find their home here as well. When it gets hot, what better activity is there than a good swim? Despite what you may hear, there’s a surprising number of great swimming options around Rexburg, whether you want to pay for hot springs and water slides, jump off a bridge or a cliff, or simply tread some water. Just fifteen minutes North of Rexburg you’ll find a swimming hole that’s got just about everything, right off Highway 20. Right after you cross the Fall River Bridge, just pull off the highway into the parking area on the shoulder and walk down into the river. Take a swing off the rope that’s tied underneath the railroad bridge or leap off the rocks on the North side. Maybe you just want to lay out on the rocks and bask in the sun while you watch friends show off the best tricks into a swimming hole that’s over ten feet deep. If you’re real brave, there’s a small channel upstream from the bridges known as the Washing Machine where people like to ride down between the rocks. Some adrenaline junkies even jump in to be submerged, pushed along under water, and summarily spit back out at the end of the channel. Whatever you do, be careful and only swim here if the flat basking rocks are above the water. Otherwise, the water is too high, too fast, and too dangerous.
Devil’s Stairs
If you’ve been in the area for very long, you’ve heard of Table Rock (AKA Table Mountain) in the breathtaking Teton mountain range and hopefully you’ve had a chance to climb it. It’s debatably the best view you’ll ever get of the Grand Tetons. Just to the West is an often overlooked trail less traveled by, full of beautiful meadows and beautiful views all its own. The trail begins from the same campsite as the Table Rock trailhead but instead heads South. You’ll walk first through about three miles of beautiful mountain meadows and thickets of trees surrounded on either side by majestic mountains. The trail diverts from the others with which you’ve been sharing your hike and makes a courageous turn up the mountain. You’ll find the biggest test of your climb as you ascend 1000 feet in about 2 miles of switchback trails. At the top of the switchbacks there is a small ledge, as if it was the edge of a large stair. Above that, you’ll find a gorgeous meadow filled with wildflowers, beautiful trees, and a babbling brook all against the monumental backdrop of a towering cliff. The entire hike is about eight miles in and out.
Whatever your taste for adventure, the area around Rexburg probably has it if you know where to look.
What kinds of places can be found within 50 miles of Rexburg on FreeArenas.com?
- 82 Mountain Biking Trails
- 40 Hiking trails
- 38 Campsites
- 17 Swimming Holes
- 12 Rock Climbing Walls
- 11 Sledding Hills
- 10 Paintball Fields / Airsoft Fields
- 8 Disc Golf Courses
- 6 Caves
- 5 Skateboard Parks
- + 10 other activities!
The total is more than 194 because some locations are great for multiple activities.
