My favorite hiking trails in East Idaho

Cress Creek Trail – Heise area
Cress Creek trail is a 1.1 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Ririe, Idaho that features a river and is good for all skill levels.
Why I love it? It’s close to home, easy to drive to and it’s short and sweet.

Menan Butte Trail – North Butte
The Menan Buttes are extinct volcanoes formed by violent eruptions 10,000 years ago. These are unusual formations because they erupted through the cold waters of the Snake River which flowed where the Buttes stand today. When molten magma met the cold river water it cooled so quickly crystals were unable to form, and the lava solidified into glass called tachylite. The heat of the magma flashed the river water to steam, shattering the glass into tiny fragments that welded together as the hot ash settled to the ground. The Menan Buttes are unique because these are the only volcanic eruptions that occurred in freshwater in the United States, which is why North Menan Butte is designated a National Natural Landmark.Facilities: Vault toilet, interpretive signsLength: 3.1 mile trail from parking area to the top, around the rim and back down (0.6 miles cutting through the bowl of the butte)