Upper Mesa Falls

Caribou-Targhee National Forest / Ashton, Idaho, USA

About Upper Mesa Falls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Upper Mesa Falls was a spectacular river waterfall on the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River.

It was one of the few remaining giant waterfalls on the Snake River system not to succumb to human interference.

Upper_Mesa_Falls_17_043_08142017 - Upper Mesa Falls
Upper Mesa Falls

Its size was said to be as tall as a 10-story building (114ft) and 200ft wide with a flow rate that would vary between 600-1500 cubic feet per second (or 387-967 million gallons per day).

Typically, we give big wide river waterfalls a lot of love as you can see from the ratings that we gave waterfalls such as (Niagara Falls, Cumberland Falls, Tahquamenon Falls, Rhine Falls, and even the nearby Cave Falls just to name a few), and this waterfall was no different.

If there was one thing holding us back from giving Upper Mesa Falls an even higher score, it would be that we couldn’t get that satifying view of the entire width of the falls.

Nevertheless, we were still able to experience its power and beauty from an easy trail and boardwalk.

Upper_Mesa_Falls_17_099_08142017 - Looking back at the historic Big Falls Inn at the Upper Mesa Falls
Looking back at the historic Big Falls Inn at the Upper Mesa Falls

This path looped from the historic Big Falls Inn and took in a handful of lookouts both near the falls and further away to better appreciate the surroundings.

Interpretive signs were also placed throughout the walk to help us learn more about both the geologic and human history here as well as the inner workings of the native ecosystem.

Upper Mesa Falls History

Upper Mesa Falls formed from a combination of rhyolite tuff (referred to here as the Mesa Falls tuff) and basalt lava that resulted from a supervolcano eruption said to have occurred about a million years ago.

This eruption was said to be the second of three such eruptions each in their own separate giant calderas of which the most famous one was within the Yellowstone National Park boundary to the northeast of here.

Upper_Mesa_Falls_17_095_08142017 - Looking at the context of one of the overlooks by Upper Mesa Falls situated on the Mesa Falls tuff layer
Looking at the context of one of the overlooks by Upper Mesa Falls situated on the Mesa Falls tuff layer

Tuff was basically the result of superheated volcanic ash and molten granite fusing together in the high temperatures of the eruption.

It ultimately formed into the hard erosion-resistant rock layer that gave rise to the drop in the Henry’s Fork that we know today as the Upper Mesa Falls.

The Big Falls Inn was originally built around 1915 as possibly an office or accommodation for workers of the Snake River Electric Light and Power Company.

The Montana Power Company then took over the inn in 1936.

Upper_Mesa_Falls_17_010_08142017 - The front of the historic Big Falls Inn
The front of the historic Big Falls Inn

Amazingly a hydroelectric plant was never built for one reason or another even though both owners of the inn had intended to erect one to harness the obvious power that the waterfall displayed.

Somehow the inn then instead became a hotel, cafe, and dance hall.

Then, it later became a stagecoach stop for tourist as well as ranchers and sportsmen headed to Yellowstone via the west entrance.

These days (since 1986), the Big Falls Inn was re-purposed into a forest service visitor center and shop.

Upper_Mesa_Falls_17_103_08142017 - The front porch of the historic Big Falls Inn
The front porch of the historic Big Falls Inn

Indeed, the end result of this haphazard circumstance of a near miss when it came to taming the Snake River ensured that everyone would get to enjoy this part of Eastern Idaho for generations to come.

Experiencing Upper Mesa Falls

Our short 3/4-mile loop walk began by taking a short path from one of the parking lots to the Big Falls Inn.

Then, we had our choice of which direction to walk.

Since it was a loop walk anyways, it didn’t matter which direction we went.

Upper_Mesa_Falls_17_071_08142017 - The boardwalk along the rim of the Henrys Fork near the brink of the Upper Mesa Falls.  Wheelchair accessibility only gets you up to overlooks higher up the slope
The boardwalk along the rim of the Henrys Fork near the brink of the Upper Mesa Falls. Wheelchair accessibility only gets you up to overlooks higher up the slope

The paved paths were wheelchair-accessible, and it wound up bringing us to a couple of lookouts with distant top down views of the Upper Mesa Falls.

However, the steps and boardwalks were what brought us right onto the rim of the Henry’s Fork.

Once down at the rim, we not only got the view you see pictured at the top of the falls, but it also brought us to its brink and some of the scenery further upstream of the falls.

When we observed the steep cliffs opposite the Henry’s Fork, we could clearly see hints of the violent past (such as the rhyolite tuff layer and hexagonal basalt layer) that gave rise to such beauty that we got to enjoy this day.

Upper_Mesa_Falls_17_049_08142017 - Context of the boardwalk leading down to the brink of the Upper Mesa Falls
Context of the boardwalk leading down to the brink of the Upper Mesa Falls

Overall, we spent about an hour away from the car though we really took our time and even took the time chatting with some of the other visitors who were also enjoying their time here.

Authorities

Upper Mesa Falls resides in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest near Ashton in Fremont County, Idaho. It is administered by the USDA Forest Service. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website or Facebook page.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: idaho falls, idaho, waterfall, targhee, caribou, national forest, ashton, west yellowstone, yellowstone, henrys fork, freemont, mesa falls scenic byway



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.