Four federally managed recreation areas in southern Idaho recorded a combined 431,522 visits during 2025, with the Minidoka National Historic Site near Jerome experiencing a record-breaking year, according to National Park Service data released this week.
Minidoka drew 43,539 visitors in 2025, nearly doubling its previous record set the year before. The historic site, which preserves the former World War II-era Japanese American incarceration camp, has seen steadily increasing visitation as more Americans seek to learn about that chapter of U.S. history.
Breakdown of 2025 Visitor Numbers
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve led the region with 260,418 recreation visits. Visitors spent 773,928 hours exploring the volcanic landscape, and the park recorded 17,837 overnight camping stays throughout the year.
City of Rocks National Reserve, managed jointly by the National Park Service and Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, welcomed 90,898 visitors who logged 319,113 recreation hours. The reserve recorded 8,137 overnight stays managed by state parks officials and an additional 42 backcountry camping stays overseen by federal personnel.
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument and its Thousand Springs Visitor Center attracted 36,667 visits, with guests spending 54,999 hours at the paleontological site. Camping is not available at Hagerman, nor at Minidoka, where visitors spent 73,857 recreation hours during 2025.
Operations Continued During Shutdown
The visitation figures came despite a 43-day partial federal government shutdown in 2025, which the Park Service described as the longest on record. During the closure, federal and state agencies coordinated to maintain public access to southern Idaho’s parks and monuments.
Wade Vagias, who has overseen Craters of the Moon since 2015 and serves as superintendent for multiple southern Idaho Park Service units, said the sites offer diverse experiences ranging from volcanic terrain to challenging rock climbing to educational programming about prehistoric fossils and 20th-century history.
Data Guides Park Management
Park Service officials use annual visitation statistics to inform operational decisions and resource allocation aimed at improving visitor experiences. The agency maintains a public dashboard tracking recreation visits to all national parks dating back to 1979 for some locations.
Detailed 2025 visitation data for individual parks across the country is available through the Park Service’s Social Science division website.
What Comes Next
The National Park Service has not yet released visitation projections for 2026. Park officials will continue monitoring visitor trends at southern Idaho sites to adjust staffing, maintenance schedules, and facility improvements. With Minidoka’s visitation nearly doubling year-over-year, the historic site may require additional capacity planning to accommodate growing public interest while preserving the integrity of the location.