Land of the Yankee Fork State Park is an Idaho State Park located in Custer County. This state park has a small interpretive center, a few ghost towns, a hot spring, and a gold dredge. The locations for each of these parts of the park are spread throughout the area. But if you visit Challis in central Idaho, make a stop at the Land of the Yankee Fork state park interpretive center.
Interpretive Center
The interpretive center is located right in Challis. There is a small museum in this area, which costs a few dollars to enter. If you don’t want to pay the money to enter the museum you can still have your questions answered or watch a movie about the area. There are a few things to see by the desk, and a small gift shop area. We decided to explore the museum, and we saw a lot of interesting things. There are scavenger hunts for the kids, too. We each took one and it kept our teens entertained while we walked through learning the history of the Yankee Fork River. The museum has many different historical artifacts from mining and living during the early 1900s. There is also info about how the mines and dredges worked.
Outside the Land of the Yankee Fork State Park interpretive center, there is a small spot for people to try their hand at panning for gold. Make sure to ask for supplies inside the center. You can also walk around the yard. There are old mining tools and supplies on display with interpretive signs.
Buffalo Kill Site
The main draw outside the interpretive center is called the buffalo kill site. This is a small ridge that is believed to have been used by early inhabitants to drive buffalo to their deaths. This allowed them to use the buffalo for food and their skins. It is a short walk from the interpretive center over to the buffalo kill site, or you can drive up to a viewing area.
Challis Hot Springs
While you’re at the interpretive center, make sure to ask about the hot springs. Unfortunately for us, our tight schedule didn’t allow us to visit. The hot springs are a fairly new addition to the park, but everyone can visit and enjoy a nice soak in the hot springs. There are two different pools and the water is between 98-100 in one pool, while the other is kept at 105 degrees. There is a fee to enter the hot springs.
Ghost Towns
We’ve written about both Bayhorse and Custer ghost towns, and both are overseen by Land of the Yankee Fork State Park. The Bayhorse Ghost Town has a lot of buildings, but no one can enter any buildings. We loved the saloon here that looked straight from an Old West movie, as well as the large mill. Custer Ghost Town is very well preserved and you can enter the buildings here. There are docents in some buildings, as well as a small gift shop with treats. We loved the pamphlet that told us the history of each building as we walked around. Both ghost towns have great interpretive signs, too. There is also a Bonanza Ghost town listed on the Land of the Yankee Fork website, but we did not visit this spot.
Yankee Fork Gold Dredge
The gold dredge has its own separate entrance fee to walk through. There are volunteers inside who tell you about certain parts of the dredge and how it worked. You will drive past the Yankee Fork Fold Dredge on your way to Custer Ghost Town. So you can see it from the road if you don’t want to take the self-guided tour.
Plan around an hour at the Interpretive Center and Buffalo Kill Site. If you plan to visit other areas, you will need directions and more time. See our other posts for more details. For hours and prices, visit the Land of the Yankee Fork State Park website.
