A small but intriguing hummingbird sanctuary is located just over an hour from Twin Falls Idaho in the Sawtooth National Forest. The locals refer to it as the “Hummingbird Trail” or “Home of the Hummingbirds” in South Hills. They eagerly await for the road to open every spring to visit.
We heard about this little hidden gem from the locals in Twin Falls and decided to go on an adventure to find it in the forest.
Turns out, we had a wonderful day of playing in the Sawtooth National Forest and enjoyed watching all the hummingbirds sipping sweet sugar water.
The location is somewhat of a mystery to get to so I’ll give you directions, post some pictures, and tell you about the fun we had.
About the Hummingbird Sanctuary
Tucked away in the South Hills of Sawtooth National Forest near the Magic Mountain Ski resort is a place with over 20 hummingbird feeders. Volunteers care for the location and fill the feeders with gallons of sugar water every week.
Hummingbirds stop over to refuel during their migration from Mexico to Canada.
Directions to the Hummingbird Trail
The home of the hummingbirds is located off the Rock Creek Road which is the main road to Magic Mountain Ski Resort. Drive Rock Creek Road 28 miles until you reach the Magic Mountain Lodge. Directly across the street from the ski resort lodge is Oakley Rogerson Rd. Which is also Forest Road 500. (see the picture of the sign and lodge)
Take forest road 500 for 9 miles. The sanctuary is located just off the road next to the creek. You will see a sign with “home of the hummingbird” with benches and picnic tables.
Note: the road is not plowed to the hummingbirds so you have to wait for late spring to drive in. Once the road is thawed you can drive in a car. Just be cautious of ruts and potholes.
Visiting the Hummingbirds
When you first arrive at it’s location you’ll feel like you found a hidden garden in the middle of the forest. Just one wooden sign beside the road marks the entrance. Inside there is a picnic table and a couple of benches to sit and watch to the hummingbirds
The whole area is very peaceful in the trees next to the babbling creek.
We enjoyed seeing hummingbirds of many different colors and sizes drinking from the feeders. It was fun to hear the buzz of their wings.
We heard that if you stand really still they may even land on you. But we’re not able to experience this.
We stayed longer than other people who came by. We sat on the benches and enjoyed watching and taking pictures of the hummingbirds.
We ate a picnic lunch at the table in the sunshine and then the kids enjoyed playing in the creek.
Although we did not see any poison ivy at this location we did see some along the creek at different places in the forest. Then grandma did get an outbreak on her arm during our day. So be cautious to look around for poison ivy and stinging nettles.
Note: We were playing in the tall grass and found tick crawling on one of the kids. So watch out for ticks and poison ivy.
The Hummingbirds were so fun to see and we had a great day in the forest. This actually makes a nice stop on a camping trip or long day trip to sawtooth National Forest. There are many little interesting campgrounds and picnic areas along the road.
This is part of a series based on our visit to Twin Falls. Our Articles on the area will help you plan your trip:
- 17 Fun things to do in Twin Falls
- Visit Shoshone Falls
Hi, I’m Shauna – Welcome to Family Travel Fever. We are a large family, that was bitten by the travel bug! We travel with kids and extended family. I take the kids by myself sometimes because I don’t mind flying or driving solo with my crew to discover the coolest places.
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