About Island Park, Idaho
Island Park is an Adventure Destination and Gateway to Yellowstone National Park
In the summer, Island Park is a destination for anglers looking to catch trophy trout and families vacationing. Visitors rent Island Park cabins to explore Yellowstone, ride ATV’s, ride horses, hike or bike in the mountains, camp and boat. Many come to see the Bald Eagles, grouse, Sandhill Cranes, songbirds, raptors, waterfowl, and large and small mammals (including deer, elk, moose and bear), and to view wildflowers and the overall scenic beauty Island Park offers. In the winter, the area is a wonderland with over 500 miles of snowmobile trails, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and ice fishing. There's so much to see do and explore in the area and lots of fun ways to do it!
Longest Main Street in America
At 36.8 miles, Island Park’s Main Street is the longest in the US. Back in 1947, local resorts and businesses incorporated a long strip of land, along Highway 20, as the town of Island Park. This was because Idaho’s liquor laws at the time prohibited the sale of liquor outside of a city’s limits. It’s also the reason the town varies from 500 to 5,000 feet in width. Today, the very long town has grown to be a base camp for outdoor recreation and a gateway city to Yellowstone National park.
The World’s Largest Caldera
Two million years ago, an enormous volcano erupted in the area, emitting 2,500 times more ash than Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980. The remains of that ancient volcano formed a large caldera called the Island Park Caldera that stretches into Yellowstone National Park. The Island Park Caldera stretches 58 miles in one direction and 40 miles in the other, making it one of the world’s largest calderas. A smaller, relatively newer caldera, which formed 1.3 million years ago, is 23 miles in diameter. The Henry’s Fork Caldera is nested inside the Island Park Caldera and is it is covered in pine trees and wildflowers. It’s a popular site for hiking, fishing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.