Minidoka National Historic Site
During World War II, over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated without due process of law. Although little remains of the barbed-wire fences and tar-papered barracks, the Minidoka concentration camp once held over 13,000 Japanese Americans in the Idaho desert. Minidoka preserves their legacy and teaches the importance of civil liberties.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedStinson Creek Rx 2026
42 mi from the park's reference point · 450 acres
Within 50 miles, as of 2026-10-14. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Check the park's alerts and the managing office before you drive.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Minidoka National Historic Site | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and December the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Minidoka Visitor CenterPassport stamp
Located at 1428 Hunt Road. Start here for visitor information, the passport stamp, the park film, museum exhibits, and the park bookstore. The visitor center is open Fridays through Sundays, from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend.
No campgrounds, no webcams or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Things to do
- View Exhibits at the Minidoka Visitor Center
Much of the Minidoka Visitor Center, located within a historic warehouse, is dedicated to museum exhibits. Displays and historic objects help to tell the story of the Japanese Americans incarcerated here during WWII.
Opens on the Park Service site - Take a Self-Guided Walking Tour of Minidoka30-120 Minutes
Minidoka National Historic Site offers 1.6 miles (2.5 km) of gravel walking trails. Visitors may explore the site and the exteriors of historic structures at their own pace. Educational exhibits are placed along the trail to provide information.
Opens on the Park Service site - Watch the Minidoka Film0-30 Minutes
"Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp" offers a moving introduction to Minidoka National Historic Site and the Japanese American incarceration during WWII.
Opens on the Park Service site - Become a Minidoka Junior Ranger!
Become a Minidoka Junior Ranger and earn a special badge or patch! Junior Ranger booklets offer opportunities for visitors of all ages to explore and help protect this important chapter in American history.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
News
- Four southern Idaho national parks welcomed a combined total of more than 430,000 recreation visits in 2025 ↗2026-05-21
Four southern Idaho national parks welcomed a combined total of more than 430,000 recreation visits in 2025, including a record number of recreation visits to the Minidoka National Historic Site.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Minidoka Internment National MonumentSite · Hunt · 0.2 mi
- Tom Barnes BarnBuilding · Jerome · 2.7 mi
- J. W. and Rachel Newman House and BunkhouseBuilding · Jerome · 4.1 mi
- Priestly's Hydraulic RamStructure · Hagerman · 4.6 mi
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for the Rocky Mountains
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthBald Eagle 1× · North American Porcupine 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 6 birds, 13 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsbald eagle · great-horned owl
Also on the checklistAmerican Robin · Western Kingbird · Western Meadowlark · canyon wren
Hoofed mammalspronghorn
BatsCalifornia myotis · Townsend’s big-eared bat · Yuma myotis · big brown bat · fringed myotis · hoary bat · little brown bat · long-eared myotis · long-legged myotis · pallid bat · silver-haired bat · western small-footed myotis
Weather & climate
Jerome and Twin Falls, Idaho, gets 10 inches of rain per year. On average, there are 213 sunny days per year here. The July high is around 94 degrees. The January low is 22. High winds are common, and little shade is available at the site.
Questions people ask
Does Minidoka charge an entrance fee?
No. Minidoka is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Minidoka?
Standard hours are Sunrise to Sunset, every day.
Source: National Park Service
How busy is Minidoka?
43,539 recreation visits in 2025, number 273 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Minidoka?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show AT&T 5G and T-Mobile 5G. No reported coverage for Verizon. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
What is the weather like at Minidoka?
Jerome and Twin Falls, Idaho, gets 10 inches of rain per year. On average, there are 213 sunny days per year here.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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