WINTER 2025 UPDATE
- Harriman State Park is now charging the $6 Winter Access Fee per visitor, in addition to the MVEF fee of $7. This winter access fee goes towards the park’s maintenance of plowing equipment and keeping the park accessible to the public in winter conditions, as well as grooming services and equipment maintenance. Fees can be paid with cash/check at the entrance kiosk, or inside the Visitor Center during posted staffed hours. Please be advised that due to current staffing shortages, reduced hours will be available. Trail grooming will occur 1-2 times weekly, staffing and weather dependent.
- Harriman State Park will be undergoing extensive water and septic upgrades in 2025. This will have a significant impact on the park’s rental facilities, day use areas and parking lots. For the months of May through October of 2025, buildings that have water or septic will not be available for rental due to the construction occurring in and around them. The park’s four yurts will be available for rent through the state’s new reservations system, however. Please refer to this reservation system for the most current availabilities of the park’s rental facilities. We appreciate your patience during this period of improvement to the park’s infrastructure.
- NOW HIRING! Harriman State Park is searching for a skilled Maintenance Ranger. This is an exciting full-time position central to supporting the park’s infrastructure and operations. Responsibilities include vehicle and equipment maintenance; historic building upkeep; skilled labor/handyman responsibilities; and trail work. This is a core position within the park, one perfect for someone with great organizational skills, working with your hands, and who enjoys public service. The position’s payrate is $21.00 per hour, with a competitive state benefits package. If interested, please visit https://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/employment to apply.
Attention: Dogs are only permitted in parking lots. There are no summer trails for use with dogs. Dogs cannot be left unattended and must always be on a six-foot leash. Department employees may impound or remove any stray or unattended animals at the owner’s expense. (IDAPA 26.01 20.175. 09)
Be Bear Aware! Remember to make noise; travel in groups only hike/bike during daylight hours. Always carry bear spray.
Follow us on Facebook for current trail conditions, events, and link to local weather.
**Note: If you do not have a Facebook account, please use your phone or browser, and scroll to the very bottom of this page. There you can see the latest Harriman State Park posts, including conditions updates.
Harriman State Park’s history is a lengthy one–reaching far back into the 1800s, when it was incorporated as the Island Park Land and Cattle Company. This land was purchased by James Anderson, Silas Eccles, and William Bancroft, of the Oregon Short Line Railroad. The Guggenheim family (Daniel, Murray, and Solomon) also purchased shares in the ranch early on. Because of the owners’ heavy involvement in the railroad industry, Island Park Land and Cattle was given the nickname “Railroad Ranch.” In 1908, Murray Guggenheim decided to sell his shares to Edward H. Harriman of New York. Harriman was the Chairman of the Union Pacific Railroad and purchased the shares, sight unseen, after receiving a letter from Eccles, who boasted of the land’s beauty and refuge.
Harriman himself passed away before making it out to Railroad Ranch, but his honor and legacy lived on through his family. Harriman’s wife, Mary, visited the property with their three children: Carol, Averell, and Roland and shortly afterward, purchased another Guggenheim share. For decades, they used the ranch as something of a getaway. While predominantly for cattle, the land was expansive and beautiful, filled with wildlife, trails, and excellent fishing. Roland Harriman and his wife Gladys were frequent patrons and spent most of their time hiking and fishing.
Conservationist John Muir, was a family friend of the Harrimans and held heavy influence on the Harrimans’ decision to donate the land to the state of Idaho. They wanted the land and wildlife to be protected, so the gift came with stipulations. The land was to be managed as “man being in harmony with nature,” thus forming a 16,000-acre wildlife refuge around the land that was managed in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service. What’s more, is that to further the land deed also required that the people who managed the land would be professionally chosen rather than politically. This regulation aided in the formation of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation.
The land was a fully operational cattle ranch up until the day it was turned over to the state. “On April 1, 1977, Railroad Ranch became Harriman State Park of Idaho (used to distinguish from the Harriman State Park in New York, which was also donated by the Harrimans). In 1982, the park officially opened to the public” (100 Years of Idaho and Its Parks).
Watch More Historic Harriman Videos
Current Conditions
Address: 3489 Green Canyon Rd
Island Park, ID 83429
Phone: (208) 558-7368
Hours of Operation: Day-use locations within state parks are open from 7 am to 10 pm, per Idaho state code 26.01.20 (5). Day-use hours may change based on park manager discretion.
