When Will the Water Start Flowing Over the Shoshone Falls in Southern Idaho

Before moving to Southern Idaho, I never thought there was a good time and a bad time to see a waterfall. It’s a waterfall so I assumed there was always water falling. There isn’t. That is abundantly clear for tourists who come to see the World Famous Niagara of the West, the Shoshone Falls, and are met with a water trickle.

But over the next few weeks, there won’t be any reason for disappointment as the flows have been increased from a mere 400 CFS (cubic feet per second) to around 3,700 CFS this week. And they’ll stay that way until the middle of the month.

Here’s Why You Should See The Shoshone Falls This Week in Southern Idaho

We were sent a news brief from Idaho Power letting us know of the flow increase. Idaho Power doesn’t control when and how much water is released, that is determined at a federal level, but they do try to allow at least 300 CFS during the summer when possible.

We’ve had a dry winter and the current flow increase will only last until May 18th before being throttled down to a trickle again.

READ ALSO: Here’s How You Can Watch the Live Video Feed of the Shoshone Falls

While 3,700 CFS is a massive increase from what we’ve seen at the falls recently, it is nowhere near a full flow. A high flow for the Shoshone Falls is around 10 to 12 thousand CFS and can exceed 20,000 CFS when water conditions are optimal.

Still, 3,700 CFS is better than nothing, so pack your family in the car before the 18th and head down to the Shoshone Falls for what could be the best view of the year.

For comparison, here’s what the Shoshone Falls looks like with with CFS over 10,000.

Even at high flow, the Shoshone Falls might not be the best waterfall in the Magic Valley.