Running straight through Southern Idaho and forming the lifeblood of the state, the mighty Snake River is a powerful, magnificent body of water that has carved the intimidating Snake River Canyon over the course of thousands of years. While the plunging depths of the gorge are definitely intimidating, reaching over 500 feet deep, what’s perhaps most impressive is the canyon’s girth. At certain points, the canyon reaches around 1600 feet wide; nearly 1/4 of a mile across.
The scenic canyon slices through the outskirts of Twin Falls, and without going around the region, there’s only one way to get across the canyon: the Perrine Bridge. In fact, when it was built in 1927, the Perrine Bridge over the canyon–which stands at an impressive 486 feet–was the tallest bridge in the world.
You might have heard the story of how a famous daredevil, one Evel Knievel himself, decided that there was another way to get across the gorge: a steam powered rocket. What you might not know is that the Snake River Canyon wasn’t his first choice for his now-famous stunt – or that just last year, the terrifying stunt was recreated.
The Snake River Canyon is an intimidating sight, but one you might not even see from a distance because of how sharply the canyon walls plummet down to the Snake River.
At 212 feet, this raging beauty is taller than Niagara Falls, and delightfully unexpected as the water pours out of the rocky, desert landscape.
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In the early 70s, world famous Evel Knievel decided he wanted to jump the Grand Canyon by motorcycle. When his request was denied, he scouted the country in search of a comparable challenge... finding it in humble Idaho.
To meet legal restrictions, he leased land on both sides of the canyon and set to work building an angled dirt ramp and a 180-foot tall launch structure for the rocket he hoped would get him to the other side: the steam-powered SkyCycle X2.
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But every test jump, each of them sans Knievel, plunged straight into the raging Snake River at over 350 mph.
The custom-built machine sat perched on an almost vertical-angled launch structure. equipped with multiple parachutes to help Knievel land (somewhat) gently on the other side of the 1600-foot canyon. Already well up in years, Knievel's greatest concern before launch was that the G-force of the rocket would make him blackout and release the safety parachute too early.
As millions watched on TV and thousands more gathered in person, the parachute opened even before Knievel was off of the launch pad and fully deployed mid-air, bringing the rocket to a near-halt over the middle of the canyon.
Hearts fell as the SkyCycle begin plunging--spinning--towards the water. Paddlers rowed towards the center of the river as quickly as they could. Fortunately, strong canyon winds blew the X2 backwards towards the rocks just in time and Knievel was able to escape the rocket with only a broken nose. The cause? An electrical issue.
A monument was placed in the Visitor Center on the southern end of the Perrine Bridge in commemoration of the attempt.
