HAGERMAN, Idaho (KLIX)-A new 3,400-square-foot visitor center in Hagerman will combine access and information to a national monument and six state park units when it opens Thursday. The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation and the U.S. National Park Service along with the governor will dedicate the Thousand Springs State Park Visitor Center on April 28, just west of Hagerman. “The Hagerman Valley has wonderful recreational and historical resources, spread about a large and scenic area,” said Susan Buxton, director of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation in a prepared statement. “This center will become a hub, the central place where visitors learn about what the area offers so they can plan which adventures to experience.” The new $2.3 million dollar building will allow better access to the six areas that make up the Thousand Springs State Park Complex which includes Malad Gorge, Kelton Trail, Billingsley Creek, Ritter Island, Niagara Springs, and Box Canyon Springs Nature Preserve. Visitors will also have access and information to the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument. The partnership involves the State paying for the building while the National Park Service has committed to leasing part of it for the next 25 years. Eventually, a $5 million, 50-space campground will open up at Billingsley Creek later this fall.

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