Castle Rock Road

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

In the hills along Idaho’s Highway 20 between Fairfield and Mountain Home there are visual treasures beyond the wildest dreams. Residents of Elmore County and those who have made the drive are likely familiar with the rolling hills, camas lilies, rock formations, and wildlife that stretch across the range.

The aptly named Sun Valley Highway is no doubt the gateway to a plethora of Elmore County’s most beautiful areas. One of these beautiful locations, forest service road 152, more commonly referred to as Castle Rock Road, boasts a beautiful display of the southern Idaho geological landscape. It is here that eroded granite spires gently pierce the skies. The beautiful granite formations that serve as the road’s namesake are portions of Idaho’s batholith, which intruded into existing rock formations in the area approximately 64-100 million years ago. Years of weathering and erosion from weather conditions have shaped the spires into the beautiful, smooth granite structures we see today. The formations have been there for longer than imaginable, and the changes they undergo take so long, that even over a century they appear identical, and just as beautiful.

From Mountain Home, it is a roughly 35 minute drive to access Castle Rock Road. The road can be traveled by foot or by vehicle. So as the weather warms, the days get sunnier, and the winter withers away, be sure to take the time to explore our beautiful home and all the natural beauty it offers us. We certainly have a special state, county, and home.

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