Snake River Canyon Doesn’t Get Enough Respect (OPINION)
I have a bone to pick with the rest of the world. Do a search for "best canyons in America" and see what you find. I'll save you some time. What you won't find is a mention of Snake River Canyon anywhere.
Here are two examples of what I'm talking about. Last year, Only In Your State listed 16 of the most amazing canyons in the United States. The Snake River Canyon didn't even make the list. Can you believe that? You're telling me our canyon doesn't even make the top SIXTEEN?
But, the real shocker to me came when I began a search of websites that are specifically for those that love exploring. Surely one of those would appreciate us, right? Wrong. Look at the Local Adventurer website. They put together a top 11 canyons list. Once again, the Snake River Canyon is nowhere to be found.
This is just wrong on so many levels.
I could list 200, but I'll limit myself to 3 primary reasons why the Snake River Canyon should be considered a top 5 United States canyon AT LEAST.
1. Evel Knievel made history here in 1974
2. The Snake River Canyon contains some of America's most amazing waterfalls
3. Our Perrine Bridge is one of the highest bridges in the United States that spans the canyon.
What does it matter that we are so often overlooked? Who cares about stupid lists anyway? For one thing, this affects tourism. Many in this area believe that we have more than enough people visiting the Magic Valley already. But, national lists help keep landmarks like the Perrine Bridge, Shoshone Falls and the Snake River Canyon at the top of people's minds.
I've been to many of the canyons listed by the other sites. Yes, they are all stunning. But, in my book, only the Grand Canyon rivals the Snake River Canyon for beauty. And, it's about time it gets the notoriety that it so richly deserves.